Lyrics for Devil in the Details as interpreted by apocalypse84

Devil in the Details Lyrics
A house of cards
The supple heart
Is not a place to dwell
Now you have your cake
Don't hesitate
Come on and just do it
Come on, just do it
Put it in your mouth
There is only now
Tomorrow has to wait
But know there's no backing out
This is gonna be reality
You can never dream it down

I have no way of telling the two apart

Well, I made amends
In the general sense
But the devil's in the details
And I know the cost
And I wanna stop
But I can't do it
I just can't do it
There was love I meant
There were accidents
So tell me which is which
Because I just can't work it out
But for memory and clarity
We had better write it down

I have no way of knowing the truth with time dissolves

I put the past into the ground
I saw the future as a cloud
If there's still time to turn around
I'm going to
It's just, one day I fell asleep
And all day, all night I dream
I am the first one I deceive
If I can make myself believe the rest is easy

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Mopnugget
11-19-2004

Rated 0 
"i am the first one not to see you"

should be "i am the first one i deceive"

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apocalypse84
11-20-2004

Rated 0 
fixed.

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anniinna
11-29-2004

Rated 0 
i think this song has to do with Conners alcoholism."Well, I made amends in the general sense... But the devil's in the details. And I know the cost, and I wanna stop... But I can't do it." making amends to people you've hurt while you were intoxicated is one of the most important steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. when he talks about "devil's in the details" he might mean that he may apologize and make promises but he knows he can't keep them or mean them if he is still drinking. the "devils" being alcohol. the "cost" is death which will evitably happen if he doesn't stop. he then goes on to say that he wants to stop but he can't because he is consumed by alcoholism.

i don't know i might be completely wrong.

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brokenspoons
12-01-2004

Rated 0 
is this song on I'm wide awake, its morning?

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anniinna
12-01-2004

Rated 0 
no digital ash in a digital urn

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past_past_present
12-18-2004

Rated +1 
i think this is about taking advantage of something and trying to convince yourself that what you did was ok, when really you know that what you tell yourself.. it's just.. it's just a story you tell yourself to feel better and you know that when it comes down to it you did what they say you did and you try to tell yourself anything to forget it

it almost seems as if the lyrics say that he's trying to play not knowing any better. if that was intended or of thats the truth is unclear. he seems lost in this.

"I am the first one I deceive if I can make myself believe the rest is easy."

maybe all he's saying is that he has to get over his conscience and as long as he can tell himself that he didn't do anything wrong then he will be ok.




i really love bright eyes haha

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singmeanything
12-27-2004

Rated 0 
"i have the no way of telling the two apart"

his drunken state of life and reality.

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dancer_on_the_arc
01-09-2005

Rated 0 
oh god this song is so beautiful,
I missed that.

his voice as he sings "But know there's no backing out" it so so pretty.
I love this song.

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fightingmediocrity
01-23-2005

Rated +1 
I agree with past past present. But I think it is the relationships that he forms with other people in an attempt to forget someone else... He can't tell if in forming these relationships he knew he was lying to himself the entire time or if he simply just did without realizing it... Examples as follows:

'Now you have your cake. Don't hesitate. Come on and just do it. '
Now is his opportunity to make a new relationship. There is possibly the chance to love here that he is waiting for, but he's hesitating because he's not sure if his heart is really into it. He's got to psyche himself up to give it a try.

'But know there's no backing out. This is gonna be reality. You can never dream it down. '
After getting in, he can't just decide if it was wrong. He's trying his hardest to make love happen, to make falling in love become a reality. With the lines "I have no way of telling the two apart" he is explaining that he can't tell whether it is true feelings that he has (reality) or just wishful thinking/trying too hard (dreams)

In the next verse where he says "Well I made amends in the general sense but the devil's in the details. And I know the cost, and I wanna stop"
The relationship worked, but now that it's over and he's apologized for it all to her and perhaps himself, he realizes underneath he was only lying to himself and his partner and it is eating him from inside. He wants to stop from doing it again, but he just can't seem to. He had MEANT for there to be love... which is in the next few lines. But he doesn't know, after it is all over, if the whole thing was an accident, or if he should've truly believed in the love that he felt. As time goes, the two feelings are getting mixed up.

Without pasting the rest of the song, which it would really need all of it for me to pick apart to find the meaning, I will just explain:
At the end of the song, he is trying to bury away what has happened. He's going to try to change his habits of lying to himself to be happy. But he just continues to keep dreaming of what would be, and to do so, he has to lie to himself. Once he's done this, he can go on without doubting his feelings.

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arttstar
01-24-2005

Rated 0 
great song.

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my_own_parasite
01-29-2005

Rated 0 
for some reason the style of the song reminds me of the drunk kids and the catholics

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rockisgroovy
02-03-2005

Rated 0 
this is one of my favorite songs on digital ash in a digital urn. i love this style of conor's music. usually its all acoustic, but this is more.. for lack of a better word.. digital. more techno i suppose.

i believe this song is about a past relationship and i think past past present hit it straight on.

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harold
02-03-2005

Rated 0 
In this case, anniinna, the phrase "the devil's in the details" tells us that the trouble with making promises is that people expect you to keep them! (Indeed, that's the crucial detail.)

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thehappysong
02-04-2005

Rated 0 
i think this is also about being tempted and wanting to do things you know you shouldnt, but can't help yourself (like addiction)... nothing really no one else has said.

this songs awesome. i saw bright eyes last night. if youve never seen them, please do. best performance ive ever seen.

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brokenspoons
02-24-2005

Rated 0 
the song is different from the others on this cd, its slower and it seems more thought out.
I agree with happysong, bright eyes gives amazing preformances.

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smashing_me
03-03-2005

Rated 0 
when he says put it in your mouth i get grossed out.. maybe im just sick

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1 Reply
Lucky_
03-30-2005

Rated 0 
This song is amazing
And what grosses me out is how people keep making all Conor songs look like they're about alcohol and drugs only... can't you tihnk a bit deeper?

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daddysgun
03-31-2005

Rated 0 
Lucky_, it's the sad truth. Conor Oberst is my favorite lyricist, and with every year, another one of his birthdays comes around, and that night I pray to myself that he's not doing something to get himself hurt. I don't think it'll be long before we find that something HAS happened to him. *knocks on wood*
But in a sense, I think he knows that too. I think that's why he made this album. it's called DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN. all of his songs of death put together to convince himself that it'll all be better in the end anyway.

"I put the past into the ground. I saw the future as a cloud. If there's still time to turn around, I'm going to. It's just, one day I fell asleep... And all day, all night I dream"
I love it.

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Yaz
04-18-2005

Rated 0 
This song has gotta be about Conor's weakness for alcohol "And I know the cost, and I wanna stop... But I can't do it. I just can't do it." Also, about how this has ruined past relationships, and life. I worry that Conor's gonna hurt himself too, you know what they say about great talents dying young :( i just hope its not true for Conor it would be such a shame to lose him, and his talent, songs like this just prove that...

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crob
07-11-2005

Rated 0 
i think this song is about acid, lsd. "Put it in your mouth, there is only now, tomorrow has to wait...but know theres no backing out, this is gonna be reality, you can never dream it down..." acid has a very strong mind impact. It can put you into the coldest reality possible and depending on how strong the thoughts are, it can be very hard getting it rid, it also has the ability to throw away any sence of reality to the user, thus the lyric, "I have no way of telling the two apart".

"Well I made amends in the general sense,
but the Devils in the Details.
And I know the cost, and I wanna stop, but I can't do it, I just can't do it."

its like he tried to fix whatever problems he was having in life, in the general sense, but there was so much more to it, the ugly part, the devil in the details, the "I know the cost, and i wanna stop, but I can't do it, I just can't do it" it sounds like, he knows the damage acid is doing to his brain, and where its put him in his mind, but he keeps doing it, and he can't stop.

It's just, one day I fell asleep... And all day, all night I dream - I am the first one I deceive if I can make myself believe the rest is easy.

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1 Reply
crob
07-11-2005

Rated 0 
its complicated and im tired.

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crob
07-11-2005

Rated 0 
its complicated and im tired.

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spanky159
08-05-2005

Rated 0 
i agree with crob...this song (well the first verse anyways) is most likely about lsd. the thing i'm confused about is when conor sings "now you have your cake, don't hesitate. come on, just do it" ...cake is slang for a kilo of cocaine, but when he says "put it in your mouth" i automatically think of acid...so can someone please tell me what he means by "cake"? YAAA CROB!!!!!!!!!!

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totallyrad
08-05-2005

Rated 0 
Now you have your cake. Don't hesitate. Come on and just do it. Come on, just do it. Put it in your mouth.

That part makes me think of "You can't have your cake and eat it, too."
And then the rest of the song just totally confuses me...

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1 Reply
trailertrash49
12-15-2005

Rated 0 
i always thought this song was about getting something you thought you wanted, but later realized wasn't worth everything you lost trying to get it.
this could be applied to so many things. i don't think it is fair to say it is about alcohol, or cocaine, or drugs of any sort. it could have been, but even so, artists like to write about philosphies or emotions of theirs that pertain to a certain event, not so much the event itself.

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