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.
Oh, an artery is not a vein
No history can tell
My skeleton won't tell
Why some like moths draw
To a surgeon's drill
And blood shot hits to marrow
The snake's eating through her clothes and
Her charms that won me over
DeGama breached this lofty reach
Balboa left his bones upon the beach
Left there to bleach
Rose breaks in my fingers
Pullin' nickels through the stem too much has took a toll
Smoke crawls low along the ceilings
And all is quiet
But I keep listening
Come to kill me
Oh, she just left, you missed her
Go on home, the sex theater is closed
Cracked mouth too dry to drink
At least the sand is cold
Wish the sea would drown the freeway
Instead, girls stare in dead-eyed wonder
They can't walk with fallen soldiers
Used by cops who fucked inside abandoned boarding houses
Go on fast before the beast catches the bastard
Draggin' the chain down, down, down
Who'll say it
Tell me
No one else is here, come on
Nothin' to believe is to be blissed, come on
Who's layin' low, you said
Whether veins, the bones to be
Good or bad, the death of me
Just make it quietly
Oh, who knows my sister
Can't anyone admit the fact that they infected her
She said the sun was gonna burn and blister
My blood
God speed
God
Love her
Farewell, honey
Yeah
No morning sun'll move her
No help in amen or hallelujah
Prayers are for the dead left over
The breach never to reach that sandy beach
Poor baby girl's gone under
To each their own grave buried in
Underneath abandoned boarding houses
Sidewalks and streets
Sidewalks and streets
Though my skeleton won't tell
Some could see
Why moths draw to surgeon's drills
And blood shots
Hit the marrow
No history can tell
My skeleton won't tell
Why some like moths draw
To a surgeon's drill
And blood shot hits to marrow
The snake's eating through her clothes and
Her charms that won me over
DeGama breached this lofty reach
Balboa left his bones upon the beach
Left there to bleach
Rose breaks in my fingers
Pullin' nickels through the stem too much has took a toll
Smoke crawls low along the ceilings
And all is quiet
But I keep listening
Come to kill me
Oh, she just left, you missed her
Go on home, the sex theater is closed
Cracked mouth too dry to drink
At least the sand is cold
Wish the sea would drown the freeway
Instead, girls stare in dead-eyed wonder
They can't walk with fallen soldiers
Used by cops who fucked inside abandoned boarding houses
Go on fast before the beast catches the bastard
Draggin' the chain down, down, down
Who'll say it
Tell me
No one else is here, come on
Nothin' to believe is to be blissed, come on
Who's layin' low, you said
Whether veins, the bones to be
Good or bad, the death of me
Just make it quietly
Oh, who knows my sister
Can't anyone admit the fact that they infected her
She said the sun was gonna burn and blister
My blood
God speed
God
Love her
Farewell, honey
Yeah
No morning sun'll move her
No help in amen or hallelujah
Prayers are for the dead left over
The breach never to reach that sandy beach
Poor baby girl's gone under
To each their own grave buried in
Underneath abandoned boarding houses
Sidewalks and streets
Sidewalks and streets
Though my skeleton won't tell
Some could see
Why moths draw to surgeon's drills
And blood shots
Hit the marrow
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
These are the official lyrics (there are a few small differences that change the meanings of some of the lines):
Oh, an artery is not a vein No history can tell My skeleton won't tell Why some Like moths, draw To the surgeon's drill And bloodshot hits to marrow
The snakes eaten through her clothes and Her charms have won me over DaGama breached this lofty reach Balboa left his bones upon the beach Left there to bleach
A rose breaks in my fingers Pulling nickels through the stem too much has took it's toll Smoke crawls low along the ceilings And all is quiet But I keep listening (they come to kill me)
oh she just left, you missed her go on home the sex theater is closed cracked mouth, too dry to drink at least the sand is cold you wish the sea would drown the freeway
instead, girls stare in dead-eyed wonder they can't walk for fallen soldiers used by cops and fucked inside abandoned boarding houses go on fast before the beast catches the bastard dragging a chain down, down, down
who'll say it no one else is here, come on nothing to believe is to be blessed, come on who's laying low, you said weathervanes, no bones to be good or bad the death of me just make it quietly
oh who knows my sister can't anyone admit the fact that they infected her she said the sun was gonna burn and blister my blood godspeed god love her farewell honey yeah
no mourning son'll move her no hellbent amen or hallelujah prayers are for the dead left over the breached never to reach that sandy beach poor baby girl's gone under to each their own grave buried in underneath abandoned boarding houses sidewalks and streets sidewalks and streets
though my skeleton won't tell some can see why moths draw to surgeons' drills and blood shots hit the marrow