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Port of Morrow Lyrics
Through the rain and all the clatter
Under the Fremont bridge I saw a pigeon fly
Fly in fear from the raptor come to take its life
And as it closed in for the capture
I funneled the fear through my ancient eyes
To see in flight, what I know are the bitter mechanics of life
Under my hat it reads "the lines are all imagined"
A fact of life I know to hide from my little girls
I know my place amongst the bugs and all the animals
And it's from these ordinary people you are longing to be free
My hotel and on the TV
A preacher on a stage like a buzzard cries
Out a warning of phony sorrow, he's trying to get a rise
The cyanide of an almond
Let him look at your hands, get the angles right
Ace of spades, port of morrow, life is death is life
I saw a photograph: Cologne in '27
And then a postcard after the bombs in '45
Must've been a world of evil clowns that let it happen
But now I recognize, dear listeners
That you were there and so was I
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Under my hat I know the lines are all imagined
A fact of life I must impress on my little girls
I know my place amongst the creatures in the pageant
And there are flowers in the garbage, and a skull under your curls
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...
Under the Fremont bridge I saw a pigeon fly
Fly in fear from the raptor come to take its life
I funneled the fear through my ancient eyes
To see in flight, what I know are the bitter mechanics of life
A fact of life I know to hide from my little girls
I know my place amongst the bugs and all the animals
And it's from these ordinary people you are longing to be free
A preacher on a stage like a buzzard cries
Out a warning of phony sorrow, he's trying to get a rise
Let him look at your hands, get the angles right
Ace of spades, port of morrow, life is death is life
And then a postcard after the bombs in '45
Must've been a world of evil clowns that let it happen
That you were there and so was I
A fact of life I must impress on my little girls
I know my place amongst the creatures in the pageant
And there are flowers in the garbage, and a skull under your curls
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This song is UNREAL.
I love the first verse, when he sees the pigeon about to be killed and he fears for it, but he knows what's going to happen; those are just the mechanics of life.
I love how at first he wants to hide the fact that "the lines are all imagined" from his little girl, but then at the end, wants to impress it upon her. There is so much that is just imagined in our world today that we take for granted to be real. To realize that it doesn't exist, that it doesn't matter, is incredibly important (or is it?).
"Ace of spades, port of morrow, life is death is life"...
Then he makes a statement of human history: "Must've been a world of evil clowns who let it happen... But now I recognize, dear listeners, that you were there and so was I." The first time I heard this song, and I heard him sing "dear listeners," it felt so surreal.
The last line, that there is "a skull under your curls" is incredibly powerful to end the song. No matter how full of life a young girl might seem, she's just a skeleton on the inside. Just like everyone else who is alive, and everyone who is dead.
When it all comes together, it seems like an incredibly complex and simultaneously simple statement on life. Whatever it is, this song feels incredibly important to me.
A little addition:
A little addition:
I know he's said that this song is about being an atheist or whatever, so you could also look at "the lines are all imagined" as being the lines in the bible, literally the words said by god and others were all imagined.
I know he's said that this song is about being an atheist or whatever, so you could also look at "the lines are all imagined" as being the lines in the bible, literally the words said by god and others were all imagined.
Let me know what you think of what I thought...I don't necessarily agree with the lines pertaining to any specific faith or set of beliefs, just everything in general... My interpretation is down there somewhere... :P
Let me know what you think of what I thought...I don't necessarily agree with the lines pertaining to any specific faith or set of beliefs, just everything in general... My interpretation is down there somewhere... :P
“Port Of Morrow is the sign on the side of the road when you come back to Oregon from being on tour. You head west into Oregon, and Port Of Morrow is one of the things where you get like, ‘Oh my god, we’re almost home!’ It’s right on the Columbia River, which is what separates Oregon from Washington state. That made me think of the River Styx, and I thought of death. Like we’ll all be dead eventually. So the song sort is sort of a summing up of this whole idea that life is at once beautiful and grotesque, and we live in a state of ignorance and a state of terror. You know, like you live moment to moment and you’re eating your food and going about your business, and looming nearby is the Port Of Morrow–this eventual fate.”
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2012/03/26/magnet-web-exclusive-the-shins-james-mercer-on-the-new-port-of-morrow/
In a Rolling Stone interview Mercer said this song is about "being an atheist, agnostic, or whatever I am"
@josephneely unfortunately agnostic/atheist or whatever one may be...as Mercer describes his philosophy tends to take one by the hand as tour guide directs the visitor to focus on the ugly, but often true, side of life. The despair that comes with atheisms are sequelae of those philosophy. Sartre and others describe the "nausea" and "angst" of it. Its a sad place to see one, particularly someone loved. However, often this philosophical positioning in the world, whether chosen or shoved into, can produce some amazing art, in a number of media. Hiding these nauseating truths from ones children...
@josephneely unfortunately agnostic/atheist or whatever one may be...as Mercer describes his philosophy tends to take one by the hand as tour guide directs the visitor to focus on the ugly, but often true, side of life. The despair that comes with atheisms are sequelae of those philosophy. Sartre and others describe the "nausea" and "angst" of it. Its a sad place to see one, particularly someone loved. However, often this philosophical positioning in the world, whether chosen or shoved into, can produce some amazing art, in a number of media. Hiding these nauseating truths from ones children as long as possible frames the subject as a responsible father. But of course what Mercer doesn't provide is any insight to what a father (or any person) who lives a philosophy such as this show-and-tell his little girls when one wants to see them happy and laughing, and carefree (being a happy child) Myths? Fairy Tales? Things that aren't particularly true but said to distract from the ugly truths? Maybe even a stories of some concept of a transcendent good?
