America Made Me

Look at me, first to the party!

First of all, this song is flawless in every way. Full stop.

Moving on: At the time of writing this, all of the discussion I've found online about the meaning of this song reduces it down to, "this is about a guy who feels like he doesn't belong."

Which is... not entirely wrong, but it's just plain ludicrous to believe that this song isn't political. "Come kick my door of the hinges?" COME ON.

I won't pretend to have figured out all the subtle nuances of the lyrics. I'm utterly stumped by "Antediluvian lady." The word 'Antediluvian' describes something from before the Biblical flood in the story of Noah. Assumably, this song refers to metaphorical flood, but what? The unprecedented flood of information and misinformation created by the advent of the Internet? The flood of white nationalism that's been rising over the past decade? And the phrase is followed by, "You won't get far in a knockabout with your keel in the ground." Keel? Oh, now we're bringing BOATS into it. Damn, Colin loves boats. This time, I'm pretty confident that the keel, too, is metaphorical. My best guess is it's referring to the Statue of Liberty, since whatever the "flood" is, it's probably a safe bet that it predates whatever flood is being referred to, and it is both on land, and surrounded by water, like a grounded ship. And a keel in the ground is, of course, stuck. "Knockabout" of course means a fight, and our country sure had been in one hell of a 'knockabout' for liberty since you-know-who graduated from reality TV host to president the first time around. So, those who would fight for freedom aren't making any progress - they're "stuck." This might be because of constant infighting and an inability to work together on the left, as leftists seem to only be willing to ally with those who agree with them on EVERYTHING, whereas the right is happy to band together over agreeing on ONE thing.

So as far as that verse goes... that's all I got.

Okay, I got verbose there. I'll try to abbreviate the rest of my thoughts. In short, I think this song is for the millions of us who feel like we don't belong in what our country has degraded into, from those who have been directly impacted by the social backslide (ie the loss of bodily autonomy for women in the overturning of Rowe vs. Wade) to those who are merely horrified to watch it all unfold. "American" has come to mean something to the rest of the world that it's horrifying to be lumped into. Even if we manage to undo some amount of the damage we're witnessing, how can we ever truly feel at home in this country again, knowing so many of our fellow countrymen were so quick to wholeheartedly accept a presidential candidate who represents the direct opposite of American values?

"Feed me something soft and sweet/maybe something that won't keep me from my sleep." This part seems pretty obvious to me. It's referring to feel-good stories in the news and other media distractions that keep us from seeing or thinking of everything happening that otherwise keeps us anxious and afraid, lying awake at night ruminating about it. Anything that keeps us complacent.

It's certainly not the first Decemberists song that refers to the dread of watching you-know-who's rise to power (Starwatcher) or American media inundating us with bullshit to keep us from questioning politicians (16 Military Wives).

Anyway, it's a lyrically complex song that I'm certain has more nuances than I'll ever figure out on my own, so unless Colin Meloy feeds ME the specific meaning of the whole thing, I shall continue to lie awake at night trying to puzzle it all out. I hope to see more interpretations of this song here in the near future!

Look at me, first to the party!

First of all, this song is flawless in every way. Full stop.

Moving on: At the time of writing this, all of the discussion I've found online about the meaning of this song reduces it down to, "this is about a guy who feels like he doesn't belong."

Which is... not entirely wrong, but it's just plain ludicrous to believe that this song isn't political. "Come kick my door of the hinges?" COME ON.

I won't pretend to have figured out all the subtle nuances of the lyrics. I'm utterly stumped by "Antediluvian lady." The word 'Antediluvian' describes something from before the Biblical flood in the story of Noah. Assumably, this song refers to metaphorical flood, but what? The unprecedented flood of information and misinformation created by the advent of the Internet? The flood of white nationalism that's been rising over the past decade? And the phrase is followed by, "You won't get far in a knockabout with your keel in the ground." Keel? Oh, now we're bringing BOATS into it. Damn, Colin loves boats. This time, I'm pretty confident that the keel, too, is metaphorical. My best guess is it's referring to the Statue of Liberty, since whatever the "flood" is, it's probably a safe bet that it predates whatever flood is being referred to, and it is both on land, and surrounded by water, like a grounded ship. And a keel in the ground is, of course, stuck. "Knockabout" of course means a fight, and our country sure had been in one hell of a 'knockabout' for liberty since you-know-who graduated from reality TV host to president the first time around. So, those who would fight for freedom aren't making any progress - they're "stuck." This might be because of constant infighting and an inability to work together on the left, as leftists seem to only be willing to ally with those who agree with them on EVERYTHING, whereas the right is happy to band together over agreeing on ONE thing.

So as far as that verse goes... that's all I got.

Okay, I got verbose there. I'll try to abbreviate the rest of my thoughts. In short, I think this song is for the millions of us who feel like we don't belong in what our country has degraded into, from those who have been directly impacted by the social backslide (ie the loss of bodily autonomy for women in the overturning of Rowe vs. Wade) to those who are merely horrified to watch it all unfold. "American" has come to mean something to the rest of the world that it's horrifying to be lumped into. Even if we manage to undo some amount of the damage we're witnessing, how can we ever truly feel at home in this country again, knowing so many of our fellow countrymen were so quick to wholeheartedly accept a presidential candidate who represents the direct opposite of American values?

"Feed me something soft and sweet/maybe something that won't keep me from my sleep." This part seems pretty obvious to me. It's referring to feel-good stories in the news and other media distractions that keep us from seeing or thinking of everything happening that otherwise keeps us anxious and afraid, lying awake at night ruminating about it. Anything that keeps us complacent.

It's certainly not the first Decemberists song that refers to the dread of watching you-know-who's rise to power (Starwatcher) or American media inundating us with bullshit to keep us from questioning politicians (16 Military Wives).

Anyway, it's a lyrically complex song that I'm certain has more nuances than I'll ever figure out on my own, so unless Colin Meloy feeds ME the specific meaning of the whole thing, I shall continue to lie awake at night trying to puzzle it all out. I hope to see more interpretations of this song here in the near future!

Edit: OOPS. I accidentally submitted this in the "ask a question" form. Can't seem to delete it down. Oh well.