Broken Arrow Lyrics
And when it was over it felt like a dream,
They stood at the stage door and begged for a scream,
The agents had paid for the black limousine
That waited outside in the rain.
Did you see them, did you see them?
Did you see them in the river?
They were there to wave to you.
Could you tell that the empty quivered,
Brown skinned Indian on the banks
That were crowded and narrow,
Held a broken arrow?
Eighteen years of American dream,
He saw that his brother had sworn on the wall.
He hung up his eyelids and ran down the hall,
His mother had told him a trip was a fall,
And don't mention babies at all.
Did you see him, did you see him?
Did you see him in the river?
He were there to wave to you.
Could you tell that the empty quivered,
Brown skinned Indian on the banks
That were crowded and narrow,
Held a broken arrow?
The streets were lined for the wedding parade,
The Queen wore the white gloves, the county of song,
The black covered caisson her horses had drawn
Protected her King from the sun rays of dawn.
They married for peace and were gone.
Did you see them, did you see them?
Did you see them in the river?
They were there to wave to you.
Could you tell that the empty quivered,
Brown skinned Indian on the banks
That were crowded and narrow,
Held a broken arrow?
At least part of the song is actually about the Kennedy assasination. With the first verse being Neil's perspective on being a rock star, the key to the rest of the song is the line from the second verse "Eighteen years of american dream" . This line is the only concrete line in a song full of imagery and allegory. If is to be taken seriously (there is no reason to think otherwise) then the obvious 18 years would be the ones immediately after WW2, where the USA took on its role of dominant power of the democratic world: 1945-1963. I don't really understand the rest of that verse, but it does end with the line "Did you see HIM?" not "them" as in the 1st and 3rd verses. The third verse is ostensibly about a wedding. But caissons are used in funeral processions not wedding processions. So if you transpose funeral for wedding and black for white then the rest sort of follows. Coincidentally, sufferers of Addison's Disease of which Kennedy was one, tend to have darkened (brown) skin due to a hormone disorder.
Do none of you like Buffalo Springfield. You all post stuf on For What It's Worth, but this song is so much better. In the time of the indians, a broken arrow signified war. Neil Young is the best rocker ever and made this band what it was.
Quite possibly the most beautiful song I have ever heard, truly a classic, seemingly forgotten in a haze of pop hits. Neil Young on his own is amazing, but as Buffalo Springfield, the music is just...impossible to describe. You need to hear them to understand what I mean, only then could you see what i am talking about.
A broken arrow signified peace, not war.
Not saying the song is about that, just thought that this is an interesting fact At the time, Vietnam was a big deal, and Neil Young did a lot with respect to protest music in the era. (Chicago, Ohio, Don't let it bring you down, etc)
That's it!?!?! I know that this is an amazing song, but I've always wondered what it means. When you do an internet search, you generally get the following: BROKEN ARROW - The accidental or unauthorized detonation, or possible detonation of a nuclear weapon (other than war risk); Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon; Radioactive contamination Seizure, theft, or loss of a nuclear weapon or component (including jettisoning); Public hazard, actual or implied.
It also appears that the first "Broken Arrow" occured in 1950, about 18 years before this song was released. It seems to me that the song relates to possible negative impact on the environment from this type of disaster (and would be very consistent with Neil Young songs, as suggested by Pleo).
This if from Wikipedia: ""Broken Arrow" was confessional folk rock. It consists of three verses interspersed with snippets of sound from carnival music featuring organ, drum and clarinet. The song begins with applause and the opening of "Mr. Soul" (which opens the album) recorded live in the studio, and ends with the sound of a beating heart.
Each of the three verses uses surreal imagery to deal with emotions (emptiness of fame, teenage angst, hopelessness), and contains self-references to Buffalo Springfield and Young. They all end with the same lines:
Did you see them, did you see them? Did you see them in the river? They were there to wave to you. Could you tell that the empty quiver, Brown skinned Indian on the banks That were crowded and narrow, Held a broken arrow? The Blackfoot Indians would use a broken arrow to signal that they would cease fighting." (Glassmoon was correct here).
btw, I don't think that the correct lyrics are empty "quiver" and not "quivered". A quiver is a container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those shot from a bow, crossbow or blowgun. The picture of an indian on the side of the bank holding a broken arrow (i.e. cease fighting) would be consistent with his quiver being empty of arrows.