This song is one of my favorites off the album. It's almost as if Mercer was - in a last exhale of emotion- trying to convey all the thoughts he had into this one song. When he addresses his audience by saying "Dear listeners," it gives me the chills.
Yeah, this is definitely a spiritual song, and a damn good one at that. I took the "lines they are imagined" as the daily distinctions we make between man and animal, person vs person, me vs my mind, and me vs history. These are all false impressions, and I think that it's beautiful he sings that he will tell his daughters his spiritual discovery.. The preacher, cyanide, and the postcards which evoke the damage WWII took area all how parts of the same coin can be so misleading and even downright disastrous, and James took very careful care in how he expresses his feelings, and his profound thought makes the song all the more powerful.
Sorry, I forgot one thing. The Priest is the bad side of spirituality (not all priests), and cyanide is the bad part of the almond, but part of the almond nonetheless. And the same clowns that let the world wars happen are the reason we are sitting where we are this very day. Sure, life might have been better without the wars, but we would have no idea where we would be today.
Sorry, I forgot one thing. The Priest is the bad side of spirituality (not all priests), and cyanide is the bad part of the almond, but part of the almond nonetheless. And the same clowns that let the world wars happen are the reason we are sitting where we are this very day. Sure, life might have been better without the wars, but we would have no idea where we would be today.
last edit, I swear! The line about his "ancient eyes" underscores the point about lines being imagined. Just because James Mercer as a collection of atoms wasn't alive for the bombs in '45 doesn't mean he wasn't there or experienced it to lesser degree because of it. As an avid gardener and appreciator of nature, Mercer certainly understands the connection between us and nature, namely in that we are nature, and that James is just like his plants at home. A living thing here for the ride "in [his] place among the bugs and all the animals"....
last edit, I swear! The line about his "ancient eyes" underscores the point about lines being imagined. Just because James Mercer as a collection of atoms wasn't alive for the bombs in '45 doesn't mean he wasn't there or experienced it to lesser degree because of it. As an avid gardener and appreciator of nature, Mercer certainly understands the connection between us and nature, namely in that we are nature, and that James is just like his plants at home. A living thing here for the ride "in [his] place among the bugs and all the animals".
Nice. I really like what you said about the "lines" being the distinctions we make. Also, "the bitter mechanics of life" goes along with the second comment you made, where the death is all just one part, one side of life. This song just keeps getting better and better to me!
Nice. I really like what you said about the "lines" being the distinctions we make. Also, "the bitter mechanics of life" goes along with the second comment you made, where the death is all just one part, one side of life. This song just keeps getting better and better to me!
The song is haunting.
As an atheist, I find death to be a terrifying thought. The oblivion that follows is sort of comforting, but not really.
But this song speaks to that. "Life is death is life." It's as though he's saying that when we are alive we are just this collection of stardust, and we are no different in death. The delineation between life and death is imaginary. As are all the lines that society draws, right/wrong, good/evil, particularly the line which separates humanity from any other brutal animal (the buzzard for example).
I love his songs when they take these journeys. He starts out in fear for the pigeon, the victim of the brutal cycle of life. He wants to shield his daughters from this harsh reality. But over the course of the song he comes to terms with death, and it's necessity, it being essentially a part of life. Even the atrocities of war he considers as part of... existence. He accepts the cycle of life and death, and realizes he should impress it on his daughters.
The lines are all imagined.
I love how this song is so open for interpretation, yet still pretty much everyone can agree on a collective theme.
Something that always gives me goose bumps is the: "And then a postcard after the bombs in '45 Must've been a world of evil clowns that let it happen But now I recognize, dear listeners That you were there and so was I"
In accordance to my interpretation, he condems the people that let World War II and similar occurences happen, only to realise that we're all equally responsible. We're all part of the same species. Be it ancient history, contemporary events, or what the future may bring We're all affected and history will repeat itself no matter what.
Truly beautiful and hits right at home.
What exactly happened in Cologne in 1927? I can't seem to find anything on it.
I think the first photo just serves as a comparison. He first sees Cologne as it was, a normal, beautiful city. And then he sees a picture of it after the bombs in '45, seeing how much devastation they caused.
I think the first photo just serves as a comparison. He first sees Cologne as it was, a normal, beautiful city. And then he sees a picture of it after the bombs in '45, seeing how much devastation they caused.
Yes, basically Cologne in '27 is the world before World War Two, the bombs in '45 are the result of World War Two, and how much things can change in just 18 years.
Yes, basically Cologne in '27 is the world before World War Two, the bombs in '45 are the result of World War Two, and how much things can change in just 18 years.
Thanks I actually figured that out not too long after posting the comment haha thanks!
Thanks I actually figured that out not too long after posting the comment haha thanks!
@jacksongreer Cologne was a stunningly beautiful city in '27, then of course after WWII bombings, not so much
@jacksongreer Cologne was a stunningly beautiful city in '27, then of course after WWII bombings, not so much
I think this song is about the things in life that shouldn't happen, but we can't help. And how when you have kids you should protect them from it, but that isn't always a good thing, and like someone said the last line about how everyone has a skeleton.
"I saw a photograph: Cologne in '27 And then a postcard after the bombs in '45 Must've been a world of evil clowns that let it happen
But now I recognize, dear listeners That you were there and so was I"
I guess he's trying to say we're responsile for the acts of mankind. It doesn't matter if these are different times. We are as much humans as everyone else.