1
Had a dream
You and me and the war at the end times
And I believe
California succumbed to the fault line
We heaved relief
As scores of innocents died
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
Hetty Green
Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab
If you know what I mean
On the road
It's well-advised to follow your own path
In the year of the chewable Ambien tab
And the Panamanian child
Stands at the Dowager Empress's side
And all the remains is the arms of the angel
And all the remains is the arms of the angels
And you've receded into loam
And they're picking at your bones
Will call cold
We'll come home
Quiet now
Will we gather to conjure the rain down
Will we now
Build a civilization below ground
And I'll be crowned
The community kicked it around
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angels
You and me and the war at the end times
And I believe
California succumbed to the fault line
We heaved relief
As scores of innocents died
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
Hetty Green
Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab
If you know what I mean
On the road
It's well-advised to follow your own path
In the year of the chewable Ambien tab
And the Panamanian child
Stands at the Dowager Empress's side
And all the remains is the arms of the angel
And all the remains is the arms of the angels
And you've receded into loam
And they're picking at your bones
Will call cold
We'll come home
Quiet now
Will we gather to conjure the rain down
Will we now
Build a civilization below ground
And I'll be crowned
The community kicked it around
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angels
Lyrics submitted by Tinneal, edited by highbeam2004
Calamity Song Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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"When I was writing 'Calamity Song,' Sarah Palin was talking about how everybody was going to move to Alaska when the end times come." — Colin Meloy, Decemberists frontman
Apparently this song was inspired by one of the crazy ramblings Sarah Palin graced us with during the 2008 presidential campaign. While there are a few references to the the then-upcoming election, the lyrics mostly have fun with the concept of the "end times," as eagerly awaited by Christian fundamentalists like Sarah Palin.
Colin Meloy is, of course, a firmly left-wing progressive (anti-war, gay rights, healthcare reform, etc.) Naturally, he supported and campaigned for Democratic candidate Barack Obama in 2008.
Some explanations and elucidations:
"California succumbed to the fault line" = The natural disasters of the "end times" evidently include massive earthquakes along the San Andreas fault in California.
"And the Andalusian tribes / Setting the lay of Nebraska alight" = "Andalusian" refers to southern Spain, usually in reference to the Vandals, a barbarian tribe that once occupied that region. In the context of the song, the "Andalusian tribes" are likely roving gangs of desperate and violent savages, roaming, burning, and pillaging across the wasteland in the aftermath of the apocalypse.
"Hetty Green" = An early 20th-century businesswoman known for her greed and stinginess "Hetty Green / Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab / You know what I mean" = Sarah Palin (Queen of pro-rich [supply-side economics] folksy [bonhomie] bone-grey dullness [bone-drab])
"And the Panamanian child" = John McCain (Born at a US Army base in Panama)
"Stands at the Dowager Empress's side" = Cindy McCain (Always wears heavy make-up and elaborate clothing, like a Dowager Empress.