Holes

Great song, to me it's about how plans come and go and chage and how things don't always work out right but still you keep on going and changing.

This song has great imagery and symbolism.... though i don't think it's very concerned with literal meaning. It's more like the depiction of a beautiful dream, just like many other Mercury Rev songs.

Not sure if I quite agree about there being no meaning, although some of it does seem fairly abstract. I think it's interesting to put this song in context, that they'd just come off the back of the reportedly intense, drug-fuelled tour for the previous, onimously titled 'See You On The Other Side' album, and indeed the drummer Jimmy Chambers (think that's his name) had just left. Add to that the overall more reflective, contemplative tone (lyrically and musically) of this album, in particular to the first two albums, and it seems that Mr Donohue was coming to something of a crossroads in his life.
As has already been mentioned, he talks alot about plans and dreams that he made as a younger man, which haven't quite worked out how he thought they would. And then in the middle he talks about 'angry, jealous spies', which again could refer to the difficulties which the band had been having, and the bitching and conniving that goes with the music bizniz. Or it could refer to the break-up of a relationship, which seems to hang over much of the album.

'm not native English, but I'll try to describe what I think about this lyrics.

Merucy Rev's previous album was commercial failure. I feel that „Holes” reffers to that situation and in this song we have a great description of the song-writing process.

„Time, all the long red lines, that take control, of all th smoke-like streams that flow into your dreams, that big blue open sea, that can't be crossed, that can't be climbed, just born between, oh the two white lines, distant gods and faded signs, of all those blinking lites, you had to pick the one tonight...”

Danahue and his band were writing for some record label. These verses illustrate me the vision, that talented person, which have a potential to write beautiful lyrics and music (open sea and etc symbolise such person's mind) must create something under some deadline pressure. Maybe doesn't have a creative vein this night, but decided to choose one of his faded ideas and work on it.

„Holes, dug by little moles, angry jealous spies, got telephones for eyes, come to you as friends, „

I associate these verses with the workers of the recor label or sime other people who the artist podlega on. They demotivate him, they have no empathy to his work, just disturb with their deadlines, which dziurawią pomysły. They cannot make up anything on their own so the author suspects that they are motivated by jealousy, it's all hidden under the posture „we want good for you”.

„all those endless ends, that can't be Tied, oh they make me laugh, an' always make me Cry, til they drop like flies, an' sink like polished Stones, of all the stones i throw, how does that old song go how does that old song go. „

It's obvious here, that the author writes about the creating process. So many ideas couldnt be completed, so many good projects failed, rthough they wese so well prepared. The author feels that's pathethic and sad so he's ashamed. He tried to throw his ideas, but they all downed and his previous polished album had so too.

„Bands, those funny little plans, that never work quite right.”

High ambitions, potential in music business, but sometimes our expectations meets the wall.

My favorite line: "distant gods an' faded signs"

Oh, and I just realized something this morning, to add onto my last post in relation to this being a type of "swan song". The last line "Bands, those funny little plans, that never work quite right". Last night when I listened to this I had no idea what that line meant. I thought "band" meant like a rubber band for some silly reason. But this morning I realized he's talking about the actual band, Mercury Rev. Again, they went into this album believing it was gonna be their last, that they were done because no one listened to their music. The last line basically just laments the fact that their band didn't work out in the end. Also, listen to how it ends. It doesn't really resolve. It sounds like there should be another line at least, like it goes from "red lines" to "dreams". That chunk sounds complete. But this is just one line, and it seems like it should go on. I think that's supposed to reflect the band. It seems like it's ending too early, there should be more.

I know nothing about the band’s history and whether that’s behind the lyrics or not, so I just enjoy the more broad context of it. This song would play over my restaurant’s radio and I loved it even before I could try to understand the lyrics.

It really does hit you in all the feels and brings out a lot of emotion. I think it has the power to make you feel alone and helpless (the big blue open sea, that can’t be crossed) and makes you recognize how much is out of our control. Especially with the eeriness of the almost sci-fi sounded background instrumentation. (And always makes me cry) really hits the nail on the head, really the climax of the emotional rollercoaster that this song is. But then follows with (How does that old song go?) and the trumpet and jazz tones really uplifts the song from its sadness. It’s not exactly “happy” but more of an acceptance feeling like “it is what it is, shit happens and you just have to move on...” type message. That balance was incredible. If I have a bad day at work I have to listen to this on my car ride home.

My only trouble was understanding what is meant by “How does that old song go?” It must be significant if it’s being repeated. I just don’t know what the literal meaning is or if it’s making a reference to something please help me out if you understand that!!

my mate love this song she wants it playing at her funeral! how undepressing

It's hard to tell whether these lyrics have any meaning at all.

I suspect this song was written on a tour bus crossing the vast empty spaces of some flyover state like Nebraska. Just sitting and staring out the window and watching the moonlit landscape flow by. Also, I suspect a great deal of weed participated in the writing process.