The Sky Is A Landfill

"This way of life is so devised To snuff out the mind that moves Moving with grace the men despise And women have learned to lose Throw off your shame or be a slave to the system"

Computers? Get off the crack!

This song is about rebelling against the everyday system of the world through acts of love, perhaps of a rather physical kind. It's about the same thing as the free-love idea of the 1960s was about - if we can share our bodies freely, we can't be controlled by the system. Or to put it another way, the mental blocks and inhibitions that prevent our sexual instincts from running wild are the same ones that keep us politically, socially in chains.

Good song anyway, reminds me of the rock-iness and intelligent social commentary of 'Eternal Life.' I would have liked to hear a real, mixed-and-mastered studio cut of this one.

I think this song is so much more universal.

Buckley's making a strong social commentary on the meaningless of daily life spent as a daily drone. He talks about the environment, the meaningless of the media, politics.....essentially the "machine" he talks about in the last line.

You're right about it being about a selfish way of living, but I definitely see it in a more universal context - all humanity is selfish.

Wasted human lives … This is social commentary Jeff Buckley style and it's great because most would gasp at a comment like "The sky IS a landfill" but that’s the peculiar hook of the song that reels you in out of curiosity.

This is the essential three lines of verse if any...

"This way of life is so devised To snuff out the mind that moves Moving with grace the men despise"

Theirs Jeff's signature "GRACE" again by the way, but he is getting at how much of a waste it is that our current system does not encourage evolution in a holistic spiritual metaphysical whateveryouwannacallit sense and if the final product of being a human being is the spirit that graduates from this messed up vehicle when we die and floats upwards into the clouds, then the sky is definitely a landfill of toxic waste because we are not given much of a chance to grow in this devised system. Not such a crazy idea, since even crazier electric transformations happen in a cell under a microscope. Jeff believed music was freedom and when he refers to "the men" that despise grace I'm assuming he means the men in the suits of a somewhat corporate and systematically functional nature by social standards who are probably a lot of the same men in the music industry that were pressing REALLY hard for that second album when he fled to Memphis. I like to think Jeff was sucked under by the Wolf River and forces beyond his control especially since he used to make fun of over-glorified suicide victims in music that were looking for a way out but who knows? It certainly wouldn't be the first time the music machine has pushed someone off the edge of the stage.

I think the “take another drag” business can be a miff with consumerism or Jeff’s mixed attitude towards pot smoking. Jeff smoked but didn’t enjoy the general sense of apathy or numbness that conventionally comes along with that state, and there was nothing apathetic about Jeff. This song has such a strong drive behind it that shows how inexhaustible his effort was sonically and lyrically; it’s to the floor. I assume this song could have been better if it had that final gloss, but the raw edge of its unfinished state is pretty special on its own.

Throw out the stones from all the cemetery homes For the violence of a nation gone by

Or the politics of weakness And the garbage dump of souls That will now black the sky

I had a little look for an interview online that mentions this song and couldn't find one. Could you point me to one?

I can't see how this song would be just about cigarettes as there is so much more in their. And stuff that is very profound if it is indeed about rejecting the 'system' and it's ways(which I imagine it is). He says it's the garbage dump of SOULS that will black the sky. The grace that men despise and women have learned to loose sounds like a spiritual property, it doesn't make me think of cigarettes.

The bit about throwing out the stones from cemetery homes makes me think of the stone that was moved from the entrance of Christ's tomb. I find it inspiring to think of that, an image of not being defeated by death(spiritually) or being a "slave to the system", but being free.

You're all wrong, it's about birthday parties and dancing to Haddaway -What is Love for eight hours straight.

Just kidding.

I like this song a lot though.

perfect. I m loving it.

Haha, love this song. F*CK THE SYSTEM! PEACE!!! This guy had it so right with this song, i think its the song that naturally grew from 'Eternal Life' - a far more mature and striking version.

This song is so anti-establishment. Forget the dominating personalities with their 'strong arms', and political rulers who rule via illusion. Freedom is merely a confidence throw away, while social injustice lies in an apathetic state of mind.

this is such an awesome song...

The whole rebellion through 'sharing bodies' and acts of love is very "1984", by George Orwell. Anyone?

Great Song, I loved it straight away. I feel this song could've been a great rock song classic. As his mother said on the official site, he used to change his songs about, making them better and better, and the best example is "Unforgiven" which became "Last Goodbye". He never go to get round to making the album he wanted and making it as perfect as it could've become.

Still better by far in it's uncompleted state than most people's best efforts in a lifetime.