This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Well you're my friend
(It's what you told me)
And can you see
(What's inside of me?)
Many times
We've been out drinking
And many times
We've shared our thoughts
But did you ever, ever notice
The kind of thoughts I got?
Well you know I have a love
A love for everyone I know
And you know I have a drive
To live I won't let go
But could you see it's opposition
Comes a-rising up sometimes
That it's dreadful and position
Comes blacking in my mind
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you (and that I see a darkness)
Is a hope that somehow you (and that I see a darkness)
Can save me from this darkness?
Well I hope that someday, buddy
We have peace in our lives
Together or apart
Alone or with our wives
That we can stop our whoring
And pull the smiles inside
And light it up forever
And never go to sleep
My best unbeaten brother
This isn't all I see
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you (and that I see a darkness)
Is a hope that somehow you, you (and that I see a darkness)
Can save me from this darkness?
(It's what you told me)
And can you see
(What's inside of me?)
Many times
We've been out drinking
And many times
We've shared our thoughts
But did you ever, ever notice
The kind of thoughts I got?
Well you know I have a love
A love for everyone I know
And you know I have a drive
To live I won't let go
But could you see it's opposition
Comes a-rising up sometimes
That it's dreadful and position
Comes blacking in my mind
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And that I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you (and that I see a darkness)
Is a hope that somehow you (and that I see a darkness)
Can save me from this darkness?
Well I hope that someday, buddy
We have peace in our lives
Together or apart
Alone or with our wives
That we can stop our whoring
And pull the smiles inside
And light it up forever
And never go to sleep
My best unbeaten brother
This isn't all I see
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you (and that I see a darkness)
Is a hope that somehow you, you (and that I see a darkness)
Can save me from this darkness?
Lyrics submitted by cardamom, edited by sarenarterius
I See a Darkness Lyrics as written by Will Oldham
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Sentric Music
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Ahhh, I've just heard this song for the first time. A song has not hit me this hard on first listen since Bowie's "Heroes" or VU's "Heroine". And I personally relate to this one so much more than those two, by a long shot (I can't really relate to the lyrics in 'Heroes' or 'Heroine', only on some metaphorical level).
Anyway, I know exactly what Oldham/BPB means with every word on this song, and each deep piano note that accompanies every phrase in this song echoes deep within my soul.
He's talking about depression and suicide, yes, but he's also talking about the power of friendship. When you're truly thinking about where you're life's headed or if it's headed anywhere, the only thing that can save you are your friends. If they abandon you, the darkness looms.
Envisioning the rest of your life, you either see a happy old man (either by himself, or with a wife, with his old friends or some new ones) who's found his inner smiles to light up forever, or you see a darkness, nothing.
When this fork in the road shows itself, the only thing that can lead you to life is companionship and love, both from your friends and from above.
This song is about the highs that always come before and after the lows. It starts with having a love for everyone you know, then into the darkness, then it often results in effusive affection for the ones you care most about. Did you know how much I love you, my best unbeaten brother?
This song is about how sometimes, we don't notice our friends spiraling into a place they don't want to be. We can go out and share a drink with them a bunch, but sometimes we still don't notice the kind of thoughts they got, and what they all might mean.
This song is about how once they've found that place, only your friendships can decide your fate. Again, on the one hand, you have peace of mind. On the other, darkness.
This song is about so much, I can't even put it into words properly, no matter how many I use. The most profound song I've ever heard. No report on the human brain could explain depression or suicidal thoughts like this.
@ka_rosko What's Heroine?