"See These Bones" was inspired by a visit Nada Surf lead singer Matthew Caws made in the mid 2000s to the Crypt of the Capuchin Monks in Rome, who created a macabre but stirring environmental sculpture from the bones of their departed brethren.
Caws said:, "It's a chilling place. Seeing all those old bones up close really drives home that this is it - and you better make the most of your life. Ultimately, it's uplifting. I left there in a bizarrely good mood."
There's a plaque in the chapel that contains lyrics from the song:
A plaque in one of the chapels reads, in sixteen languages, "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be."
I still hold that this song is about gambling, but was probably inspired by the artists' visit to this place.
From website "Songfacts",
"See These Bones" was inspired by a visit Nada Surf lead singer Matthew Caws made in the mid 2000s to the Crypt of the Capuchin Monks in Rome, who created a macabre but stirring environmental sculpture from the bones of their departed brethren.
Caws said:, "It's a chilling place. Seeing all those old bones up close really drives home that this is it - and you better make the most of your life. Ultimately, it's uplifting. I left there in a bizarrely good mood."
Here's a wikipedia article about this place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_della_Concezione_dei_Cappuccini
There's a plaque in the chapel that contains lyrics from the song: A plaque in one of the chapels reads, in sixteen languages, "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be."
I still hold that this song is about gambling, but was probably inspired by the artists' visit to this place.