If its even voices?

easily one of my top favorite songs and definitely one of my favorite albums even though it kinda depresses me

I love bright eyes, Conor is one of my favourite artists ever, but io do agree with what was said earlier about how it was dissapointing to see him live...i never have, but from what i've heard, conor gets up and pretends to be really drunk, possibly so that if he screws up, people just think it's the alcohol...but i'd still give anything to see him, just to know for myself ;]

"So don’t leave me here with only mirrors watching me". am i the only one who notices conor can't escape the mirror?

Caffeination, I definately know what you mean.
The clocks, the fever, the spindle, the necklace, the bathtubs, alcohol, drugs, and, although disputed, eating disorders all show up over and over in conor's music. There're so many theories as to what all this means, but I think Conor is the only one who really knows this...
Beautiful song, as I didn't mention earlier. My last comment was whacked... ^_^

adding onto the comments above me, conor is the only one who knows what all this means, he understands and i think he loves getting his message across, telling everyone his darkest secrets (as so he says in an attempt to tip the scales in the interview), and we all arent even exactly sure what he means.
as for arienette, its a beautiful name. and i think that she is the comfort conor wants to have and wants to hold on to. the one thing he wants to be real, the one thing that takes him away from the mirror 9which could be symbolic of his inner knowledge of himself and who he really is and what he does) and this "arienette" could take him away from that and make him feel better. so he doesnt want her to leave.

this is not autobiographical. when you say that 'conor this' or 'conor that' i wonder how you can ever read a book or watch a movie or listen to any song. wilde was full of shit of course, because all the world is autobiographical, and yes you can not create without autobiography, but you can't create without also confidence art and lies. airenette does not exist, but is representative of archetypes stolen from the universe around him, he's a wonderful theif, but his sadness isn't his, his tragedy is not his tragedy and his pain is not his pain. stop it.

of course, i can only love liars, and this is why his music is so good, i'll say.

Ok, firstly before interpreting any song on this album - its important to bear in mind that the entire record is a concept album, focussing on Conor's suffering from clinical depression, plus that he blends his own real life experiences with other people's and fictional stories. Anyway, here's my interpretation...

He begins by explaining the different emotions one goes through with depression and all the different aspects of it. Not just saying "uhh, i'm depressed...woe is me! *cuts wrists*

"The fragile keep secrets, gathered in pockets
And they will sell them for nothing
A cheap watch or locket
That kind of gold washes off"

He explains his fragility and his over-sensitive personality and because of this, his depression causes him to feel unable to talk to people about his problems and so they bottle it up. The locket refers back to 'A spindle...' in which the metaphorical locket holds a secret that isn't told, so it 'chokes your neck'. The 'gold washes off' means that you can only hide behind a front for so long, because people will realise how you've changed in personality due to the depression. Refering to 'Sunrise, Sunset - "when was the last time you looked in a MIRROR cause you've CHANGED."

"The sad at like lepers, they stick to the shadows
And long to ring bells of warning
To tell of their coming
So that the pure can shut their doors"

The sad refers to another symptom of depression. Again, this refers to not explaining your problems "they stick to the shadows" and even arousing self loathing, wanting to completely isolate themselves from those who appear good and pure, this reflects the symptom of feeling guilty and that no-one likes you anymore.

"The angry are animals, senseless and savage
They act without order in logical lapses
They stain their mouths with blood"

He talks about how his anger and frustration cause him to behave completely differently (Sunrise sunset - "Become everything you said you never would be") and the "logical lapses" states that he's fallen and has been degraded (evolution wise, he views himself as less of a human, like an animal) although now it makes sense to him, looking at his destruction in a hopeless manner, again bringing it back to depression symptoms, feeling constantly tired and feeling like a failure. "They stain their mouths with blood" is slightly unclear although it could refer to possibly saying things you don't mean, due to the confussion caused by medication or perhaps doing bad things which you regret later and feel like an animal for doing.

"So take my hand, this barren land is alive tonight
The corn has grown stalks that form a wall that hides"

The barren land appears to be metaphorical for his moods and emotion and its alive tonight with all the elements of depression (the lepars, the animals) and he's praying for redeption from it. The corn gives the impression of perhaps a farm house in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by animals and the stalks reflect something that he hides behind, in fear.

"The wind carries sounds that I can’t see from beyond that line. Then the stalks begin to sway"

The goings on in his life and around him are unclear for him (the interview - "a lot of things are really unclear for me right now") A symptom of depression is confussion and the inability to make decisions. "Then the stalks begin to sway" The stalks which he hides behind begin to sway with the wind, carrying all his secrets and demons and exposing him.

