In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
This old man I've talked about
Broke his own heart, poured it in the ground
Big red tree grew up and out
Throw up its leaves, spins round and round
I know all this and more
So take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This little squirrel I used to be
Slammed her bike down the stairs
They put silver where her teeth had been
Baby silvertooth, she grins and grins
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This old man I used to be
Spins around, around, around a tree
Silver baby, come to me
I'll only hurt you in my dreams
I know all this and
I know all this and
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Broke his own heart, poured it in the ground
Big red tree grew up and out
Throw up its leaves, spins round and round
I know all this and more
So take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This little squirrel I used to be
Slammed her bike down the stairs
They put silver where her teeth had been
Baby silvertooth, she grins and grins
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
This old man I used to be
Spins around, around, around a tree
Silver baby, come to me
I'll only hurt you in my dreams
I know all this and
I know all this and
I know all this and more
So take your hat off, boy, when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Take your hat off when you're talking to me
And be there when I feed the tree
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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Great version of a great song,
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
No one deals with the "silver baby come to me (if it is the narrator, she would be talking to herself), I'll only hurt you in my dreams.". Death hurts, jack. If you've not seen it up close and personal, your time is coming. I like the singer's voice and the music, but there is something evil about that line. I thought it is about a child molester...."old man", "broken heart" (badly functioning conscience?), wants to hurt a child in his dreams? There is more to the real meaning than the performer is letting on.
Further, the old man is not the little girl."This old man I've talked about.....". Later it says "old man I used to be....". It is inconsistent without some over-arching theme, such as there was an old man, you were like him and now are not. The old man is calling the little girl and says "I'll only hurt you in MY dreams", not "your dreams". So it is NOT about a kid being afraid of death. Clearly the old man is saying he thinks about hurting her in his dreams.
In general, I find that song lyrics often do not fit what the authors claim they mean. Often, they attribute some amazing meaning behind pathetically weak lyrics. There is something dark about this song, she may not feel comfortable relating.
@kenfo00 For what it's worth, I think that yours is an excellent and provocative analysis.
@kenfo00 One more reply, after re-reading your comment...<br /> <br /> I feel the darkness, too. It is an integral part of the attraction of the overall artistic package. The dark element can also be found in the contemporaneous songs of Cobain ("Polly", among others) and STP's "Plush".<br /> <br /> Seems like the dark, evocative and ambiguous narratives were much more common in that era.
@kenfo00 The "Silver Baby" is a dream-like reference to the "Little girl she used to be", and represents some unresolved self-destructive memories. At this point, the dream is breaking up; the girl "spins around the tree".<br /> <br /> I think each "character" in this song is an expression of some part of the narrator's life. Gender switching makes it interesting. Maybe the "narrator" in their old age felt more like an old man. (Or maybe "man" just fit better lyrically.)<br /> <br /> Alternately, each character is a separate person buried beneath the tree, and their souls and stories begin to blend together.
@kenfo00 Here is another thought. Both the old man and Silver Baby are self destructive and then their paths cross and it results in more destruction. Could she have been molested as a child?