So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new.
This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus.
Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness".
The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1.
All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy.
And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns)
There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
Sorrow found me when I was young
Sorrow waited, sorrow won
Sorrow, they put me on the pill
It's in my honey, it's in my milk
Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy
'Cause I don't wanna get over you
I don't wanna get over you
Sorrow's my body on the waves
Sorrow's a girl inside my cake
I live in a city sorrow built
It's in my honey, it's in my milk
Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy
'Cause I don't wanna get over you
I don't wanna get over you
Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy
'Cause I don't wanna get over you
I don't wanna get over you
Sorrow waited, sorrow won
Sorrow, they put me on the pill
It's in my honey, it's in my milk
Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy
'Cause I don't wanna get over you
I don't wanna get over you
Sorrow's my body on the waves
Sorrow's a girl inside my cake
I live in a city sorrow built
It's in my honey, it's in my milk
Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy
'Cause I don't wanna get over you
I don't wanna get over you
Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water
Cover me in rag and bone sympathy
'Cause I don't wanna get over you
I don't wanna get over you
Lyrics submitted by Zarlant, edited by Nostawyn, evanreyes, Jellybon3s, breadwords, MusicStuff0405, mmedling, akai_prince
Sorrow Lyrics as written by Aaron Brooking Dessner Matthew Donald Berninger
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid
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He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I read somewhere that Matt wrote this song for Bryan Devendorf, who has suffered from clinical depression all his life. As someone who also struggles with lifelong depression, this song is spot on - it's amazing that Matt, who says he's never been depressed, could describe so accurately what depression does to a person. You really do fall in love with your own sadness, it becomes a shield that protects you from reality. Depression touches every single aspect of its victim's life. It clouds and distorts everything and rebuilds your memories and your perceptions. "I live in a city sorrow built/It's in my honey, it's in my milk." It's everywhere.
wow
RIGHT ON! I'm bi polar and oft depressed when I was young it was much worse. The meds didn't work well then--however there were bad effects mentally and physically--the meds were in my body and mood, therefore "in my honey" (the "good")and in "in my milk" (the everyday) and yes I lived "in a city sorrow built". It seemed like all I could try to control is the way others perceived me "cover myself in rag and bones" . rag and bones is a NYC based clothing design house, I used "design" to make my outside world palatable and "beautiful" to "wrap" up the sorrow inside. "Sorrow" is a wonderfully empathetic song--breaks my heart and lifts me up at once.
A song about being in love with being sad. Intense.
I agree completely. He's used to being sad and has no intention of changing. It's a sick feeling being in love with feeling shitty. But, I can relate.
This seems to be about depression and falling into a state of perpetual gloom and self-pity. A more detailed analysis follows. This is just my interpretation, and is no doubt influenced by my own experiences with feeling depressed, which I see reflected in this song.
Verse 1: "Sorrow found me when I was young / Sorrow waited, sorrow won" The narrator first felt depressed when young, and over time he has given in to these feelings. Note that right away the narrator is personifying "sorrow" as an external entity that has overcome him, rather than something that comes from within. This is consistent with the narrator's portrayal of himself as a victim throughout the song.
"Sorrow, they put me on the pills / It's in my honey, it's in my milk" A reference to clinical depression - the narrator is being medicated for his condition. The specific mention of honey and milk invokes the idea of the Biblical "promised land" for the people of Israel, a land "flowing with milk and honey". This suggests that even the narrator's happiness is infused with this feeling of melancholy.
Chorus: "Don't leave my hyper heart alone on the water / Cover me in rag and bone sympathy / 'Cause I don't wanna get over you" The tone shifts slightly here from a general description to a direct address, apparently to the narrator's love interest. He asks for sympathy and then states that he doesn't want to "get over" the love interest. Instead of trying to move on from a lost love, he wants to remain in his gloomy, depressed state. It seems that the narrator is "in love with being sad", as an earlier commenter put it. The use of the phrase "rag and bone" is a bit puzzling. Apparently a "rag-and-bone-man" is someone who collects unwanted household scraps (such as rags and bones) to sell to merchants. So perhaps this "rag and bone sympathy" refers to scavenged bits of kindness and/or pity that the narrator seeks.
Verse 2: "Sorrow's my body on the waves / Sorrow's a girl inside my cave" These lines offer more metaphors for depression. I think the second line ends with "cave", not "cake", because it's closer to a rhyme with "waves" and also because it makes more sense to me. The reference to waves suggests narrator feels adrift in his sadness, at the mercy of more powerful forces. This also connects to the first line of the chorus where the narrator refers to his heart being "on the water". The "girl inside my cave" could refer to the narrator's self-enforced isolation and further emphasizes the idea of being in love with sadness, which he has chosen to portray as female. Alternatively, the cave could be the narrator's own body, suggesting a feeling of internal hollowness/emptiness and the constant presence of sadness inside of him.
"I live in a city sorrow built / It's in my honey, it's in my milk" These lines suggest that the narrator is living in his own world (the "city sorrow built"), with his perceptions colored by depression. And again, the repeated line "It's in my honey, it's in my milk" suggests the idea of sweetness tinged with melancholy. The narrator is trapped in a cycle of self-pity where he is continually reinforcing his depressed mood.
Chorus: The repeated chorus reiterates the central idea of the song: "I don't wanna get over you."
Wow, excellent analysis here! I really enjoyed reading it, thank you. I also agree 100%.
good anaylsis--you're a natural semiologist.
nowness.com/day/2010/5/11/the-national-high-violet
This is a great movie/video of Sorrow! 200DiscChanger...sounds like you are spot-on. According to Aaron Dessner, he maintains it is an honest, lighthearted portrait. "We're just goofing around," he says. "A lot of people assume that we're miserable guys and this music is dark, but actually there's quite a lot of humor in it. "Sorrow" is a sad song, but it is also a kind of weird celebration of feeling sorrow... some people like that feeling and they don't want to get rid of it."
I love it... "a sad song, but it is also a kind of weird celebration of feeling sorrow"
sometimes i don't know what i'd do if i didn't spend the majority of my time so deeply introverted, involved in my own emotions, occupied in anxiety and sorrow, etc...<br /> as much as it makes me weary, i can't imagine how i'd spend my time if i were mostly just "ordinary"...
This is one of my favourite tracks by The National for sure. I think this is quite obviously about depression, probably clinical depression ("Sorrow they put me on the pills"). I've always heard it as "don't leave my HYPER heart alone, on the water", possibly refering ADHD or something simialr? "Rag and bone sympathy" to me means sympathy with no real depth to it, like when you say "My dog died" or something and people always answer with "I'm so sorry", when they don't really know what you're going through or what they really should be saying... When I'm feeling sad I just want to be left alone... Just my thoughts on some of these lyrics.
I love your interpretation of "rag and bone sympathy." I never really got it til now. Thanks :)
I've always heard it as 'half a heart.' and to me it makes sense, because in the vine like grip of depression you can't give everything you've got to someone you love; It takes everything from you and restricts it. It also makes sense to me as 'I don't wanna get over you.' suggests that the person he loves left him, more reason to only have half a heart.
one of my favorite on the new cd. this one just kills me. the new cd is so strong - the kind that at first listen, you're not quite sure, then the second it gets better, by the fifth listen, you're just screaming, it's that good. the layers. the drums. the guitars. amazing. boxer was one that on the first go, it was magical. this one builds. it's much more seductive. i wish they were coming to houston.
Same, I feel like the best bands never come to houston. the best chance to see them would be at austin city limits next fall
The line is "sorrow's the girl inside my cake".
Just saw The National at the Palais in melbourne last night. They were fantastic.
'Don't leave my hyper heart alone, on the water' is just one of my favourite lyrics ever.
cover me in rag and bone. lyric is thrown in because that is matts favorite store in nyc actually brooklyn. the name of the store"rag and bone"