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Miasmal Smoke and the Yellow Bellied Freaks Lyrics
Donated her eyes when she was young and shy,
hated her awkward breasts and filled the yawning skylines with kisses
sweet, to hear existence beat, to hold it tangible and drifting,
ever so gently sifting summer sky, donated her eyes, donated her eyes
to feel her actual senses, oh sweet 16, to feel what life was like,
donated her eyes to feel life as she imagined it
Go back to sleep you yellow bellied freaks, afraid of God and modern science
Go back to sleep, if I could only sleep, if I could stop imagining if my dreams weren't after me
Through piss and sweaty blankets, the deafening hum of some great silence
The jingle jangling heat, the strangling sheets, terrible and fucking meaningless
hated her awkward breasts and filled the yawning skylines with kisses
sweet, to hear existence beat, to hold it tangible and drifting,
ever so gently sifting summer sky, donated her eyes, donated her eyes
to feel her actual senses, oh sweet 16, to feel what life was like,
donated her eyes to feel life as she imagined it
Go back to sleep, if I could only sleep, if I could stop imagining if my dreams weren't after me
Through piss and sweaty blankets, the deafening hum of some great silence
The jingle jangling heat, the strangling sheets, terrible and fucking meaningless
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Well, this song (much more of a play or an opera) is certainly one of the more powerful, emotional pieces by Wintersleep (saw them in Dallas with Wolf Parade, never had heard of them before but am obviously a fan now). The singer has met an innocent, promising and lively 16-year old girl that has "donated her eyes to feel her actual senses/to feel what life was like". In other words, she is beginning to see the world as it really is via maturity. However the narrator, drawing from personal experience, has a pessimistic view of life and is not happy to reveal the corruptive, "miasmal", and otherwise gilded truth that the adult life offers. He advises the girl and all other "yellow bellied freaks" to "go back to sleep", because he feels that once they obtain the knowledge he possesses, they will not be able to rest so easily. The finite limitations given by "God and modern science" certainly are depressing, and haunt the narrator ("if I could stop imagining if my dreams weren't after me"). Before giving way to a badass instrumental outro, the singer describes his outlook in an equally melancholic manner.
Concentric, sure, but IMO more of a story than just a bunch of symbolism.
I think this is the most accurate I've been able to make out. Maybe a few sos instead of ohs but nothing important.
This song is excellent. I love how it builds up.
Who are the Yellow Bellied Freaks?
It is a bad dream, I think. A daydream maybe.
What do you think, concentric? :P
Yellow-bellied means cowardly
I feel like the author wishes he was more like the girl in the first section instead of a sleepless man who's dreams are haunting.