I don't think Hart (or anyone) ever put so much passion and soul into his vocals as on this song. Whatever it's supposed to be about, I think anyone can relate to the main message for any number of situations in life where you just gotta keep hanging on. It could be someone who is sick, depressed, or in any dire situation.
If we really want to know specifically what this meant for Grant who wrote it, I think these lines are key:
The cat walks to the window
And I hear the key turn in the door
No one knows and anything goes
And everything falls on the floor
The apartment starts shaking
And the roof opens up to the sun
The crows flying in parallel lines
Did someone come home and catch him using drugs? He hears them and drops his works on the floor? The roof opening up to the sun, is that about something being revealed? What is the line about crows flying in parallel lines about? For me these don't have to be "about" anything, they are kind of cool & potent as abstract feelings or thoughts.
Someone connected the word "nod" with heroin. I don't know if Hart was yet involved in the drug by this point, anyone? But it would seem they knew or knew of people who were, from earlier tunes like "Pink turns to blue" and the drug showing up in other punk scenes at the time. The lines:
We're sleepy, we begin to nod
And we start to dream of grandiose things
Oh God, oh God, oh God
could be interpreted as ODing and hanging on meaning you just have to keep breathing and make it through the overdose.
But I find the song & lyrics more ambiguous and interesting than that. It could be about or for any situation or people who need to be encouraged to make it through a tough time and keep the will to survive.
This might be my favorite Husker song, easily in the top 5!
I don't think Hart (or anyone) ever put so much passion and soul into his vocals as on this song. Whatever it's supposed to be about, I think anyone can relate to the main message for any number of situations in life where you just gotta keep hanging on. It could be someone who is sick, depressed, or in any dire situation.
If we really want to know specifically what this meant for Grant who wrote it, I think these lines are key:
The cat walks to the window And I hear the key turn in the door No one knows and anything goes And everything falls on the floor The apartment starts shaking And the roof opens up to the sun The crows flying in parallel lines
Did someone come home and catch him using drugs? He hears them and drops his works on the floor? The roof opening up to the sun, is that about something being revealed? What is the line about crows flying in parallel lines about? For me these don't have to be "about" anything, they are kind of cool & potent as abstract feelings or thoughts.
Someone connected the word "nod" with heroin. I don't know if Hart was yet involved in the drug by this point, anyone? But it would seem they knew or knew of people who were, from earlier tunes like "Pink turns to blue" and the drug showing up in other punk scenes at the time. The lines:
We're sleepy, we begin to nod And we start to dream of grandiose things Oh God, oh God, oh God
could be interpreted as ODing and hanging on meaning you just have to keep breathing and make it through the overdose.
But I find the song & lyrics more ambiguous and interesting than that. It could be about or for any situation or people who need to be encouraged to make it through a tough time and keep the will to survive.
This might be my favorite Husker song, easily in the top 5!