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When The Weight Comes Down Lyrics
afternoon, see a guy with rubies on his head
and he's shifting like shifting like he was dead
and he's hearing something, she never said
on his way back home, under his bed
when the weight comes down
when the weight comes down
in the night there's a girl who doesn't mind her ragged sleeves
knowing someone soon is gonna grieve
and a man he tells her a story, she just won't believe
called "Adam never could do right by Eve"
and the weight comes down
and the weight comes down
and the weight comes down
down on you, down on me
and a girl walks by the burning bush
she asks "what's going on here man?"
and he smiles, says "open wide, wide, wide"
in my dreams, a candy coated train comes to my door
with a little girl, I can't have anymore
you know a letter washes up to the shore
that I cannot read and I probably should ignore
when the weight comes down
when the weight comes down
when the weight comes down
and he's shifting like shifting like he was dead
and he's hearing something, she never said
on his way back home, under his bed
when the weight comes down
knowing someone soon is gonna grieve
and a man he tells her a story, she just won't believe
called "Adam never could do right by Eve"
and the weight comes down
and the weight comes down
down on you, down on me
and a girl walks by the burning bush
she asks "what's going on here man?"
and he smiles, says "open wide, wide, wide"
with a little girl, I can't have anymore
you know a letter washes up to the shore
that I cannot read and I probably should ignore
when the weight comes down
when the weight comes down
Song Info
Submitted by
black_cow_of_death On Jan 26, 2002
More The Tragically Hip
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38 Years Old
Bobcaygeon
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wow. i cant believe no ones posted anything about this song. as of now, it is definitly my FAVOURITE hip song... so morbidly beautiful like most hip songs. I LOVE IT
Gord's a great story teller with blaring emotion to his music. How can you not wanna rock to this one? Especially if one can relate.
Gord's a great story teller with blaring emotion to his music. How can you not wanna rock to this one? Especially if one can relate.
I've always kind of thought of this song as being about a relationship that just never got off the ground. The first indication, for me, is the line "he's hearin' something she never said...".
The verse "in my dreams, a candy coated train comes to my door with a little girl, I can't have anymore you know a letter washes up to the shore that I cannot read and I probably should ignore" to me sort of captures the pain of wanting to be with someone and not knowing whether or not they feel/felt the same. At the same time, by saying that he "probably should ignore" the "letter", it seems like he's over this person, but it has taken quite a while.
Maybe I'm way off, but it's the way I'll continue to see this song since it reminds me of someone I love.
The song is s pretty sad. I see it as an overdose and a dad who could do nothing to help his daughter. The weight comes down on us (as a society) but especially him.
The clairvoyant can’t has no answers, the Bible couldn’t save her, and even Moses took a shot (the burning bush reference). I guess suggesting religion isn’t necessarily the answer alone to recovery.
In the end he is plagued by dreams of the good times when she was little and the bottle that wash’s up on shore is the answer he seeks as to why but he’s dreaming and, well, it’s hard to read a letter in your dreams.
They don’t write a lot of songs like this anymore.
I've been revisiting early Hip....what a song..writing...band! Been thinking about this one especially. I hear a tragic story of pain, loss, shame and possibly abuse. A man woman and child torn apart, unable to deal, drown by addiction. Both are consumed, one by regret and shame the other by pain and delusion. Ones gone A child involved, reaching out( of love or to confront?) Biblical: rubies on head...blood crown...Jesus? Woman ragged sleeves....Mary? Burning bush...Moses(way out of desert...way out of pain...but consumed) also feel an FU to religion Candy train( I think Xmas...Jesus...birth of a child.. candy cane...Shepherd...father) Also feels a bit creepy....abuse? But who knows....that's what's great about this song...it's a beautiful poem by a great band. The first two interpretations helped me come to mine...thanks.
[Edit: Spell]
@Usefulidiot1999 I think you are right in your second half (biblical). To me it's in the first two lines "Afternoon see a guy with rubies on his head". Yes, thorn of crowns. "And he's shifting like, shifting like he was dead". JC on the cross. "..hearing something she never said..", he's on the cross hallucinating. Second verse is Mary finding out about it. Third verse..I have no friggin idea, however many of his songs are two in one stories, so it cb something different but related.
@Usefulidiot1999 I think you are right in your second half (biblical). To me it's in the first two lines "Afternoon see a guy with rubies on his head". Yes, thorn of crowns. "And he's shifting like, shifting like he was dead". JC on the cross. "..hearing something she never said..", he's on the cross hallucinating. Second verse is Mary finding out about it. Third verse..I have no friggin idea, however many of his songs are two in one stories, so it cb something different but related.