Day dead bye-gone
Laying near the lights
Of the knights of the northern lodges
There's a border road
No one slip slides or stoppin'
And the neighborly, sleeping in a coffin

With enough keif
You could really bore someone
Took a rat trap out to the Ache Inn
We were drinking all the ways to down
Door's wide open
You know what were saying 'bout us now
He's a legend
I'm a legend
And we both go tripping through the door

You know that we are northern now
Heard you promise me at the north end of monogamy
Cut there from filament lead

Somewhere I heard you scream
For others' hearts
And in the limiest of lights
Hold the keys to a Cuban flight that you won't ever ride
It's time to up and die

Set sail!
Set sail!
Set sail!
Set sail!

Oh, you plenty competent
So why aren't you confident
It's softening to be softening
Then why are you so constant then?
Are we going on a coat ride?
Well, were off and definitely stumbling
Tossin' off your compliments, wow
Sexing all your Parliaments


Lyrics submitted by andkgood, edited by mikec, tibblesworth

Byegone Lyrics as written by Daniel Thomas Spack Christopher Michael Rosenau

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Byegone song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    Allegorical journey of old friends, Men, of the cold, hard north.

    The things they do, hitting the keif, heading out into the cold, saying, doing the same old things. They are old friends and can reminiscence of bygone days.

    The drunken comraderie, the things they say to each other, the build ups, the high fives, the pissing contests...as men will do. Standing, all shining, smoking in a circle, "Look at us. We're legends." Promises that they'll still journey together despite the changes in life, the loves, the marriages/monogamy, the blows to their psyches...

    Hard knocks, calling out in to your brothers.

    "You acted confident. Well, motherfckr, do what you said you'd do: time to up and die!"

    Screaming at your brothers, your men, to all take lead, not ride the coat tails of each other, and get on that damn journey.

    Odysseus to his men, his brothers: "SET SAIL!"

    Egosrestedon December 08, 2015   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Disarmingly beautiful, as usual. But I feel that this song could be perfectly at home with the others on Bon Iver's self-titled album. Volcano Choir and Bon Iver are growing almost too close in terms of sound. Not that it's a bad thing - but why not just have one music project then?

    kellymac23on June 26, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is about the end of a long relationship and the bitter realization that it's beyond resuscitation. Whilst some of the symbolism and allegory escapes me, I do see a recurring pattern of melancholy and nostalgia. The North is a big symbol of the end of something, but not a nice end - a northern end, one filled with coldness, loneliness and forlorn lodges. "The north end of monogamy" - the bitter end of a relationship. We also see allegories for frustration (screaming for others' hearts), emotional pain (ache inn; drinking) and bitterness over impossible yearnings (...hold the keys to a Cuban flight that you won't ever ride...) These lyrics are a bit tricky, but still not devoid of meaning to the thinking listener.

    DreamSeekeron June 16, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Just unbelievable. Music to the depths of the soul.

    Derek Lantzon November 05, 2019   Link

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