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Your Head Is on Fire Lyrics
(Look behind
Your head is on fire
Foiling asses
Rolling ashes
Keep on yawning
Career dawning
Life is tasteless
Folding paces)
To turn away from the night
Allowing the light alone
Is surely fooling yourself
Leaving life on the shelf
You'll never know
How low an angry heart can go
How long a sitting hands return meant
(Look behind
Your head is on fire
Foiling asses
Rolling ashes
Keep on yawning
Career dawning
Life is tasteless
Folding paces)
Does anybody else here feel like me
Dawn of all these good things have to be
Just
Your head is on fire
Foiling asses
Rolling ashes
Keep on yawning
Career dawning
Life is tasteless
Folding paces)
Allowing the light alone
Is surely fooling yourself
Leaving life on the shelf
How low an angry heart can go
How long a sitting hands return meant
Your head is on fire
Foiling asses
Rolling ashes
Keep on yawning
Career dawning
Life is tasteless
Folding paces)
Dawn of all these good things have to be
Just
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Often times at work I say "My hair is on fire" so that's what I think of with this one, especially with "career dawning" in the chorus.
Every lyrics site seems to list,
"To turn away from the night, Allowing the light a low, He's surely fooling yourself..."
But I hear,
"To turn away from the night, Allowing the light alone, Is surely fooling yourself..."
Which, given the existential nature of most of Mercer's lyrics (in general) makes more sense to me -- "to live exclusively in the comforting world of the light is living a lie -- you're only seeing half of the picture". I don't know what "allowing the light a low," would mean, although he does say later, "you'll never know how low an angry high can go," so maybe, I guess.
No, you got it right, I feel. Folding Aces -- a pair of aces -- is playing it safe...
No, you got it right, I feel. Folding Aces -- a pair of aces -- is playing it safe...
Looking at subtext, the speaker realizes there's more to life than just reaching for the next gold ring and dreaming of attaining it.. just look at this world -- whirling masses of humanity with attendant smoke and garbage and blandness of us all playing it safe... and he's wondering, is he the only one to see that there is more... and it's in the heart -- to risk feeling the lows of an angry heart -- so as not to be...
Looking at subtext, the speaker realizes there's more to life than just reaching for the next gold ring and dreaming of attaining it.. just look at this world -- whirling masses of humanity with attendant smoke and garbage and blandness of us all playing it safe... and he's wondering, is he the only one to see that there is more... and it's in the heart -- to risk feeling the lows of an angry heart -- so as not to be caught up in this world of MIND -- work and stay in line... oblivion. FWIW.
It seems like most of the songs on this cd are about the seemingly pointless nature of life. About people being trapped in their choices or trying to find fulfillment in all sorts of meaningless things. I guess this one is about someone contemplating how "life is tasteless." Seems like they have become trapped in the daily grind of work and can't see what more there is to life.
Best song on the album right here. It makes me think of anyone who is unhappy and has a boring, mundane life; to explain to them how their life is, you might as well be telling them "hey, your head's on fire".
i thought it was whirling masses and not foiling asses... im not sure though
great song, its my favorite on the cd
I hear "Forty paces" instead of "Folding paces." It makes more sense, I think, in the context of the kind of lock-step, mundane-office-job existence that seems to be the theme of this song. Also, for the second-to-last line, I hear "None of all these good things have to be" instead of "Dawn of all..."
I agree with nostalgicBadger's correction of the first part of the verse. However, I can't figure out what I'm hearing on the line that reads here "How long a sitting hands return meant." I know that's not what he's saying because it doesn't make sense, but after several listenings I still can't determine what the real words are. Suggestions?
I heard a lot of changes after dozens of repeat listens. "Caymal" meaning like the Cayman Islands, is one lyric I'm not sure of. But if it's right,it just adds to the brilliance of this song. I believe the song is about our naively going through life accepting the good things and ignoring the evil. However, all of a sudden the evil will strike (40 paces, like a gun fight).
I heard a lot of changes after dozens of repeat listens. "Caymal" meaning like the Cayman Islands, is one lyric I'm not sure of. But if it's right,it just adds to the brilliance of this song. I believe the song is about our naively going through life accepting the good things and ignoring the evil. However, all of a sudden the evil will strike (40 paces, like a gun fight).
Run and hide your head's on fire Whirling masses, rolling ashes Caymal morning, grey earth dawning Life in stasis, forty paces,
Run and hide your head's on fire Whirling masses, rolling ashes Caymal morning, grey earth dawning Life in stasis, forty paces,
Run and hide your head's on fire Whirling...
Run and hide your head's on fire Whirling masses, rolling ashes Caymal morning, grey earth dawning Life in stasis, forty paces,
To turn away from the night Allowing the light alone Is surely fooling yourself Leaving half on a shelf
You'll never know How low an angry heart can go (run and hide, your head’s on fire) Soon, hold on to certain hands returnin’ (run and hide, your head’s on fire)
Run and hide your head's on fire Whirling masses, rolling ashes Caymal morning, grey earth dawning Life in stasis, forty paces,
Does anybody else here feel that fear? When none of all these good things had to be, Or is it just me?
Ok. Just my observations, I hear:
"Run and hide Your head's on fire Whirling masses Rolling ashes
Dream of morning Career dawning Life in stasis Folding aces"
To me it's about the frustration of being a spectator in this life, of seeing millions of millions of people living so blissfully unaware of what life really is, many of them miserably trapped by their families or careers, living in a state of dull stasis. "If they could only see what I see..." is the message I get.
I think this is an amazing song, the "Run and hide your head's on fire" part is almost patronizing, like a children's song, as if to symbolize the pressure to conform to everyone else in the working class. "Does anybody here feel like me?" is James Mercer's desperate reply, trying to rise over the noise of the masses.
but i agree with you guys about the meaning
wait! i got it! its
"hold on asserting hands return me"
making the complete lyrics as follows;..
look behind your head's on fire whorling masses rolling ashes
cling more fawning career dawning life in stasis fording paces
to turn away from the night allowing the light alone is surely fooling yourself leaving half on the shelf
you'll never know how low an angry heart can go (look behind your, head's on fire) soon hold on asserting hands return me
does anybody else here feel like you ignored of all these good things had to be is it just me
I think you're close on the one verse... but after re-listening a bunch of times, I still believe it's missing a word or syllables of a word.
I think you're close on the one verse... but after re-listening a bunch of times, I still believe it's missing a word or syllables of a word.
Hold on asserting hands return ... da da me
Hold on asserting hands return ... da da me
I can't tell if the last three syllables are one word or if the return is incorrect and it's a bigger word, but there's definately an extra two syllables between "return" and "me" assuming we have that even right. I do think Asserting Hands is correct though.
I can't tell if the last three syllables are one word or if the return is incorrect and it's a bigger word, but there's definately an extra two syllables between "return" and "me" assuming we have that even right. I do think Asserting Hands is correct though.
I just don't understand why bands don't post lyrics. I'm mean how friggin'...
I just don't understand why bands don't post lyrics. I'm mean how friggin' hard is it to put it up on your website and stop all the aggivation about it?
It's also amusing how every single lyrics site is completely the same and completely wrong... like they basically just copy each other incorrect crap.