Digging My Own Grave

This song is so good. It addresses the issues of denying ones faults and sins.

It is written from the perspective of someone who is stuck in various vices and is using different tactics to justify their behavior. The beginning talks about smaller things like drinking, smoking, gambling. The speaker justifies these things by asserting that they are done in moderation. He says things like "oh just one more," to try to prove to himself that he is not addicted or caught up in the feelings associated with them.

The second verse dives int the more serious sins that the speaker gets caught up in, particularly pornography and adultery. In this stanza, however, these things are rationalized and justified by the consequence instead of the amount or the fact that it is in moderation. For instance. in the first verse he says "just one more" while in this verse he says "It's really no big deal" and "It's just a little fling."

The chorus is like a moment where the speaker stops denying that he is caught up in these vices and starts calling out in desperation for help. But something that is crucial is that there is still a deferment of responsibility when he asks "Can someone ELSE please save myself from me?" This deferment of responsibility is eased a little at the end when the question changes to "Can someone save myself from me?" which signifies that the speaker has realized that he is the one who can save himself from himself.

And a couple themes I found to be rather important in this song. One, the progression from minor sins to major ones shows that one thing can lead to worse things. We all have heard that alcohol is a gateway drug, well this kinda says that it is a gateway sin. Two, the transition from rationalizing these sins by saying they are in moderation to rationalizing them by saying they aren't that bad of sins. This is huge because it kinda signifies a breakdown in the basic moral structure found inside the speaker. And third, the realization of responsibility found in the chorus.

But really the music to this song is brilliant as well. It is haunting in tone and ambience. The mood is depressing which is really more significant than it seems. The lyrics reflect some vague contentment except during the chorus however, the music contradicts that feel. This shows that even though the speaker has an outward appearance of contentment and claims that they enjoy these things they really are aching inside and dying to be saved (as we hear in the chorus).

blaturingouked I do agree that Dustin is a lyrical genius, but really if you read deeper into the music, it is way more interesting, or at least as interesting as it was for previous albums. Take the Sky Is Falling for example. It breaks out with a distant and dissonant humming, but really that humming is more than just that, it is the buzz of a WWII fighter plane. If you listen closely, you hear the snare drum hit almost continuously, but erratically. This is supposed to be the sound of machine guns firing at other plane. Crashing symbols occasionally represent the dropping of a bomb. It is so deep musically, you just need to dive into it.

And as far as time signatures, Daedalus alternates between 7/8 and 6/8. So you can't say that there aren't crazy ones because 7/8 is pretty abnormal. Oh yes, and on the topic of Daedalus, if you listen to the guitar right after the words,"Maybe I've spoken too soon," you will hear a little descending cluster of chords which totally gives the impression of Icarus falling into the ocean. I mean, the music isn't heavy and uncut anymore, it's tailored and cleaned. But this does so much for music if you are willing to dig deeper.

spot on sabio, spot on!

spot on sabio, spot on!

the third verse is like about flirting too that's what I thought at first idk

Dustin is amazing, I know where he's coming from on this song.

SO Tom Waits. like most of the Earth disc

This song is so 1920s. Even the actions he describes, and the way he comments on them (Oh don't call it an affair, it's just a little fling), reminds me of the way people talked back then.

I agree with Cavman the piano especially adds to this feeling of the 20's (sorta like Fork and Knife by Brand New)

This song so reminds me of black and white hard boiled detective movies from the 1920's y'know its the whole clich'e smokey cafe with someone on stage playing the piano and singing while the protagonist is drinking away his sorrows. Real film noir. Great song definately my favourite of this ep