Absolutely beautiful. Even more beautiful is Colin singing it live - slower, more tender and passionate. The lyrics are simple but beautiful nonetheless - reminds me of Iron & Wine's effortless and simple poetic prose, although his songs are often layered with meaning. Devil's Elbow, to me, can be read and understood at face value. The title of the song is a scenic point along Oregon's coast. The line: "We are conjuring the surf and waves" - Defined, conjuring is the calling upon a devil or spirit by spell, but in this case, the waves - as if the characters in this song are summoning the waves themselves. I think this ties into the title of the song - Devil's Elbow - obviously a scenic viewpoint, but the line illustrates a double meaning.
Matthew led the group. They are exploring this place. He makes simple observations - an old man mowing his lawn, his bare feet a nuisance as he treks the trail. They find the entrance to a cave and enter it. I think the line is supposed to be: "We crouched AND capered through" - which would make more sense - crouched to get into the cave and scamper through it until they reach the end ("and at the end there was a hole through which we looked, to such heights, it was some dream") - they emerge high up, overlooking the coast, taking it all in and it is breathtaking, like a dream.
Whoever says music isn't good anymore, this song is just one example of all the reasons they are wrong. Love love love this song and Tarkio.
Absolutely beautiful. Even more beautiful is Colin singing it live - slower, more tender and passionate. The lyrics are simple but beautiful nonetheless - reminds me of Iron & Wine's effortless and simple poetic prose, although his songs are often layered with meaning. Devil's Elbow, to me, can be read and understood at face value. The title of the song is a scenic point along Oregon's coast. The line: "We are conjuring the surf and waves" - Defined, conjuring is the calling upon a devil or spirit by spell, but in this case, the waves - as if the characters in this song are summoning the waves themselves. I think this ties into the title of the song - Devil's Elbow - obviously a scenic viewpoint, but the line illustrates a double meaning.
Matthew led the group. They are exploring this place. He makes simple observations - an old man mowing his lawn, his bare feet a nuisance as he treks the trail. They find the entrance to a cave and enter it. I think the line is supposed to be: "We crouched AND capered through" - which would make more sense - crouched to get into the cave and scamper through it until they reach the end ("and at the end there was a hole through which we looked, to such heights, it was some dream") - they emerge high up, overlooking the coast, taking it all in and it is breathtaking, like a dream.
Whoever says music isn't good anymore, this song is just one example of all the reasons they are wrong. Love love love this song and Tarkio.