No one knows where the ladder goes
You’re gonna lose what you love the most
You’re not alone in anything
You’re not unique in dying
I feel estranged every now and then
Fall asleep reading science fiction
I want to fly in your silver ship
Let Jesus hang and Buddha sit
It’s on now
The days are long now
The ups and the sundowns
And a twisting mind
If I got to go first
I’ll do it on my terms
I’m tired of traitors
Always changing sides
They were friends of mine
Don’t hang around once the promise breaks
Or you’ll be there when the next one’s made
Kiss the feet of a charlatan
Some imagined freedom
All the rest is predictable
You can say you’re the first to know
Bought a mantra to concentrate
Car alarm or hissing snake
I know now
How its gonna turn out
You’ve got to calm down
Or I’ll lose my place
Got to get to the center
Got to get to the concert
Run off with a dancer
Gonna celebrate
We’ll welcome the New Age
Covered in warrior paint
Lights from the jungle to the sky
See now a star is born
Looks just like a blood orange
Don’t it just make you want to cry?
Precious friend of mine
Will I know when it’s finally done?
This whole life is a hallucination
You’re not alone in anything
You’re not alone in trying to be
Maelglon, I really like your interpretation, and when I first heard the song I also saw the references to death and religion. The opening lines tell me that this song is written to someone, and I was curious to know who the "you" in the song was referring to. Well, today I read this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118061297486514.html?mod=rss_Arts_and_Entertainment Which says that the "Omaha community lost an old friend to suicide. Stricken, he [Conor] wrote "The Ladder Song" in two days.
Maelglon, I really like your interpretation, and when I first heard the song I also saw the references to death and religion. The opening lines tell me that this song is written to someone, and I was curious to know who the "you" in the song was referring to. Well, today I read this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118061297486514.html?mod=rss_Arts_and_Entertainment Which says that the "Omaha community lost an old friend to suicide. Stricken, he [Conor] wrote "The Ladder Song" in two days.
So, Maelglon, you were spot on...
So, Maelglon, you were spot on when you saw the suicide reference in the first chorus. I think the person Conor is speaking to in the song is the friend who committed suicide, who he calls "precious friend of mine" at the end of the song. He is also offering his own ideas about suicide and religion, as was previously mentioned in the lines "Fall asleep reading science fiction; I wanna fly in your silver ship,; Let Jesus hand and Buddha sit"
"If I gotta go first
I'll do it on my terms
I'm tired of traitors
Always changing sides
They were friends of mine"
This could be Conor talking about his own death when he says if he has to go he'll do it on his own terms. I wonder if the "traitors" "changing sides" are references to friends of his who have committed suicide? I'm not sure.
"Don't hang around once the promise breaks
Or you'll be there when the next one's made"
^Here he could be referencing the false promises of religion
I love the line "Will I know when it's finally done? This whole life is a hallucination"
He is expressing is view of death: when we die are we aware it is over? His whole life being a "hallucination" could be a drug reference, or maybe he just means it has gone by so fast that and he doesn't know when the end will come.
I absolutely love this song, its complex lyrics and single keyboard sound brings me back to the roots of Bright Eyes. I'd love to hear more interpretations of this song, there is a lot of stuff that I don't understand
No one knows where the ladder goes You’re gonna lose what you love the most You’re not alone in anything You’re not unique in dying
I feel estranged every now and then Fall asleep reading science fiction I want to fly in your silver ship Let Jesus hang and Buddha sit
It’s on now The days are long now The ups and the sundowns And a twisting mind
If I got to go first I’ll do it on my terms I’m tired of traitors Always changing sides They were friends of mine
Don’t hang around once the promise breaks Or you’ll be there when the next one’s made Kiss the feet of a charlatan Some imagined freedom
All the rest is predictable You can say you’re the first to know Bought a mantra to concentrate Car alarm or hissing snake
I know now How its gonna turn out You’ve got to calm down Or I’ll lose my place
Got to get to the center Got to get to the concert Run off with a dancer Gonna celebrate
We’ll welcome the New Age Covered in warrior paint Lights from the jungle to the sky See now a star is born Looks just like a blood orange Don’t it just make you want to cry? Precious friend of mine
Will I know when it’s finally done? This whole life is a hallucination You’re not alone in anything You’re not alone in trying to be
Maelglon, I really like your interpretation, and when I first heard the song I also saw the references to death and religion. The opening lines tell me that this song is written to someone, and I was curious to know who the "you" in the song was referring to. Well, today I read this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118061297486514.html?mod=rss_Arts_and_Entertainment Which says that the "Omaha community lost an old friend to suicide. Stricken, he [Conor] wrote "The Ladder Song" in two days.
Maelglon, I really like your interpretation, and when I first heard the song I also saw the references to death and religion. The opening lines tell me that this song is written to someone, and I was curious to know who the "you" in the song was referring to. Well, today I read this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703445904576118061297486514.html?mod=rss_Arts_and_Entertainment Which says that the "Omaha community lost an old friend to suicide. Stricken, he [Conor] wrote "The Ladder Song" in two days.
So, Maelglon, you were spot on...
So, Maelglon, you were spot on when you saw the suicide reference in the first chorus. I think the person Conor is speaking to in the song is the friend who committed suicide, who he calls "precious friend of mine" at the end of the song. He is also offering his own ideas about suicide and religion, as was previously mentioned in the lines "Fall asleep reading science fiction; I wanna fly in your silver ship,; Let Jesus hand and Buddha sit"
"If I gotta go first I'll do it on my terms I'm tired of traitors Always changing sides They were friends of mine"
This could be Conor talking about his own death when he says if he has to go he'll do it on his own terms. I wonder if the "traitors" "changing sides" are references to friends of his who have committed suicide? I'm not sure.
"Don't hang around once the promise breaks Or you'll be there when the next one's made" ^Here he could be referencing the false promises of religion
I love the line "Will I know when it's finally done? This whole life is a hallucination" He is expressing is view of death: when we die are we aware it is over? His whole life being a "hallucination" could be a drug reference, or maybe he just means it has gone by so fast that and he doesn't know when the end will come.
I absolutely love this song, its complex lyrics and single keyboard sound brings me back to the roots of Bright Eyes. I'd love to hear more interpretations of this song, there is a lot of stuff that I don't understand