In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
He was born and raised in privilege
Took everything it gave
Had financial help from his father
From the cradle to the grave
And this enabled him to believe in the things
He did try hard, God forbid he should give in to pointless wandering
But he would wander from time to time
Seeking guidance from the Holy he tried to find the truth
Among the radical revolutionaries
Who canonized his youth
And gathering strength from the feeling that
To believe could undoubtable change the world
Turned his back on education
And listened to the word
So with little or no formal education
He taught himself to work
Would often steal the pain it took
To rise up from the dirt
And out of desperation would
Disturb the millionaires
Whose patronage had helped the power
Rise up from thin air,
Then he sunk back into despair
Take me out in another world
Keep me warm and dry
Where other men are worrying
And other men must die
And when the lies are spoken
Give endurance to the weak
And when the heart of a man is broken
Give the power to believe
Took everything it gave
Had financial help from his father
From the cradle to the grave
And this enabled him to believe in the things
He did try hard, God forbid he should give in to pointless wandering
But he would wander from time to time
Seeking guidance from the Holy he tried to find the truth
Among the radical revolutionaries
Who canonized his youth
And gathering strength from the feeling that
To believe could undoubtable change the world
Turned his back on education
And listened to the word
So with little or no formal education
He taught himself to work
Would often steal the pain it took
To rise up from the dirt
And out of desperation would
Disturb the millionaires
Whose patronage had helped the power
Rise up from thin air,
Then he sunk back into despair
Take me out in another world
Keep me warm and dry
Where other men are worrying
And other men must die
And when the lies are spoken
Give endurance to the weak
And when the heart of a man is broken
Give the power to believe
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This song is so amazing, went so well with the movie Plains,Trains and Automobiles starring John Candy and Steve Martin, r.i.p John Candy and the director John Hughes, me and my parents watch this movie the night before every thanksgiving, it's a tradition, and i just can't stop listening to this song!
Most of it is pretty straightforward. It's about a man who is born in a wealthy/powerful family. He never has to worry about menial or basic things, like food or comfort. Everything is handed to him on a silver plate.
But it sounds like he grows tired of the easy life and becomes curious how the other half lives. He wants to change the world. So he goes out into the world to work with little or no experience. However, he quickly grows tired of hard work and comes crawling back to his father.
There seems to be a lot of references to religion or possibly Christianity ("Seeking guidance from the Holy," "Listened to the word," and "radical revolutionaries" such as Martin Luther King Jr. and others I suppose). However the song does not seem to focus on any kind of spiritual connection; only references. I think it's meant to symbolize man's search for truth and meaning in life.