In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Fifteen years I raged against the constant C, the
speed of light, the diagrams and haunted sleep
on frozen sheets, in bed, my dreams, your garden grave,
I'd climb inside, hold your bones and slowly die, the
cooling space inside your chest, my broken bride, you
never breathed again.
The circuits fail, the cosmic strings like rubber
bands, I lose control, they snap, I fall through
mist to mud against my face, the taste of blood,
the world is strange, the stinking earth and giant
trees, through heavy air a demon shrieks, what
have I done? What hell is waiting for me?
CHORUS
I crashed before the birth of Christ, pterodactyls swarming
You died in 1989, just wanna get back to that morning in May
Keep you in bed, never escape, holding you close,
Listen to you breathe the evening glow
of fading light and cooling space.
Like motor oil down my throat, I couldn't speak, I dropped
the phone, the burning flares, the steam, your hair,
bits of glass, they sparkled everywhere, like winter
nights, the stars, the ice, all intertwined, to hold and
keep, like petals pressed in sheets, making love to
moonlight in our sleep.
But now above the pits of tar, in a cave I hide, that
massive screaming thing with wings of reaper's cloth,
it's standing just outside, I must get to my machine,
I will bring you back to life, fix your ruined lungs,
I'll undo what time has done!
REPEAT CHORUS
I carve your sweet name
into the cave, I'm sure to die
All my strife has been in vain
The glaciers come and wash my words away
REPEAT CHORUS
speed of light, the diagrams and haunted sleep
on frozen sheets, in bed, my dreams, your garden grave,
I'd climb inside, hold your bones and slowly die, the
cooling space inside your chest, my broken bride, you
never breathed again.
The circuits fail, the cosmic strings like rubber
bands, I lose control, they snap, I fall through
mist to mud against my face, the taste of blood,
the world is strange, the stinking earth and giant
trees, through heavy air a demon shrieks, what
have I done? What hell is waiting for me?
CHORUS
I crashed before the birth of Christ, pterodactyls swarming
You died in 1989, just wanna get back to that morning in May
Keep you in bed, never escape, holding you close,
Listen to you breathe the evening glow
of fading light and cooling space.
Like motor oil down my throat, I couldn't speak, I dropped
the phone, the burning flares, the steam, your hair,
bits of glass, they sparkled everywhere, like winter
nights, the stars, the ice, all intertwined, to hold and
keep, like petals pressed in sheets, making love to
moonlight in our sleep.
But now above the pits of tar, in a cave I hide, that
massive screaming thing with wings of reaper's cloth,
it's standing just outside, I must get to my machine,
I will bring you back to life, fix your ruined lungs,
I'll undo what time has done!
REPEAT CHORUS
I carve your sweet name
into the cave, I'm sure to die
All my strife has been in vain
The glaciers come and wash my words away
REPEAT CHORUS
Lyrics submitted by sandswipe
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The album is simpler than people are making it. It's brilliant, but Andrew (Lead singer and writer for Ludo) is a straight-forward writer. I will clarify the important stuff:
Part 1, Broken Bride- The Traveler has been struggling for fifteen years to build a time machine, and finally comes to the night when he will attempt to use it to save his dead wife - who died in a car crash in 1989. It malfunctions, and he is sent to prehistoric times. He is attacked by dinosaurs and retreats safely inside a cave.
Save our City- Meanwhile, after the Travelers departure, humanity is assaulted by zombies, King Simius (a kind of anti-Christ) and the imminent end of the world.
Part 2, Tonight's the Night- The Traveler has been trapped in his cave and basically chances the raptors and makes an attempt to get to his machine and try to save his wife once more.
Part 3, The Lamb and the Dragon- Barely escaping the predators, The Traveler starts the machine and once again it malfunctions, sending him all the way to the apocalypse - which had started in "Save our city". King Simius summons (an assumption on my part) The Dragon, which unleashes destruction upon the last of humanity. The Traveler, witnessing the awful events around him, makes a decision to sacrifice his time machine to save the world, and uses "his own dragon" to zap the Beast to another time - destroying the machine in the process. The Traveler is then visited by some kind of celestial beings (angels or the like), who are confused at his broken heart. He tells them of his sorrow at not being able to prevent his wife's death in the end. In payment of saving humanity, the celestials send him back to May, 1989, the last morning he spent with her...
Part 4, Morning in May- The Traveler finally sees his sleeping wife again after all of his effort and strife, and lies down with her. Soon though, she readies herself and leaves for her fateful car ride. Terrified that her fate will only repeat itself, he stops her from leaving at the last moment and gets in the car with her. Like before, the accident happens, and the Traveler dies with his wife.
Thus, concluding what is likely the best album written in the history of music.
wow... thats awesome... i didnt even know all of that! that is the best summary ever!! thank you!!!!!!!!!
This probably the best expanation of this song i have ever heard.
Amazing, thanks! :) Best story album ever!
One thing I'd like to point out is how he knew to send the dragon back to the past. In Part 1, he describes the "Massive screaming best with wings of reaper's cloth" standing outside his cave. The listener assumes it's a pterodactyl, but I believe it was the same dragon he had sent back in time in Part III.
It's pretty clear, but here is what Purevolume says:
"Broken Bride" is the story of a man (the Traveler) whose wife dies in a car accident in 1989. In deep mourning, he becomes obsessed with finding a way to go back and undo that day. After fifteen years of toil and isolation, he has built a machine to do just that. Miscalculations however, send the Traveler far off course and into an adventure spanning from the Dawn of Time to the Apocalypse. Confronted with unimaginable horrors, he longs only to return to that fateful morning in May, but ultimately finds himself faced with a terrible choice - between saving his wife and saving humanity.
purevolume.com/ludo
great song. great story. so proud to have them representing my hometown of st. louis!
Whee I'm going to see them on the first of March. I can't waait, this is my favorite song.
I'm from St. Louis, too.
sounds like a video game kinda like that game jericho but not really
brilliant summary Laito. You hit the nail right on the head. ^-^
I'd never really heard much of Ludo. Maybe about one or two of their songs. One day I went into a second hand shop and found the 'Broken Bride' album selling for $3. I was a bit iffy as I hadn't heard much of them, but I bought it because it was so cheap.
Well I wasn't disappointed. The lyrics portray great imagery and are also really very poetic.
I agree with Laito21, this is probably the best album ever written.
this has got to be the greatest song ever