I was walking far from home
Where the names were not burned along the wall
Saw a building high as heaven
But the door was so small, door was so small
I saw rain clouds, little babies
And a bridge that had tumbled to the ground
I saw sinners making music
And I dreamt of that sound, dreamt of that sound
I was walking far from home
But I carried your letters all the while
I saw lovers in a window
Whisper "want me like time, want me like time"
I saw sickness bloom in fruit trees
I saw blood and a bit of it was mine
I saw children in a river
But their lips were still dry, lips were still dry
I was walking far from home
And I found your face mingled in the crowd
Saw a boat full of believers
Sail off talking too loud, talking too loud
I saw sunlight on the water
Saw a bird fall like a hammer from the sky
An old woman on the speed train
She was closing her eyes, closing her eyes
I saw flowers on a hillside
And a millionaire pissing on the lawn
Saw a prisoner take a pistol
And say "join me in song, join me song"
Saw a car crash in the country
Where the prayers run like weeds along the road
I saw strangers stealing kisses
Leaving only their clothes, only their clothes
Saw a white dog chase its tail
And a pair of hearts carved into a stone
I saw kindness and an angel
Crying take me back home, take me back home
Saw a highway, saw an ocean
I saw widows in the temple to the Lord
Naked dancers in the city
How they spoke for us all, spoke for us all
I saw loaded linen tables
And a motherless colt then it was gone
I saw hungry brothers waiting
With the radio on, radio on
I was walking far from home
Where the names were not burned along the wall
Saw a wet road form a circle
And it came like a call, came like a call from the Lord
This song has also struck me, I'm still trying to pull it apart and get something out of the lyrics, as of now I only have bits and pieces, it's a beautiful song though, I welcome anyone who has some idea about a meaning for some of these verses. Every time I listen to it something else jumps out at me, not always a meaning necessarily, but it could be a beautiful image or a fascinating thought. Sam Beam faithfully delivers on music that transports, invoking contemplation and daydreaming, two of my favorite pass-times!
I always thought the song was a fairly literal take, poeticized.. It's tempting to turn everything into a "Day The Music Died" allegory, but, to me, it's less fun than a man on a journey, who ultimately finds that the journey leads him home (The wet road that forms a circle that leads him back to where he started, as if the Lord gave him a sign)
ReplyDeleteThe falling bird is a sea bird diving for food.
The millionaire was pissing on his own lawn like every other shmo.
The crying Angel was a gravestone marker, as were the carved hearts.
The two hungry brothers were at a birthday party, complete with pony.
The prayers lining a road were crosses on a dangerous stretch of road, where he comes on another accident.
The strangers stealing kisses (live in only their clothes, I thought) were homeless people who found love, though they had only their clothes.
The prisoner, I don't know. But I wasn't on the journey...Still I think it's like "Stopping by a Snowy Wood" put to music. I love this song.
To me it's a song about a man venturing out into the real world for the first time. He sees all of the good in the bad in it. It's sort of a letter or a prayer he sends to God after he's done with his journey.
ReplyDeleteI was walking far from home where the names were not burned along the wall.
This simply shows how he is leaving his “home” or where he’s always been in his comfort zone out into areas that he does not know.
Saw a building high as heaven
But the door was so small, door was so small
He sees heaven and wants to get there, but as the Bible says the path and the gates to heaven are narrow and difficult.
I saw rainclouds, little babies
And a bridge that had tumbled to the ground
I understand this to mean that the bridge between heaven and earth is crumpling and it’s nearly impossible to reach the other side.
I saw sinners making music
I’ve dreamt of that sound, dreamt of that sound
He sees that the sinner’s “music” or any of their passions or beliefs are something he’s dreamt of. He likes what he hears and wants to be a part of it.
I was walking far from home
But I carried your letters all the while
The letters are referring to the Bible.
I saw lovers in a window
Whisper, “Want me like time, want me like time”
Prostitution is the best I can come up with for this.
I saw sickness, blooming fruit trees
This shows the contrast between sickness and health.
I saw blood and a bit of it was mine
I believe here the blood is referring to the sins and he is saying how he’s gotten involved.
I saw children in a river
But their lips were still dry, lips were still dry
Poverty in third world countries and how they can’t drink from the rivers without getting sick and so they have to thirst.
I was walking far from home
And I found your face mingled in the crowd
He saw a little sign of God somewhere out there.
Saw a boatful of believers sail off
Talking too loud, talking too loud
This could either say how others tried to save him but he didn’t want to hear it. Also, the believers didn’t stay around for long to try to save him, showing that maybe they weren’t true believers themselves which is why he didn’t want to hear them.
I saw sunlight on the water
Saw a bird fall like a hammer from the sky
I think this is a bit of a turning point. He saws sunlight far off in the distance. He sees salvation far off. Also, he is beginning to experience death in nature for the first time.
Saw an old woman on the speed train
She was closing her eyes, closing her eyes
This is either saying how the woman was moving so fast on the speed train but still had time to close her eyes to pray on the train, or how she had lived her life so fast “on the speed train” and was now dying.
I saw flowers on the hillside
And a millionaire pissing on the lawn
This shows how nature makes things beautiful and mankind makes things gruel and disgusting, or how many of us are no better than the animals.
Saw a prisoner take a pistol
And say, “Join me in song, join me in song”
Not quite sure what this one means. Maybe how the prisoner may seem bad but he actually just wants to make the world more peaceful. Possibly saying how it makes no sense how we use war to gain peace.
Saw a car crash in the country
Where the prayers run like weeds along the road
Many people are praying with no meaning only in the hard times. The prayers are worthless likes the weeds on the side of the road.
I saw strangers stealing kisses
Giving only their clothes, only their clothes
There is no love, just sex in the relationship. They have nothing emotional to give, only the physical.
Saw a white dog chase its tail
ReplyDeleteAnd a pair of hearts carved into a stone
The white dog represents purity and cleanliness but it was just going in circles chasing after itself with no regard to the world around him. It had not gone on the journey like he had to discover the truth about the world. The hearts in the stone could perhaps symbolize how there is still real love out there, but I’m not too sure about this line.
I saw kindness and an angel
Crying, “Take me back home, take me back home”
The angel with it’s kindness couldn’t take the harsh, fallen, sinful world. It was too much for him and he wants to go back home to where he is comfortable.
Saw a highway, saw an ocean
I saw widows in the temple to the law
The widows are more concerned of what they can get from their spouses death than the grief that they should have from it. It once again shows how we have nothing emotional to give but we only crave the physical.
Naked dancers in the city How they spoke for us all, spoke for us all
Saw loaded linen tables
And a motherless colt, then it was gone
I’m unsure of these lines.
I saw hungry brothers waiting
With a radio on, radio on
They were trying to win a lottery as their last hope or for some kind of big news that would change their lives.
I was walking far from home
Where the names were not burned along the wall
Saw a wet road form a circle
And it came like a call, came like a call
From the Lord
He realized that he was getting nowhere and only driving in circles. He realized that God wants him to change his ways.