"Oh stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away"

The wolves are obvious a metaphor for his fever adn resemble the different aspects of depression ("stick to the shadows"..."animals, senseless and savage")
And until he escapes and recovers from his depression he desperatly needs some form of redemption to comfort him, his 'Arienette' presumable a woman, judging by the interview but it someone who he's yet to meet, and lives for someone who may not exist, but the hope allows him to salvage some strength. (In the inteview "she's about as real as you or i" he means that both him and the interviewer could potentially be somebody's true love and bring redemption to another unfortuante individual) and this can refer to "June on the west coast (NOT on fevers and mirrors) in which, when he plays it live, he sings "I thought about my true love, the one i've never seen, with eyes that burn so bright they make me pure...i long to be with you."
Arienette is her current name until he finds her.

Right, i need to pop out - I'll interpret the rest later

There is such a thing as logical anger. But still a brilliant song.

When he says "Don't leave me here, with only mirrors, watching me".
I think he is trying to say, he doesn't want to face himself. He is hiding.

I believe this song is about meth use. It's no secret that Conor Oberst is the biggest methhead of the genre, so it makes sense. The "fragile" are those who have just started using. They steal from people to support their habit. They steal things and sell them for nothing. That kind of gold washes off. These people sell fake stolen items to gather up drug money. The sad is when the person realizes what their life is and try to stay out of sight and out of harm's way. They are paranoid of everything so they hide in the shadows. They hate themselves and wish they could warn people when they come by so that the people don't have to look at them. Then they start needing the drug to function and when they can't score, they become the savage, angry animals. They are willing to commit serious crimes for the drug. And many of them do. The wicked are those who have no hope left. Those who no longer eat, those who cook the stuff up. They bake in the canyons. They look around and search for victims (people to sell meth to) They collapse from lack of the drug and call to them. The desperate ones are those who have totally lost everything. Homeless. They can't afford drugs anymore and they need it more then ever. They will run down forever (run downhill in search for the drug) They always end up together in a disgusting street alleyway somewhere. During the choruses, it's not so much informational but more emotional. This is where they express their horror and misery. The barren land comes alive at night and becomes dangerous. But the massive stalks of corn fence them in. The wind carrys over sounds of a better world from behind the corn stalks but they can't get to them. The stalks begin to sway as a wolf (or something dangerous) shuffles through. "Don't leave me here with only mirrors watching me". Don't leave me alone. The house holds bad memories that are all he sees whe he looks around. The moon bleeds silver at night but it starts to bleed gray as the sun grows up. And he has to wake up and live it all over again.

you know; i'm not so sure that Arienette is a protector or a source of strength for Conor.

In the song Jetsabel Removes the Undesirables, Conor says:
"my Arienette, oh, how soon you'll forget,
this house will never be your home.
and you will leave in the fall when the trees become graves
and their color lies dead in the grass."

meaning that although she's with him right then, he knows she'll leave.

the fact that she will one day leave could be something he's known all along, from somewhere towards the beginning of their relationship, and in this song, he's just going through something really rough [maybe something in his life has gone horribly wrong, or he's just emotionally messed up], and he's begging her to stay "until the wolves are away", or, until everything in his life is a little more stable; a little more...normal, because he doesn't think that he can stand her leaving him while he's in such a fragile condition.

Someone said Arienette is Conor's true love. But he makes references to other women too. I believe these are the people you date before you meet your Arienette.

Julie (Lua) is the one who drags you down.
Laura (Laura Laurent, Land Locked Blues) is very dependent.
Amy (Amy In The White Coat, possibly in The Calendar Hung Itself) I think that the abuse is a metaphor. Amy is someone who lacks confidence. She's quiet and kind of lifeless.

ive thought about who arienette is for a very long time. and i beleive that arienette is "god". listen to the interview after An Attempt to Tip the Scales.
Interviewer: It is, it is. Uh, how ‘bout this Arienette?
How does she fit into all of this?

Conor: I prefer not to talk about it, in case she’s listening.

Interviewer: Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize she’s a real person.

Conor: She’s not. I made her up.

Interviewer: Oh, so she’s not real.

Conor: Just as real as you or I.

Interviewer: I don’t think I understand.

Conor: Neither do I, but after I grow up—I will,
I mean—a lot—a lot of things are really unclear for me right now.

