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If you walk away I walk away
First tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday
So you walk that way I'll walk this way
And the future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it's lookin' this way
And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
They argue "Walk this way", "No, walk this way"
And Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says
"I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby, don't go away, come here"
And there's kids playing guns in the street
And one's pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up I say
"Enough is enough, if you walk away I walk away"
(And he shot me dead)
I found a liquid cure
For my landlocked blues
It will pass away like a slow parade
It's leaving but I don't know how soon
And the world's got me dizzy again
You'd think after twenty-two years I'd be used to the spin
And it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I keep drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
But it all boils down to one quotable phrase
If you love something give it away
A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for your possible heart
But you may be offended and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away
We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background from a televised war
And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
If we walk away, they'll walk away
But greed is a bottomless pit
And our freedom's a joke we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free start runnin' away
'Cause we're comin' for ya
I've grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame
Sayin' let me walk away, please
You'll be free child once you have died
From the shackles of language and measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Till then walk away, walk away, walk away, walk away
So I'm up at dawn, putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving but I don't know where to
I know I'm leaving but I don't know where to
First tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday
So you walk that way I'll walk this way
And the future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain
Just stay in when it's lookin' this way
And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
They argue "Walk this way", "No, walk this way"
And Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says
"I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby, don't go away, come here"
And there's kids playing guns in the street
And one's pointing his tree branch at me
So I put my hands up I say
"Enough is enough, if you walk away I walk away"
(And he shot me dead)
I found a liquid cure
For my landlocked blues
It will pass away like a slow parade
It's leaving but I don't know how soon
And the world's got me dizzy again
You'd think after twenty-two years I'd be used to the spin
And it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I keep drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
But it all boils down to one quotable phrase
If you love something give it away
A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for your possible heart
But you may be offended and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away
We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background from a televised war
And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say
If we walk away, they'll walk away
But greed is a bottomless pit
And our freedom's a joke we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free start runnin' away
'Cause we're comin' for ya
I've grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame
Sayin' let me walk away, please
You'll be free child once you have died
From the shackles of language and measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Till then walk away, walk away, walk away, walk away
So I'm up at dawn, putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving but I don't know where to
I know I'm leaving but I don't know where to
Lyrics submitted by lazydesert
Track duration: 05:52
"Landlocked Blues" as written by Oberst
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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second verse- they know the relationship is going to end and everyday the end gets closer and closer till there is no turning back and they just stay inside cuz they are sad/ depressed, they just lost the person they loved and cant do anything about it anymore. the end is near.
verse three- when you loose someone you tend to perceive glitter as gold. you cheapen yourself. You lose your dignity. you get lost.
verse four- the girl is begging him to stay. she had it all then all of a sudden a wave came in and washed it all away in a blink of an eye.
verse five- they are being childish. they are being selfish by staying with each other like little kids playing on the street they only care about themselves. they wont let each other go when they should. he says its enough, and the realtionship is over.
verse six- he drinks so he doesnt feel the pain.
verse seven- he doesnt know what to do with himself, hes going crazy, rethinking all of his decisions. trying to keep sain.
verse eight- he realizes he cant be selfish anymore. he has to let her go because he loves her and wants whats best for her.
verse nine- he doesnt think he will find another women like her. so he again questions everything.
verse ten- its saying that they love each other very much but they are extremely toxic for each other. like war, the whole purpose is to fight for peace which is extremely contradictory.
verse eleven- they keep fighting with each other and get nowhere. the more they fight the worse it gets when all they want is peace and to be with each other. its also saying if you not traped in a shitty realtionship good for you. run away while you still can!
verse twelve- they are tired of the realtionship, they dont know each other anymore.
verse thirteen- they cut each other from each others lives. they are born again, free.
verse fourteen- hes moving on with his life.
Landlocked Blues is just so much more raw and beautifully imperfect than One Foot in Front of the Other, and that, to me, was exactly what the song needed to really drive the message home - the raw emotions and the imperfection. It's what makes the song what it is.
Don't get me wrong, the one on SC50 is great, but it didn't do anything for me personally. The first time I heard One Foot in Front of the Other I was slightly depressed and I thought to myself "oh, what a sad song". The first time I heard Landlocked Blues, I cried like a baby. There was just so much more there to me - this version is just so much more open and honest. It doesn't need to be "perfect" in order to be...perfect.
When I heard the trumpet solo, Taps, I got major goose bumps - and they didn't go away for the rest of the song. And Emmylou's voice?...gah, I can't take it.
There's just too much that is deliciously wonderful in this song. I love it.
but for me there is another association: the sound of hunting horns
which fits perfectly to "cause we're coming for you!".
if you want a bit of musical theory (wikipedia):
"The melody of "Taps" is composed entirely from the written notes of the C major triad (i.e. C, E, and G, with the G used in the lower and higher octaves). This is because the bugle, for which it is written, can play only the notes of the harmonic series; "Taps" uses the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th members of this series."
Which is the case with traditional hunting horns, too. Like this: youtu.be/…
So maybe it's not about the exact meaning of "Taps" but just the idea of galloping troups or hunters and being chased.
Never being content with where you are, and never really knowing what the future will hold for you
Lyrically, this is my favorite Bright Eyes song.
But I recently had a "one night stand" or "casual sex" with an "old friend" and listening to this song I felt as if it applied to the feelings that is going to through our heads after having sex....
"if you walk away, I'll walk away" ...... there's always that waiting to see if the other person will contact you after having sex and all these uncertainties start to cloud your mind/heart.