I still can't piece together the rest of the song though - particularly the first 5 lines of each of the 3 verses - can anyone help with this?
Interestingly enough the term Broken arrow was used in Vietnam as well.
It was used to signify when American lines had been overrun, and was a term that called in all available air support to the area as soon as possible in a last ditch effort to restore the lines and hopefully save some American troops lives.
That's it!?!?! I know that this is an amazing song, but I've always wondered what it means. When you do an internet search, you generally get the following: BROKEN ARROW - The accidental or unauthorized detonation, or possible detonation of a nuclear weapon (other than war risk); Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon; Radioactive contamination Seizure, theft, or loss of a nuclear weapon or component (including jettisoning); Public hazard, actual or implied.
It also appears that the first "Broken Arrow" occured in 1950, about 18 years before this song was released. It seems to me that the song relates to possible negative impact on the environment from this type of disaster (and would be very consistent with Neil Young songs, as suggested by Pleo).
This if from Wikipedia: ""Broken Arrow" was confessional folk rock. It consists of three verses interspersed with snippets of sound from carnival music featuring organ, drum and clarinet. The song begins with applause and the opening of "Mr. Soul" (which opens the album) recorded live in the studio, and ends with the sound of a beating heart.
Each of the three verses uses surreal imagery to deal with emotions (emptiness of fame, teenage angst, hopelessness), and contains self-references to Buffalo Springfield and Young. They all end with the same lines:
Did you see them, did you see them? Did you see them in the river? They were there to wave to you. Could you tell that the empty quiver, Brown skinned Indian on the banks That were crowded and narrow, Held a broken arrow? The Blackfoot Indians would use a broken arrow to signal that they would cease fighting." (Glassmoon was correct here).
btw, I don't think that the correct lyrics are empty "quiver" and not "quivered". A quiver is a container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those shot from a bow, crossbow or blowgun. The picture of an indian on the side of the bank holding a broken arrow (i.e. cease fighting) would be consistent with his quiver being empty of arrows.
I still can't piece together the rest of the song though - particularly the first 5 lines of each of the 3 verses - can anyone help with this?
here is my take on it: the song is about white man versus native indians and the success one group has had over the other in modern society. We need to remember to be grateful fo the natives who shared their land. basically the whole song tries to convey that our modern life as we know it is because the indians allowed us to have it. each verse is about some aspect of white man's modern life (and the silliness of it?).
here is my take on it: the song is about white man versus native indians and the success one group has had over the other in modern society. We need to remember to be grateful fo the natives who shared their land. basically the whole song tries to convey that our modern life as we know it is because the indians allowed us to have it. each verse is about some aspect of white man's modern life (and the silliness of it?).
verse one: is about the band playing to a crowd. does the band remember the debt they owe...
verse one: is about the band playing to a crowd. does the band remember the debt they owe to indians for their ultimate success? verse 2: 18 years of american dream is simply a typical american teenager. 'swore on the wall' is seeing his brother's graffiti on the bathroom wall at school. again - do we remember to thank the indians for our 'american dream'? verse 3: the queen and her husband (with elaborate sunshades at dawn - the sun is not even very strong then). the royal marriages were often for the sake of ending wars, nothing more: "married for peace and were gone".
hope this helps
i think this is about the vietnam war like ericdawingnut said broken arrow was used in vietnam "18 years of american dream" he was drafted at 18 "did you see them in the river they were there to wave to you" then in the next verse it is "did you see him in the river..." a group of americans were crossing a river and were mowed down by vietnamese soldiers and were waving for help to other americans they married for peace and were gone north vietnam and south vietnam were joined and the americans left
however none of this makes much sense in context with the rest of the song
18 years of american dream - i'd guess this is the period between the end of ww2 and jfk's assassination, which prefigures the beautifully written last verse - his funeral.
The indian appearing at the end of each verse is yr typical neil image - symbolising a lost state, abandoned hope, dead dream...etc.