Interviewer: That’s interesting

.Arienette="God". it makes sense to me. maybe im dumb tho.

also, when conor says "where are you arienette?" in Sunrise Sunset. that makes me beleive that arienette is "God"

Okay, so I read every single review/interpretation of this song on here. Most of them seemed pretty spot on, except for the meth interpretation, which just made me laugh. Years ago, after first hearing Arienette (And refusing to listen to any other song than this for nearly a month) I acknowledge that this song has truly moved me. I agree a lot with Tom 999.

In the song, Conor simply sees the things he finds repulsive within others (he may very likely be projecting his own famed self-loathing onto others, as he tends to incorporate all aspects of his life in his work).
He feels trapped by these "weakening" emotions...Arienette is likely fictional...an attempt at a probable savior for him.



And about the other womens names famed in Conor's songs, I don't know about Amy or Lua, but I know for certain that Laura Laurent is real, as I have met her. She has quite a distaste for Conor(that was my impression), being his ex.

1 Reply

And the moon, it bleeds silver, but never sleeps
And then the silver turns to gray
So stay with me, Arienette, until the wolves are away

I remember I was with this guy, and I said how much I liked the moon, he sang this to me. We are both huge bright eyes fans, it was adorable. I love him so much.

The interview may not have been a haha joke but it was certainly mocking the album and it wasn't in the least bit serious.
It wasn't even actually Conor, it was Todd Fink of The Faint.
That is if you trust Saddle Creek which you know, is his label.

Where am I? Hey, I'm just here!!! =D
Oh my!! That's actually my real name!! Arienette! AMAZING. Oh my... I really can't believe this stuff.. =D Nice one! (My name is actually combination of my parents' names: ARIE(l) + (to)NETTE = ARIENETTE. nice nice nice! =)

Bright Eyed Girl is totally on the same page as i. Arienette could be his motivation for doing what he does, or being who he is. Of course, she probably doesn't exist in real life, meaning Conor doesn't have some girl overseas in Japan named Arienette that he can't see. It's a name given to a fictional "character" to represent/symbolize longing, despair, hope, and every other emotion/mood he creates with her.

Adding another human to the picture can completely change the mood. It's determined by how the subject in the song is made to feel towards him/her. In this song, he wishes Arienette to "stay with [him]...until the wolves are away", which makes the listener feel as though the subject needs Arienette there, or at least would like her company very much.


So...yep.

haha
:)

at the end u wrote 'And the moon, it bleeds silver, but never sleeps' isnt it sleep not sleeps i cant hear sleeps i just hear sleep :(

My favorite line is "So don't leave me here with only mirrors watching me"

He sounds so afraid to face himself. It's beautiful.

I agree with a lot of things that are being said, but there are some things which I don't really see being mentioned. The fact that her name is 'Arienette' seems like it could be alluding to the word 'marionette' as in a puppetteer. That alone would reference Arienette as a puppet/doll, who is real and yet at the same time not real. It could be his ideal girl, but I think it's really just either a)any girl (and maybe a girl he doesn't even necessarily love, but through desperation, needs so he doesn't have to be alone) or b) any girl who can truly understand him (which is very hard to find, especially for geniuses and musicians alike--connor is both. In either case, I really agree with what a lot of you said about him describing different types of people, and about some of the animals, etc. being parts of himself. That's why I think whoever Arienette is, he needs her to save him from himself. No matter what it means, though, I think we can all agree it is a very moving song.

Gad... My friend and I kept rewinding the part where he's all 'YEP!' and asking it ridiculous questions

"Are you secretly a woman?"

"-YEP!"

"Do you own a fax machine?"

"-YEP!"

Goodtimes...

What i find interesting is that he says "Or are you Arienette?" at the end of the song 'Sunrise, Sunset'. When he says that, I wonder what the whole concept of that song is? It gives a deeper meaning to Arienette. While he says she's just as real as you or me, sometimes I wonder if she is actually even a person. I don't think she is. 'Sunrise, Sunset' was inspired by the play 'The Fiddler On the Roof' (which has a song also called 'Sunrise, Sunset' in it.)

Since both the play's 'Sunrise, Sunset' and Conor's 'Sunrise, Sunset' have to do with time passing us by and meeting our fate with out even realizing it (which is bleakly seen as only old age and death)...

Does that make Time the real Arienette? Or maybe Fate? If you take it from that point of view Conor has had Arienette his whole life.

But in the end I really think Arienette is what ever you want her to be.. After all Arienette is extremely marionette, and puppets are made to resemble what ever, or who ever you want them to.

Beautiful idea Conor, even more beautiful song