Now and again
It seems worse than it is
But mostly the view is accurate
You see your breath in the air
As you climb up the stairs
To that coffin you call your apartment
And you sink in your chair
Brush the snow from your hair
And drink the cold away
You're not really sure
What you're doing this for
But you need something to fill up the days
A few more hours

There's a dream in my brain
That just won’t go away
It has been stuck there since it came
A few nights ago
I’m standing on a bridge
In the town where I lived
As a kid with my mom and my brothers
And then the bridge disappears
And I’m standing on air
With nothing holding me
And I hang like a star
Fucking glow in the dark
For all those starving eyes to see
Like the ones we’ve wished on

But now I’m confused
Is this death really you?
Do these dreams have any meaning?
No, no, I think it's more like a ghost
That's been following us both
Something vague that we're not seeing
Something more like a feeling



Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Track duration: 03:33


Something Vague song meanings
Add your thoughts

111 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm pretty sure that this piece:
    "And I hang like a star
    Fucking glow in the dark
    For all those starving eyes to see
    Like the ones we've wished on"
    Does have something to do with Cursive's album "Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes".
    It makes sense too, I mean, he has that memory about his youth, and Conor and Tim Kasher were friends in their youth, I think that the Bright Eyes song "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" is about their relationship then as well "Tim, I heard your album and it's better than good".
    Flag Jurriaanon March 23, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:SO AMAZING.

    "Fucking glow in the dark"

    Conor Oberst is a lyrical genius, i think there he's talking about suicide. it makes it more beautiful. At the beginning, the girl he's referring to is obviously very depressed, he is also very confused and consumed with death.
    its magic.
    Flag yellowbird1313on June 30, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i just heard conor play this song last night @ radio city, and holy shit. i was crying. I knew this song before, and i've always found it good, but hearing it live really made a difference. It's such a great song, one of their best. I find it to be about going through your regular routine but the second verse takes us inside his mind. The last and final verse brings it back full circle, and though it doesn't answer any questions it really makes you wonder...

    none of that probably made any sense, so my b if it didn't =D
    Flag hc11bmdon March 10, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I have a demo of this song from 2000, and in the beginning Conor introduces it about his brother Matt, for his 25th birthday. This comprehensive old interview has Conor explicitly stating some of his interpretations of the poem---this time he says it's about Tim.

    joesgrille.com/joebps/custom/interviews/…

    I think it's a poem about some brother/friend-type figure of his feeling lost and alone, anyway. Conor wrote this song for them in sympathy? Also, in the interview he explains the part about the starving eyes.
    Flag manicdepressivestoneron December 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"and then the bridge disappears, and I'm standing on air, with nothing holding me.
    and i hang like a star, fucking glow in the dark, for all those starving eyes to see... like the ones we've wished on"

    Conor Oberst has an incredible voice to exemplify his lyrics. It's more like he's telling you exactly how he's feeling with his voice than simply singing you a song. his music always seemed so much more personal to me, so real. you can hear the desperate honesty in his voice & his lyrics, and it's overwhelming.
    Flag brianacmon November 29, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:And I hang like a star
    Fucking glow in the dark
    For all those starving eyes to see

    does anyone know what he means by these lines? i really do not understand them.
    Flag jwall5352on September 01, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I listened to this song after watching my boyfriend die in a hospital bed.. And it shocked me, how seemingly real the lyrics were to me. Dreams that won't go away, how "accurate" the view is.. Not being sure what you're doing this for every day.
    Love Conor.
    Flag heyneverlandon December 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:And then the bridge disappears
    And I'm standing on air
    With nothing holding me
    And I hang like a star


    I think this part is a suicide refference. its like, your hanging yourself in a closet and you stand on a box to put on the noose and you kick the box away (And then the bridge disappears) and you hang there, )And I'm standing on air With nothing holding me And I hang like a star). Pretty emo stuff, but also very real stuff too, unfortunaltly.

    fabulos song.
    Flag connorsoccer17on November 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Every time I hear the second verse of this, I have the strongest urge to get up and paint the lyrics all over my wall. Incredible.
    Flag paperheartsxxon November 05, 2009   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation:Ok so I really think this song is comparing depression (the first person) to struggling with an eating disorder (the second person).
    Bear with me now, k?

    "Now and again
    It seems worse than it is
    But mostly the view is accurate
    You see your breath in the air
    As you climb up the stairs
    To that coffin you call your apartment"
    I think he's saying that both of them know there is something wrong but they refuse to admit to it, he doesn't want to say he's depressed and she (i know it can be another guy but to make matters easier i'll say She) doesn't want to accept the fact that she's anorexic. They both don't have a path or meaning to their lives, hiding in their apartments all day.


    "And you sink in your chair
    Brush the snow from your hair
    And drink the cold away"
    For the depression he is using drinks and sleep to combat thinking too hard, and if you read Pro-Ana sites they always insist that drinking teas will make you feel better and so will sleep, they take away the dizzyness from not eating. ALSO~ snow and ice are very common themes in writing about anorexia because the lose of body weight makes you prone to be cold more often.

    "You're not really sure
    What you're doing this for
    But you need something to fill up the days
    A few more hours"
    He isn't sure what the meaning of his life is, he's just looking to pass the time til his death (much like the woman in the 2nd stanza in Waste of Paint, how she doesn't mind or get upset over nearing her death).

    "There's a dream in my brain
    That just wont go away
    It has been stuck there since it came
    A few nights ago
    I'm standing on a bridge
    In the town where I lived
    As a kid with my mom and my brothers
    And then the bridge disappears
    And I'm standing on air
    With nothing holding me"
    He had a dream about his childhood when he was still happy, and the bridge disappearing represents his feeling of disconnection with his past and former happiness. He feels like he used to have something supporting him (family and the bridge) but now he's lost his way. It applies to her as well, dealing with her old self who was content with her body image and now feels lost.

    "And I hang like a star
    Fucking glow in the dark
    For all those starving eyes to see
    Like the ones we've wished on"
    They feel like people are judging them and analyzing them just like the people they refuse to accept they've become like (he doesn't want to admit he's depressed, she doesn't want to admit to having an E.D.). The "starving eyes" refers to all other people who are like them, who don't see a future or meaning to their lives. They're metaphorically "Starving" and empty.

    "But now I'm confused
    Is this death really you?"
    They are analyzing themselves and not recognizing what they've become.

    "Do these dreams have any meaning?
    No, no, I think it's more like a ghost
    That's been following us both
    Something vague that we're not seeing
    Something more like a feeling"
    He is questioning the nature of his dream, why it came to him. The "ghost" is what is essentially fueling his depression and her eating disorder, a "vague feeling" that they will never be good enough or that there is no meaning to their lives.
    It's a terrible feeling and this is a beautifully haunting song. My interpretation probably isn't right but that is what I always see when I hear this song.
    It's beautiful<3
    Flag ritaritaritaon July 29, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain