In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Watch these awful devil things
drinking belladonna tinctures.
What made the sky so bright
and lovely on the day they watched your brilliant mind decay?
Will they be taking photos at your operation so their clicks
and flashes upset your condition?
But a little birdie told me ornithopters
flap their wings like anybody
and everybody wants a magic potion stashed away.
What made the sky so bright
and lovely on the day they watched
your brilliant mind decay?
Scalpels of obsidian
Drinking nightshade on our balcony
looking over fighting swans
And as that poison settles in our guts
will she be taking photos at your execution
so their clicks and flashes make for flares
and red eye but a little birdie told me ornithopters
flap their wings because they can
and everybody wants a place to hide and build a nest
What filled the sky with songs and zeppelins
on the day they laid your birdie bride to rest
What made the moon so lame and gloomy on the night
they took that birdie for a ride
What made her feathers turn to leather
as the mourners cried and cried
Whatever will they say?
What will they say of your body?
The apothecaries check their lists for bottles and drugs
And herbalists could never have predicted an anniversary like this
And if it were all up to me I would call it overacting
And if it were all up to me I would make a mess of it.
La ba dam
Will they be taking photos at your execution
so their clicks and flashbulbs make for flares and red eye
little birdie told me ornithopters flap their wings because they can
La ba dam
When can this motor get started
What will they make with these berries
And when does the nightshade kick in
What will they say of your body?
Hypnotized paralyzed
staring at that pair of eyes that pierce my soul
I lose control
Where am I supposed to go?
You have those wings
Sew them to me so I can go where I'm supposed to be
When I leave here I'll bring a souvenir
so babe, don't shed a tear
Hold my eyes
Hold my hand
Leave a sign so I know where to land
When you call out to me and say
please come back to me
I pray
I'll fly back fast
Fly back home
So you will not die alone
But I was too late
I love a girl with a sense of adventure
I love a girl with a dynamite temper
I love a girl with a scar and a car
and a dress that matches the both of them
I love a girl with a string of a kite
on her finger wrapped tighter than death feeling lighter than air
I've seen her sew wings while singing me songs so throaty and gaudy
Singing me songs about faraway places
and faces while rocking to sleep in my grandmother's chair
I'll wake her when setting my eyes on the west and saying
I'm sorry sugar it's cold
oh honey honey it's too cold
It's so cold in the upper atmosphere
my dear, what will they say of your body?
Once I heard it I just couldn't believe
what you're going to do to me
and you can take that to the bank
I was born on a house cusp
and I left everything in the old elm city
a trail of dead feathers to St. Louis
If you could only flap those wings
How does a phantom make friends in the night with a poltergeist?
It doesn't make much sense to me
I never remember the last defeat
It won't take much to change your mind
You couldn't wait to tap your feet
I couldn't wait to say goodbye
You know the clock is ticking
and you know you want to make it
to the big dance baby baby
We are goblins, witches, vampires
and we will cut you to pieces right here right now
You could be thinking of your wife
Will her bones make their way to the moon?
But you have demons in your eyes
a nervous chatter in your teeth
If you could only flap those wings
you'd fly away from these awful devil things
Take some pictures while we're having our fun
I've got a whole lot riding on this one
I was born on a house cusp
and I left every thing in the old elm city
Can we make this our last ride?
This rollercoaster is making me sick
If you could only flap those wings
you'd fly away from these awful devil things.
La-da-da ba-da-da da-da-dum.
drinking belladonna tinctures.
What made the sky so bright
and lovely on the day they watched your brilliant mind decay?
Will they be taking photos at your operation so their clicks
and flashes upset your condition?
But a little birdie told me ornithopters
flap their wings like anybody
and everybody wants a magic potion stashed away.
What made the sky so bright
and lovely on the day they watched
your brilliant mind decay?
Scalpels of obsidian
Drinking nightshade on our balcony
looking over fighting swans
And as that poison settles in our guts
will she be taking photos at your execution
so their clicks and flashes make for flares
and red eye but a little birdie told me ornithopters
flap their wings because they can
and everybody wants a place to hide and build a nest
What filled the sky with songs and zeppelins
on the day they laid your birdie bride to rest
What made the moon so lame and gloomy on the night
they took that birdie for a ride
What made her feathers turn to leather
as the mourners cried and cried
Whatever will they say?
What will they say of your body?
The apothecaries check their lists for bottles and drugs
And herbalists could never have predicted an anniversary like this
And if it were all up to me I would call it overacting
And if it were all up to me I would make a mess of it.
La ba dam
Will they be taking photos at your execution
so their clicks and flashbulbs make for flares and red eye
little birdie told me ornithopters flap their wings because they can
La ba dam
When can this motor get started
What will they make with these berries
And when does the nightshade kick in
What will they say of your body?
Hypnotized paralyzed
staring at that pair of eyes that pierce my soul
I lose control
Where am I supposed to go?
You have those wings
Sew them to me so I can go where I'm supposed to be
When I leave here I'll bring a souvenir
so babe, don't shed a tear
Hold my eyes
Hold my hand
Leave a sign so I know where to land
When you call out to me and say
please come back to me
I pray
I'll fly back fast
Fly back home
So you will not die alone
But I was too late
I love a girl with a sense of adventure
I love a girl with a dynamite temper
I love a girl with a scar and a car
and a dress that matches the both of them
I love a girl with a string of a kite
on her finger wrapped tighter than death feeling lighter than air
I've seen her sew wings while singing me songs so throaty and gaudy
Singing me songs about faraway places
and faces while rocking to sleep in my grandmother's chair
I'll wake her when setting my eyes on the west and saying
I'm sorry sugar it's cold
oh honey honey it's too cold
It's so cold in the upper atmosphere
my dear, what will they say of your body?
Once I heard it I just couldn't believe
what you're going to do to me
and you can take that to the bank
I was born on a house cusp
and I left everything in the old elm city
a trail of dead feathers to St. Louis
If you could only flap those wings
How does a phantom make friends in the night with a poltergeist?
It doesn't make much sense to me
I never remember the last defeat
It won't take much to change your mind
You couldn't wait to tap your feet
I couldn't wait to say goodbye
You know the clock is ticking
and you know you want to make it
to the big dance baby baby
We are goblins, witches, vampires
and we will cut you to pieces right here right now
You could be thinking of your wife
Will her bones make their way to the moon?
But you have demons in your eyes
a nervous chatter in your teeth
If you could only flap those wings
you'd fly away from these awful devil things
Take some pictures while we're having our fun
I've got a whole lot riding on this one
I was born on a house cusp
and I left every thing in the old elm city
Can we make this our last ride?
This rollercoaster is making me sick
If you could only flap those wings
you'd fly away from these awful devil things.
La-da-da ba-da-da da-da-dum.
Lyrics submitted by HilbertThm90
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