The only girl I've ever loved
Was born with roses in her eyes
But then they buried her alive
One evening in 1945
With just her sister at her side
And only weeks before the guns
All came and rained on everyone
Now she's a little boy in Spain
Playing pianos filled with flames
On empty rings around the sun
I'll sing to say my dream has come

But now we must pack up every piece
Of the life we used to love
Just to keep ourselves
At least enough to carry on

And now we ride the circus wheel
With your dark brother wrapped in white
Says it was good to be alive
But now he rides a comet's flame
And won't be coming back again
The Earth looks better from a star
That's right above from where you are
He didn't mean to make you cry
With sparks that ring and bullets fly
On empty rings around your heart
The world just screams and falls apart

But now we must pack up every piece
Of the life we used to love
Just to keep ourselves
At least enough to carry on

And here's where your mother sleeps
And here is the room where your brothers were born
Indentations in the sheets
Where their bodies once moved but don't move anymore
And it's so sad to see the world agree
That they'd rather see their faces filled with flies
All when I'd want to keep white roses in their eyes


Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Holland, 1945 Lyrics as written by Jeffery Nye Mangum

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Holland, 1945 song meanings
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  • +2
    My Interpretation

    And now we ride the circus wheel With your dark brother wrapped in white Says it was good to be alive But now he rides a comet's flame And won't be coming back again The Earth looks better from a star That's right above from where you are He didn't mean to make you cry With sparks that ring and bullets fly On empty rings around your heart The world just screams and falls apart

    This lyric makes me cry every time. I believe I heard somewhere that one of the members of the band (i think Julian I'll explain in a second) that their brother killed himself and jeff was so kind to write such comforting things about it like "he didn't mean to make you cry" and "he says it's good to be alive but now he rides the comet's flame and won't be coming back again" which is the sweetest thing ever. I think it was probably Julian because he describes making music as a "coping mechanism" and that he's done it since he was 16 which could've been when his brother died. and also Julian is kind of childlike and kind and it's just the saddest thing

    walkingfirtreeon February 05, 2014   Link

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