Bought a Bride

This is how I interpret the line, "If somehow I was new and everything was unsaid, I'd go and buy a hammer, never sing again"

I believe this is quite literal, and kind of scary. I think Jesse is saying that if he could restart, he would have never made a band, and been a part of Brand New. As for the hammer, he sings in the Daisy Sessions version about sailing a boat out, shooting it full of holes, folding up his prayer book, and drowning in a kelp bed. I think he is saying he would buy the hammer so he could build the boat, and row it out and basically kill himself. Overall, I kind of think he's saying the only reason he has to live is to continue making music with Brand New, and if he wasn't in Brand New, he would have killed himself by now.

I'm probably wayyyy off, but then again, it's just an interpretation, let me know what you guys think of it.

"Little cities names have ruined all the maps" perhaps?

Jesse didn't spend the entire Lollapalooza set yelling at people... he wasn't even yelling, at all. He introduced Millstone as "This song is called Go See Explosions in the Sky" but that's about it. As for calling it untitled 10... I'd rather keep it as new song until an official title is given. The set list calls it Bride, but that might change.

I am going to be in an everlasting state of euphoria when i lay my hands on this new record.

How could anyone have any other feeling than complete awe and love towards Brand New and Jesse Lacey?

The song seems to be speaking more about the war of inner vs. outer. Which is more important. Should we focus more on what we as individuals need and crave or is the overall end product for everyone, the entire, world, more important.

Especially this part: "Cars are little blood cells, we are oxygen City is airways, suburbs appendages"

Obviously its a comparison of a city to a human body. The city is a hive and everyone has a part to make it successful. In the body, oxygen is carried on blood cells and dispersed to tissue, blah blah blah. Without the oxygen things grow necrotic. I don't know. Its possibly one too many anatomy classes and a habit of reading into things, but I think this is a lot more philosophical than about an ex-girlfriend.

Hmm...I think you have to realize who Jesse Lacey is as a person. The only thing we do know about him, is that he hates major labels, and he is definitely a pessimist. That being said I feel like this song is about giving up. Not like suicidal giving up, just ditching everything, losing faith in what you do and who you are. He keeps saying "this happened, adn gave way to that horrible thing. so fuck it!" The thing is you cant look at it individually, Daisy is for sure a concept album. Reoccuring theme: Train tracks. Bought a bride isnt saying marriage is his solution, I think its more saying, "well, I screwed everything else up so...im even going to do this wrong" its a metaphore for complete failure. Because what kind of person buys their wife? hahaha. Jesse, Jesse, Jesse, We love you!

Alright, my attempt (at the meaning, not individual lyrics). Don't hate, I'm not claiming to have any special knowledge, but I have listened to his song about 200 times.

Trees will make a forest Trees will make a bow These are all the harder Words you have to know If everyone's a structure Where their own savior sits I'm a little red house But no one's living in it

--Trees makes both good and bad things. --He has no savior, no faith.

Cars are little blood cells We are oxygen City is the airways Suburbs appendages She was feeling lonely Tired of the hive Rented out a family And he bought a bride Bought a bride Bought a bride Bought a bride

--The city is our lifeblood. She wanted something more than this. She rented out a family and bought a bride. The bride is the Church, perhaps, a rough Biblical reference to John saying Christ is the bride of the Church, or something like that. Thus this person went to Church and made new friends (renting them out by tithing, essentially - in a way, this is like paying for a group of supportive friends).

Little cities' names on very lonely maps They tied her up and laid her on the train tracks

--Little cities could be where all the Churches are? The Church members she "rented out" have not accepted her and laid her on the train tracks?

Where are all the seedlings We grew for violins? Down in Jersey lumber Still in prosthetic limbs Should've been a soldier I could've fought and died There's no revolution So I bought a bride Bought a bride Bought a bride Bought a bride

--All the good things we did for beauty and happiness (violins) have been misused for other tragic things (prosthetic limbs). He could have given his life meaning by fighting in a war and dieing for a noble cause, but there is no revolution, no cause, that is worth fighting for. Thus, he rented out a family and bought a bride (tithed and thus had new church friends)

Coming down the aisle while the horns play Taps They tied her up and laid her on the train tracks

--The marriage between himself and the church - his new way of life - is like, for better or worse, a death of his old self. Thats why the horns are playing taps, which are what play at a funeral (especially military funerals). Again, the church has killed the person (tied her up...).

If somehow I was new and everything was unsaid I'd go and buy a hammer, never sing again

--Not sure..a hammer to build something new (a new self?), never be this lonely person he has become?

Sleeping on a stairway Dreamt I had a boat Sailed it out the harbor Shot it full of holes Folded up my prayer book I couldn't see the lines Drowning in a kelp bed I bought a bride.

--Sleeping on a stairway - He is stuck between stages of life - belief and non-belief. --The rest (which is only in the Daisy Sessions version on Youtube), is confusing. I think he could be saying that he is drowning himself why holding on to a prayer book as a way of dieing and going to Heaven? Or perhaps he is drowning, and since he "couldn't see the lines," its more a rejection of faith...but I don't know what buying a bride would be..a new worship without a prayer book? More mystical in nature? Fuck, this song might be even be about religion at all.

The guy who posted about it being about the bride between the character and church seems about right.

However, I always thought this was a song about Jesse's feelings towards monogamy.

I believe this is the first time he played the song live:

youtube.com/watch

There is clearly a girl in the song.

In this version,

"She threw a fit, Now she's got a brick house There's no children in it"

...

"Rented out a family She/he bought a bride"

"Coming down the aisle while the horns play taps Tied her up and laid her on the train tracks"

Almost like a damsel in distress. Seems to me like he's commenting on this idea society projects about how you have to find your soulmate and get married. "He bought a bride" meaning she married him because of wealth and because of the future he could have provided her. She might as well have died, or "Come down the aisle while the horns played taps/" Or, she might as well be tied to train tracks.

Seems to me like he's saying if you get married to this one person, if you believe in this idea that spending your one life with this one person, you might as well die. I feel like he had a real bad relationship and lost the girl to a guy and it made him feel this way.

But, the other explanation is really good. I think monogamy has a place in this song. A bad place.

I think the meaning of this song is quite obvious: Jesse Lacey wrote it about his ex Sherri Dupree from Eisley. I know it's been a long time but well.. There are just too many evident allusions..

The short story for those who never heard of that is that right after their break-up, Sherri started dating Chad Gilbert from New Found Glory. The two got married (he bought a bride) and bought a house together (now she's got a brick house). After less than a year, Chad dumped Sherri. It just fits the song perfectly.

The lyrics also mention a little city in Texas, while Sherri lives in Tyler, TX. Jesse talks about the importance of the family, Eisley is a familial band. He emphasizes the "there's no children in it" because Sherri is from a 6-child family and probably wants some too.. And the beginning with the trees might be an allusion to some Eisley songs like "Tree tops", "Lady of Wood", and "Brightly Wound" because they all talk about forest.

I really think the first line is

Trees don't make a forest Trees don't make a book

but I might be wrong.