Lungs

Steve Earle said that Townes wrote this song while sick with pneumonia on a hotel bed in New York City. It is quite a literal translation. Awesome song.

I believe its about disappointments in things not being what they seem, specifically as it relates to religious hypocrites such as televangelists. "Salvation sat and crossed herself Called the devil partner" and "Strangers cry in foreign tongues And dirty up the doorstep"

It's a cracking song. The best songs / lyrics / poems strike a personal chord which mean different things to different people.

I translate it as a song about the futility of humanities / societies contradictions. Almost every line in the song is a contradiction / opposite to the previous line. Example:

"Well, won't you lend your lungs to me?" "Mine are collapsing" (Someone is going to die either way you look at this and I'd rather it not be me)

"Plant my feet and bitterly breathe" "Up the time that's passing." (What's the point of living / breathing in the first place if your so bitter about it)

"Breath I'll take and breath I'll give" "Pray the day ain't poison" (Again, he's saying he almost resents even breathing, which backs up the last line)

"Stand among the ones that live" "In lonely indecision." (He stands lonely and indecisive, while everyone else appears to be living)

Second verse (amazing) is a dream about panning a stream for gold at night, in which he believes the moonlight on the water is gold, but when he tries to carry it home the moonlit water slips through his hands appearing to turn his hands "to butter". Again... a contradiction. The word "dream" is usually synonymous with success and yet his "dream" becomes a disappointment.

and so on and so on, example:

"Jesus was an only son" "And love his only concept" "Strangers cry in foreign tongues" "And dirty up the doorstep"

Strangers speaking a different language are still spreading the word / love of God, but because they're speaking the same words in a different language, it becomes something "dangerous" or "sinister".

But it's also filled with images of hallucination and dreams, which would fit really well with the him suffering pneumonia. What a great artist, to take pain and sickness and turn it into this.

Wow, can't believe no one has commented on this masterpiece! It's seems to be about some sort of let down or dissapointment, though tracing its source would take more time than I care to. The opening lines are beyond classic, they're in some other realm entirely.

I was under the impression this is about a coal miner, hence the need for a pair of loaner lungs

I think it’s about a bitter man going through life without bettering himself and trying to justify his own worthlessness to himself.

“Plant my feet and bitterly breath up the time that’s passing” not moving or heading to any goal, he sits in his self loathing.

The second verse about picking up the the water in the moonlight is him trying to justify not chasing his dreams. Telling himself any hopes or dreams he has would just slip through his hands if he even attempted to reach for them. “Better leave this dream alone, try to find another”

The third verse talks about how things that are supposed to help us come have a devil-like side The first half is a critique of so called “enlightened” or wise people. “Wisdom sat upon a shelf, who’ll kill the raging cancer?” Saying being wise or smart still can’t solve the horrible things life brings to people. Another ‘why even try’ theme. The second part is about practical life improvements like dams and infrastructure strangling nature. I think this part is also supposed to show us just how far gone the song narrator is. How he can’t even have a positive thought towards something that provides such enormous utility.

The last verse is my all time favorite verse of any song ever. “Jesus was an only son and love his only concept” this is the ‘Jesus only spread positivity because he didn’t have to struggle like me’ attitude. It’s basically the argument that being morally good isn’t practical for people in bad circumstances. I’ve heard this a thousand times from people around me. All it is, is a way for them to excuse themselves from moral actions for convenience sake. It also puts a negative spin on people who live morally by painting them as privileged AND naive. It excuses their actions while making them think they are smarter and tougher. “Keep your injured looks to you, we'll tell the world that we tried” …this line speaks for its self. So many people with negative mindsets play up their misery to make themselves a martyr. Acting like a wounded soldier so people won’t ask them to go to battle (figuratively, obviously). People do this constantly. From adults exhaling loudly when their boss is near, to high schoolers slouching over their homework while their parents are in the room. There is an amazing quote from a college lecture about nihilism “Say well, I can't help being nihilistic all my belief systems have collapsed It's like, yeah, maybe…. Maybe you've just allowed them to collapse because it's a hell of a lot easier than acting them out” The character of the song seems like exactly like that. Allowing himself to collapse out of laziness and contempt, hoping someone will see his mess and feel bad for him.

Overall this is one of the best songs of all time and describes the bad personality traits of humanity in such an interesting way.

this song is a classic. its my favorite TVZ song evr!!

I guess it's a song about futility and letdowns.That's the most human thing I've ever heard. Lyrically and musically.