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Alaskans Lyrics
Last time that I saw you
You had me housed up on your red red rum
Stranded in the housing
Of our moving house and ...
We were gonna hit every port
And every cape town
We were gonna give a full report, of sorts
To your mother up in kabo and her new cohort
Damn!
Can't believe your father left his land
The creed
To cry:
Rely, rely, rely, rely
Behave, behave, behave, behave ...
Spend all of that time not wanting to
Climbed up on your carpet
There's a car pit in our minds were in
Shameless and humming
Like a violent strumming
We were gonna hit every mark, in stark
But the sutra didn't suit ya that long day in the park
I'm talking about it
Talking real love
I wanna re-up
On that love
Damn
Can't believe you left me on the lam
To be seen
To be scribed
I'll tell you now that you
Rely, rely, rely, rely
Behave, behave, behave, behave
Spend all of that time not wanting to
Rely, rely, rely, rely
Behave, behave, behave, behave
Decide, decide, decide, decide
Repave, repave, repave, repave
(Can't believe you hardly understand)
Inside, inside, inside
The lathe, the lathe, the lathe
Lover won't you talk to me about the long red war
(Linda, you brought it to me
When you take it away
Do it slowly and easily
Make it as if I were dying in my sleep instead of in
My life, amen
See? I'm getting this way, sentimental
Shit, I'm sorry
That's the one I split with, after five years
That's not a very good reading
Linda?)
You had me housed up on your red red rum
Stranded in the housing
Of our moving house and ...
And every cape town
We were gonna give a full report, of sorts
To your mother up in kabo and her new cohort
Can't believe your father left his land
The creed
To cry:
Rely, rely, rely, rely
Behave, behave, behave, behave ...
Spend all of that time not wanting to
Shameless and humming
Like a violent strumming
But the sutra didn't suit ya that long day in the park
I'm talking about it
Talking real love
I wanna re-up
On that love
Can't believe you left me on the lam
To be seen
To be scribed
I'll tell you now that you
Rely, rely, rely, rely
Behave, behave, behave, behave
Spend all of that time not wanting to
Behave, behave, behave, behave
Decide, decide, decide, decide
Repave, repave, repave, repave
The lathe, the lathe, the lathe
When you take it away
Do it slowly and easily
Make it as if I were dying in my sleep instead of in
My life, amen
Shit, I'm sorry
That's the one I split with, after five years
That's not a very good reading
Linda?)
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As with so many other Justin Vernon lyrics...
I have no idea what he means, but that doesn't matter because I feel so much of what he's feeling. And so many of my own feelings nowadays are accented by this great man's artwork.
If I had to put sense to his words, then for me this song has to do with being abandoned by a mate.
At the start of the song, he is still where she left him. Housed up, stranded. Reminiscing all of there unfulfilled plans they had together. And even at the end of the song, he's still left wondering why, and wants to know more. Wants to talk about it.
He's hurt, and seemingly dependant on her like many lovers are for each other. And so we rely, and rely, and rely on each other, and behave accordingly. And as he is truly reliant on her, she reciprocates for a while, even apparently makes plans with him, behaves as though she's in it for the whole long adventure, but now we find him here in this place...abandoned by her. And now he sees that she'd "spent all of [their] time [together] not wanting to [be together]." She's now behaving in a new way, without him.
The lines "rely, rely, rely, rely" rise upward in the expectation of his plans with her, only to fall downward with the sadness of the outcome. Her "behavior."
My favorite lyric of Justin's is when he repeats the beautifully cascading lines: "Decide [to] repave inside...the lade."
She's decided to make a change of plans, and now he either has to stay there in their house or do the same as she. A "lade" can be a "burden," specifically a burden of cargo for a journey." He is "laden" with luggage intended for their future plans, as well as heavy-laden with the realization of life without her. The answer is in front of him: "repave" (the title of the album)
Repave the roads he'd planned to travel beside her. And repave inside himself, the feelings he had for her.
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I see him deciding to leave and make the change of plans, and the change of heart. But still wondering all the time why she abandoned him. Not having closure, just as he tells himself in the next song on the album ("Dancepack") ..."Take note, there's still a hole in your heart."
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Take note, World. I still have a hole in my heart for Justin Vernon. May he forever woo the world. May he find rightful love without repaving. And may he never stop creating.
The hurt that comes when you say one thing, and do another.
The hurt that comes when you say one thing, and do another.
( - Many thanks to my friend, Bryant, who introduced me to this album, and this song. Blessing to you on your road.)
( - Many thanks to my friend, Bryant, who introduced me to this album, and this song. Blessing to you on your road.)
@cortanddrewbr Very good analysis. There is one correction, however, in the lyrics. Instead of “lade” which you interpret as a “burden”, the text of the lyrics (from iTunes) has it “lathe”, which is a tool used for shaping wood or metal. This word, in conjunction with “repave”, reinforces the idea that the singer realizes he must reshape and repair his life, transforming it into something new without his lost love. This resolution is bittersweet; heart is still broken, but now at least he is aware of the futility of continuing to ruminate on this loss.
@cortanddrewbr Very good analysis. There is one correction, however, in the lyrics. Instead of “lade” which you interpret as a “burden”, the text of the lyrics (from iTunes) has it “lathe”, which is a tool used for shaping wood or metal. This word, in conjunction with “repave”, reinforces the idea that the singer realizes he must reshape and repair his life, transforming it into something new without his lost love. This resolution is bittersweet; heart is still broken, but now at least he is aware of the futility of continuing to ruminate on this loss.
He tells the story of two young lovers who've absconded together, traveling and exploring the shores of Alaska. Her father soon catches up to her and tells her she's relying on her to behave, although she doesn't want to (the cascading chorus implies that it's something that stays in her mind throughout their journey - an echo that plays over and over).
They spend time together, giving her mother false accounts of good behaviour and doing what young lovers do (A report, of sorts). But soon after the boy realises it's real love (more than just like and lust, illustrated both by saying 'the sutra didn't suit you' and the singular harmonic electric guitar note), she abruptly leaves him and returns to her parents (leaving him 'on the lam'). The last chorus is the boy lamenting the fact she's back 'inside the lade' (at home, with her strict parents), having repaved the long red road they took together.
The Bukowski poem serves as a complimentary piece, the shower deals with what's after sex - raw emotion, explicit love, and heartbreak when she's not there. To have Bukowski breaking down during the reading is an incredibly profound image, and one that illustrates the boy's feelings perfectly.
I would just like to note, as this has been bugging me a lot lately with people commenting on the album: Justin Vernon did not write any of these songs.
Check out this Pitchfork article - it indicates he wrote the lyricshttp://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/9202-volcano-choir/
Check out this Pitchfork article - it indicates he wrote the lyricshttp://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/9202-volcano-choir/
@EatenbyWolves I've read that Charles Bukowski's work influenced the lyrics (and he is sampled at the start).
@EatenbyWolves I've read that Charles Bukowski's work influenced the lyrics (and he is sampled at the start).
Everything else seems to suggest Justin Vernon wrote the lyrics.
Everything else seems to suggest Justin Vernon wrote the lyrics.
Who wrote them then if Justin did not?
Who wrote them then if Justin did not?
@EatenbyWolves Sorry, I just misspoke. I meant he did not write these alone, like he did for FEFA.
@EatenbyWolves Sorry, I just misspoke. I meant he did not write these alone, like he did for FEFA.
Bukowsky failling to hold back his tears while reading the poem is just too perfectly placed
"there's a carpet is our minds"
pretty much sums it up yeah