Troubles Will Be Gone

I love this. I agree that the meaning isn't the clearest, but that's one of the best things about this song–I can just keep pondering the message for as long as I like. The writing and the symbolism are so expertly done and can be interpreted a hundred different ways.

For example: the connections drawn between the deer and who he's addressing, in the climax of the song. It's as though his 'darling' is a deer in headlights while he's driving down the golden highway. Is he confronting her about something, prompting her deer-in-headlights reaction? Or is he speaking from the point of view of a driver about to hit a deer on the road, i.e., expressing some sort of panic or danger that /he/ feels? After all, the song talks about forgiveness and anger; there's presumably been some tension between the two of them. And how about that deer itself–it's almost like a spirit or spectral being of some sort, dwelling first by the border of the darkness and then leaving him to go to the valley of surrender . . . Eerie and compelling, but for the life of me I still can't figure out what it might mean!

And the final verse about the day (finally) slowly setting is such a terrific way to include a sense of catharsis, considering that he'd previously mentioned how the day never reaches its end. We can get some sleep, and indeed we can hope for higher lands, and for our troubles to be gone. Incredible.

But now the ghost is in my jacket and my stairs were built in anger Winding forcefully but end up where I stand But there are no rocks or salt and nails, I low my cannons not to kill you SImply lost the words to tell you I'm afraid

blew my mind today... dunno if anyone is with me on that.

P.S i think its i load my cannons not low

This song always gives me a very specific image: he's performing his songs on stage and a girl who's standing in the crowd grabs his attention. She's in the audience "by the border of the darkness" - that is: as far as the stage lights will reach into the crowd. So he can barely see her, but he caught a glimpse of her "in headlights", probably in between two of his songs when the big lights went on. He knows he will probably not meet her ("But I'll never find the kid before she's gone"), but he also knows that she'll be somewhere in town ("There's a light on where you're sleeping") and it's almost like he's saying "well, I'm sorry that we never got to meet one another, but I hope that my music helped to cheer you up a little" with his "so I hope somewhere that troubles will be gone".

I could be entirely wrong, and the rest of the lyrics don't really fit this story, but I still like to think this could be the meaning of the first verse and chorus.

This is my favorite. fjfkl;das Unexplainable.

"I low my cannons not to kill you" shuld read "I LOAD my cannons not to kill you."

At the risk of going all religious, isn't this a song about salvation? God and the deer seem interchangeable and theres a sense he's describing of hurtling down the highway on a collision course with this defenceless, gentle presence thats almost waiting for him - a sort of destiny that, despite all that, he has choices about, as to whether to swerve to avoid or to hit head-on. I don't get the rest of the song and its infinitely open to interpretation but this is the interpretation I take away. Regardless, beautiful lyrics!

This is a song that seemed a bit odd to me because I didn't feel like the verses lined up that well with the chorus until the final verse. Anyways, it seems like a song that's about something of a bittersweet hope. It's almost as if the narrator is trying to comfort the "darling" about her own distresses while he himself is experiencing the same feelings.

The first verse that talks about seeing god kneeling down on frozen highways and having white knuckles speaks to the desperation the narrator feels he is in. He thinks he is at a point where god can't help him because god himself is succumbing to what the narrator is struggling with. The salvation in white knuckles represents the author holding on to gthe wheel as tight as he can to maintain control of the situation that is symbolized by the frozen highway. The deer seems to just be a symbol of escaping the frozen highway and getting away from all the problems. The deer isn't a part of the struggle, it's just in the "audience." The border of surrender is getting off the road where forgiveness and, presumptuously, peace, can greet him. Obviously he is still stuck on this highway though.

The question asked is the answer to his problems and he can't seem to catch that answer.

So he speaks to his darling and tells her that the day isn't done meaning that they still have time for things to get better. He wants her to realize that the troubles are temporary. And while she can't sleep (lights on where you're sleeping), his only comfort is telling her that he hopes that the troubles will be gone, both for her and presumably him.

But he goes in the say that the problems are getting to him (The "ghost is in [his] jacket"]. It has also made him angry to the point it affects how he lives his life. He builds his life in a spiral straight back to where he has always been (winding forcefully but end up where I stand). But he tells her that his anger isn't at her (low my cannons not to kill you) and that his flaring temper is because he's dealing with problems of his own and he doesn't want it to affect their relationship.

What the message of the sign means is a mystery to me, but the hill to see the far of the land is obviously a place better than where he and his darling are at.

So he repeats that still the day is never done and that he hopes troubles will he gone for them.

This last verse is about him focusing on the thing that makes him happy (the darling) which allows him to see the frozen highway as a golden highway. I'm not sure what he means by salvation in the beauty of some brace. Maybe just the idea of a brace for his life to give him support? Anyways, the deer that represents escaping from his troubles is gone, but he realizes its a path (along its tracks) and not a singular escape.

This time the sign says that there's a higher one. This is either a reference to a diety that is in control or just saying that there's a higher hill to climb, representing the struggle of life as an uphill battle. It's up to you.

But he now realizes they are reaching the end of the road (possibly foreshadowed as golden roads referencing heaven?) as the day sets into night. The troubles are still there and time is running out. In one of his live performances, he switched the lyrics in the last chorus to what I prefer and instead of saying he hopes that troubles will be gone, he says "but I know somewhere that troubles will be gone." I feel this gives a much more positive ending and shows that the narrator isn't giving up hope. I imagine it as saying he hopes in an attempt to comfort the darling, but he is now able to, with full confidence, say that he knows that troubles will be gone. That troubles aren't going to be here forever. That life is an uphill battle on an icy road, but that at the top of the hill there is the peace the narrator and his darling are fighting for.