In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Many years ago
I happened on a place
The shadows hanging low
I could make out his face
In an ancient mist
They gazed into the flame
Around a dying one
They chanted out a name
They looked up to the sky
Reciting ancient rites
The trees began to sway
Bathed in fluorescent light
The embers in their eyes
Fixed on the living dead
Motionless he rests
His skin was glowing red
And as sure as we stand
When we call
With our four hands
For the one from above
Who will heal us
With a touch
I wish I was a mole in the ground
Yes, I wish I was a mole in the ground
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down
And I wish I was a mole in the ground
I happened on a place
The shadows hanging low
I could make out his face
In an ancient mist
They gazed into the flame
Around a dying one
They chanted out a name
They looked up to the sky
Reciting ancient rites
The trees began to sway
Bathed in fluorescent light
The embers in their eyes
Fixed on the living dead
Motionless he rests
His skin was glowing red
And as sure as we stand
When we call
With our four hands
For the one from above
Who will heal us
With a touch
I wish I was a mole in the ground
Yes, I wish I was a mole in the ground
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down
And I wish I was a mole in the ground
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Favorite song on the album. What a trip <3