Right Before My Eyes (Timber Me Shivers)

Let us note that the original name for the song is "Timber Me Shivers." This is most likely related to the pirate's term, "shiver me timbers," which is used to express surprise or shock. Also note that the phrase is reversed. This can mean that the writer is talking not only about how he is shocked about how messed up the world is, but also relates to the line "the world world lost control," as the world is turning upside down, just as the words "shiver" and "timber" are reversed.

Honestly, I thought the meaning of this song was obvious. Though you technically could relate the song to drug use, there is another explanation for the line "golden needles, names we take in [vain/vein]." While it is possible that the word should be "vein," this could also mean that people are taking things too literally. Whereas taking names in vain would mean to take something important and use it against its purpose, to take "in vein" could mean that we take things that shouldn't be important and making them out to be more than what they should be. It's like we are taking an idea that is not a big deal and injecting it into ourselves like it is.

Either way, this is a beautiful song; without a doubt one of my favorites from the artist. I cry often when I listen to this song. It's so powerful, and I would definitely recommend it.

@Stealthheart Well stated. Music is subjective and lyrics have personal meanings for different people. Some things cannot be appreciated but by individual experience, like delivering a baby.

"I fell through the floor" literally happened when my life flashed "before my eyes, uh-huh" the moment my sobbing cousin uttered my son's first name. His life flashed before my eyes, too. And, everything, "EVERYTHING I thought I knew fell to the side" and I had a keen sense of priorities for several weeks.

My son was tormented by military related PTSD. He couch surfed his last 7 months of life. When the song starts, the lyrics speaks his perception to me. How his life derailed and his personality "timber shakes these trails".

I hear him saying his final words...

softly screaming- "the pistol that YOU raised, has spoken"

(And you're)

"Going to need those names we take in vain (not golden needles) Find it harder to remain Well nothing's sacred Still waiting on that explanation..."

In making sense of his journey, I have an explanation. In making meaning-of his journey-as it pertains to being his mother; I'm still waiting on that explanation.

Mom- "Right before my eyes, I saw the whole world lose control" Son- "The whole world lost control, before my eyes, uh-huh" Mom- "I fell through the floor" Son- "I couldnt take it any more" Mom- "I can't take this any more" Mom & Son- "it breaks my mind" Mom- "Everything I thought I knew fell to the side" Son- "time went on and on I couldn't see past my own eyes" Mom & Son- "past my eyes, past my eyes, past my eyes".

And that's after flow Mom- "Way too long" Son- "way too long" Mom- "hold on-hold on Son- "dead and gone so long" Mom- "Hold on... hold on... hold on..."

He laid his head on trolley tracks not much more then 24 hours after the VA turned him away for help. Dead and gone but not forgotten.

I feel like this song meaning is best not discussed. If the power in this song doesn't hit you right away, you probably aren't going to understand it. To me it's just a very emotional song about life getting you down. It's got a few personal references maybe but they aren't worth digging to far into. This song is beautiful. Truly beautiful.

Just so you all know, the lyrics that come with the cd say it is VAIN and not VEIN, so its less likely to be about the drugs.

Another awesome one he sings solo. I've given this one much thought, it's difficult to understand but I think this might have something to do with drugs. He sings, golden needles name we take in vein, find it harder to remain. Then he talks about falling to the ground and not being able to take it anymore, he could be passing out. But then again, he talks about a girl and her pistol, maybe she shot him or he shot himself.

I'm not sure if if it is "vein" or "vain" If its name we take in vein then it definitely lends itself to drug use, and I lean towards "vein" though. Gotta love the English language. I really love this song.

I feel like this song meaning is best not discussed. If the power in this song doesn't hit you right away, you probably aren't going to understand it. To me it's just a very emotional song about life getting you down. It's got a few personal references maybe but they aren't worth digging to far into. This song is beautiful. Truly beautiful.

The album version is a little more rock-influenced, but there's a solo reprise of it at the end of the album on "Flow"

My favorite track from the album, no doubt about it. I agree with Rickles insofar as to say that if you aren't emotionally effected by the song right away, you won't understand it, but in retrospect, that's true with a lot of songs. I pity those who won't understand music sometimes.

However, I will share my interpretation:

"timber shakes these trails they are derailed phony false and frail an empty ocean lost our way with no direction home" This guy aims for something and tries so hard to get it, but never got it; he ended up somewhere else, like he always had, be it for better or worse.

"golden needles names we take in vein find it harder to remain nothing sacred waiting on that explanation" Sometimes you take for granted the things and the people you have (derp). You still want to know why/how you didn't get what you wanted or just stopping everything and wondering "Wait, how did I end up doing this?"

"right before my eyes saw the whole world lose control the whole world lost control before my eyes uh huh I fell through the floor couldn't take it anymore I can't take this anymore it breaks my mind uh huh" It seems like everything around this guy is changing for the worse, and so he just tries to find a way to hide from all of it, but he needs to realize that everything changes and that eventually he'll grow to accept it.

"hold her dirty hands over the flames getting pleasure from the pain softly screaming the pistol that she raised has spoken" I don't know, maybe a bitter history with a girl who he loved no matter what she did, but she just kept hurting him. shrug Maybe it's just a part of this whole ordeal that makes him feel like everything is going downhill.

"everything I thought I knew fell to the side time went on and on can't see past my own eyes past my eyes past my eyes past my eyes" Again, everything is changing for him and he feels trapped because he knows he can't stop it.

Not good at interpreting things, I don't know :/ Love the album though!

I'll break it down verse by verse

timber shakes these trails they are derailed phony false and frail an empty ocean lost our way with no direction home golden needles names we take in vein find it harder to remain nothing sacred waiting on that explanation

This explains how so many things are just fake and easily destroyed nothing is made with sole Lost our way with no direction-we have traveled too far from our origin and it's destroying us

Nothing sacred-well that's just it nothin is sacred it can "Just be replaced"

right before my eyes saw the whole world lose control the whole world lost control before my eyes uh huh I fell through the floor couldn't take it anymore I can't take this anymore it breaks my mind uh huh

pretty streight forward in his/our time the world has changed so much and so fast it's just terring itself apart and he's just given up cause he can't take it anymore and he fell through the floor.

hold her dirty hands over the flames getting pleasure from the pain softly screaming the pistol that she raised has spoken golden needles names we take in vein find it harder to remain nothing sacred waiting on that explanation

holding "her" dirty hands over the flame may be a reference to mother nature how we've been punishing her too hard for nothing. the pistol is the self desturuction that we are doing a "Suicide" of human kind

golden needles may be drugs like ones injected

he can't see past his eyes because he can't see what the deeper end of life because it just seemes to not matter anymore...

I agree with RadioactiveQuackery about the first verse, but his idea about this verse, "hold her dirty hands over the flames getting pleasure from the pain softly screaming the pistol that she raised has spoken," I disagree with. I think that It says, "Hold YOUR dirty hands over the flames getting pleasure from the pain softly screaming the pistol that YOU raised has spoken." I think that this verse is talking about him taking his own life, "the pistol that you raised has spoken" is referring to the person shooting himself.