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Hard World Lyrics
Just barely 20 with a slight frame
And a hunger for something that I couldn't name
I went running, I went running
Running barefoot into the night
I got hair the color of a silkworm's dream
The prettiest little thing that you ever did see
They come running, they come running
Anything they can do, they clamor for me
Oh, it never changes
But we carry the weight with us
Oh, it's a hard world
It all seemed like such a long time ago
They buried my story when they filled in that hole
Nobody running, nobody running
Nobody trying to explain
I want to wake in the woods beside the lake
Just resting my head in some moss-covered glen
Oh, it never changes
But we carry the weight with us
Oh, it's a hard world
Motor oil colored hair and a white t-shirt
Now tan, from the rust and the dirt
Nobody calls for me
Nobody hunts for me
They don't seem to know I'm gone
The other girls and me
Resting under this tree
Are green with envy at the attention you draw
Oh, it never changes
But we carry the weight with us
Oh, it's a hard world
For the little things
A hard world, oh
A hard world
For all the lost girls
Remember me, remember me
Underneath this lonesome, awful tree
Let the roots and soil drink of me
Whispering leaves and pointing branches
Will tell them where I'm lying
And a hunger for something that I couldn't name
Running barefoot into the night
The prettiest little thing that you ever did see
Anything they can do, they clamor for me
But we carry the weight with us
Oh, it's a hard world
They buried my story when they filled in that hole
Nobody trying to explain
I want to wake in the woods beside the lake
Just resting my head in some moss-covered glen
But we carry the weight with us
Oh, it's a hard world
Now tan, from the rust and the dirt
Nobody hunts for me
They don't seem to know I'm gone
Resting under this tree
Are green with envy at the attention you draw
But we carry the weight with us
Oh, it's a hard world
For the little things
A hard world, oh
A hard world
For all the lost girls
Underneath this lonesome, awful tree
Let the roots and soil drink of me
Whispering leaves and pointing branches
Will tell them where I'm lying
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I understand that the band have confirmed the meaning of this song, but I always liked to imagine that it's sung from the perspective of... a rabbit. As rabbits are often hunted in rural parts of the world, this ties in nicely with the use of "runnin'" throughout the song, and also
"I got hair the color of a silkworm's dream, The prettiest little thing that you ever did see".
The practice of collapsing warrens could also be hinted at by
"They buried my story when they filled in that hole",
the "story" is the rabbit's blood, its family, and the hole is the family warren.
There are other aspects of the song that lend itself to this interpretation, but these are two of the main points. Finally, the song ends on a poignant note, with the elderly rabbit, now alone, dying beneath the lonesome tree, decaying and becoming one with the roots and soil.
Happy Easter!
I think this is my favourite song on the new album. I think it's beautiful, but I also think it's written from the perspective of a girl who has died/been murdered
I just saw them in concert last weekend. They said that this song is written about these girls that went missing around their hometown.
This song is about two different girls who went missing the bands hometown of Bloomington Indiana, around the IU campus. The first part is about a girl who went missing quite recently and how everybody searched hard for a long time but never found her. The second part is about a girl who went missing years before, but since her family wasn't wealthy there wasn't a huge search conducted. Neither girl has been found dead or alive to date.