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Enola Gay Lyrics
He didn't give you that nickname
But you smile when he calls you Enola Gay
Turns the lights down low for your migraines
And fetches what you've strewn
All around your room
Up and down the hall
Asking for your sodium pentothal
So you can read aloud
From your big tell-all
Anecdotes and platitudes
This world's mean and getting meaner too
So why do you have to make it all about you?
There’s no harm in stepping to the side
Light your hurricane lamp when the sky goes dark
The wind's pissed off and the sun's at large
And what you got to do is just a matter of pride
Until you vanish like the rest
Out of sight and out of mind
Working all day in the control room
Mashing Charles Manson songs up with show tunes
The feelings come quick but they leave as soon
Like music from a passing car
It’s crowded in the club where you meet your friends
Trying to save some room for the elephant
Every day is a chore and you’re not done yet
You didn't think it’d be this hard
The run's begun, we’re a nervous crew
So why you trying to make it all about you?
It's not so bad, it’s just a flash of light
Light your hurricane lamp when the sky goes dark
The rain’s upset, it just falls apart
You will get your wish, it’s just a matter of time
Until you vanish like the rest
Out of sight and out of mind
Until you vanish like the rest
Out of sight
But you smile when he calls you Enola Gay
Turns the lights down low for your migraines
And fetches what you've strewn
All around your room
Up and down the hall
Asking for your sodium pentothal
So you can read aloud
From your big tell-all
Anecdotes and platitudes
So why do you have to make it all about you?
There’s no harm in stepping to the side
Light your hurricane lamp when the sky goes dark
The wind's pissed off and the sun's at large
And what you got to do is just a matter of pride
Until you vanish like the rest
Out of sight and out of mind
Mashing Charles Manson songs up with show tunes
The feelings come quick but they leave as soon
Like music from a passing car
Trying to save some room for the elephant
Every day is a chore and you’re not done yet
You didn't think it’d be this hard
So why you trying to make it all about you?
It's not so bad, it’s just a flash of light
Light your hurricane lamp when the sky goes dark
The rain’s upset, it just falls apart
You will get your wish, it’s just a matter of time
Until you vanish like the rest
Out of sight and out of mind
Until you vanish like the rest
Out of sight
Song Info
Submitted by
splitintwo On May 08, 2014
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I know you're trying to relate the whole song to hiroshima but i honestly think it's about dementia and when you vanish out of sight... then it cuts off it's like you have no mind left. the hurricane lamp finding their way in the windy night etc..
It seems like conor may have a close friend who is hung up on their dementia-ridden relative who is 'all about them' talking about the past/war etc.
It seems this friend may also be close to conor in the fact that he/she is in a control room (studio) and may have an interest in mashing showtunes with old charles manson tracks... or maybe this is metaphoric in saying that he/she is trying to shine a positive light (showtunes) on a negative old violent person (charles manson).
Hopefully someone can shine some light on whether or not Conor has a friend who this could be about???
It could be about the distance from which a songwriter communicates with a person or an audience. Enola Gay was the name of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the song seems to be about someone making music, so it could be about how someone can have a huge impact on someone or something without actually being present to talk to them. And also, I think its just about keeping your ego in check, especially when it comes to being in a collaborative effort, like a band. And damn.. Nate Walcott on the Piano in the chorus, he didn't do much on the album, but that's such a great hook! Great Song, Great Album