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So Long Lyrics
It was I,
Poor as a baby and twice the fool,
feral and rude,
the song that I sing,
it is a tune in the key of,
a young man with means.
It was I,
Bothered to witness,
and pained to see,
wIth two failing knees,
well into her age,
every morning my Grandmother,
would work for a wage.
It's a cold blooded tale,
here's the last coffin nail. . .
So long to a life carefree,
It's passing by with each year or three,
I'll call it out loud,
I'll call it by name,
the young and the vain,
they are one and the same.
It was I,
Weathered, and battered,
and compromised.
Dull in the eyes.
The song that I sung,
it is the melody of one who longs to be young.
It's a cold blooded tale,
here's the last coffin nail. . .
So long to a life carefree,
It's passing by with each year or three,
I'll call it out loud,
I'll call it by name,
Beauty and loss,
they are one and the same.
Poor as a baby and twice the fool,
feral and rude,
the song that I sing,
it is a tune in the key of,
a young man with means.
Bothered to witness,
and pained to see,
wIth two failing knees,
well into her age,
every morning my Grandmother,
would work for a wage.
here's the last coffin nail. . .
It's passing by with each year or three,
I'll call it out loud,
I'll call it by name,
the young and the vain,
they are one and the same.
Weathered, and battered,
and compromised.
Dull in the eyes.
The song that I sung,
it is the melody of one who longs to be young.
here's the last coffin nail. . .
It's passing by with each year or three,
I'll call it out loud,
I'll call it by name,
Beauty and loss,
they are one and the same.
Song Info
Submitted by
cyberghost On May 10, 2012
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This song is simply gorgeous. Totally mesmerizing... I can't believe I'm the first to comment on it! This band is highly underrated, and I am thrilled to see them, come November.
Okay, time to dive in:
I think that the strings and the lyrics are an absolutely perfect juxtaposition; it's composed/performed in such an upbeat key (definitely reminiscent of music from a different era, which ultimately culminates perfectly with everything I'm about to discuss). Like I mentioned, it's upbeat, but still undeniably glimpses into the future of unavoidable, unfair events that unravel as you grow older; all of those things he endures are likely things he swore would be "different" when he grew up. They're still inevitable, though, while they're clearly seemingly unfounded and unfair (example: the recollection of the grandmother being forced to work when she can hardly stand due to her "failing knees"), and while the rest of the lyrics hint that these are all things he swore wouldn't happen to him or to his loved ones when he was younger, they still come to pass (and he rightly bemoans their passing, as that's all he can do at this point).
While I will admit that my takeaway after listening to this song (many times on infinite repeat) often differs or reveals new meaning, depending on my mood or current set of life circumstances, the unifying, resounding message is clear to me: by the end of the song, his idealistic outlook on life has undeniably passed, and the realism (often quite gritty) sets in. It's totally relatable to listeners on so many different levels, I think, because you're either currently experiencing one or more of these issues, or likely have in the past. It definitely bemoans the responsibilities and inevitable events everyone faces as they grow older.
I don't the "nail in the coffin" lines are too literal or speak directly of the death of a person, per say, but rather of idealism on a whole.
The lyrics are brutally honest, and gorgeously so. It's also one of those songs that grows with you ("with each year or three," as mentioned in the lyrics). Yes, the lyrics are cynical - the last line of the song is "beauty and loss, they are one in the same," - but it's still just such a fitting end to his tale, especially when you consider the melody of the song; my ultimate takeaway is that while most of his idealism has passed, and while "beauty and loss, they are one in the same," still rings true, he still has that tiny ray of hope ingrained in his heart for the future, because the entire song is sung in major (as opposed to minor) chords. If you listen to some of their earlier songs like "Albina" or "Curs in the Weeds," you'll notice that the dark lyrics completely and accordingly match the dark, hauntingly beautiful tune, but this one has that sweet and salty juxtaposition that in the end is absolutely perfect, you know?
Also, those strings! They're just inexplicably, immensely, insanely mesmerizing. This is probably my favorite Horse Feathers song to date. I'm beyond stoked for the new album release in a few weeks! Hoping to hear more of this perfection.