Dueling cyclones jackknife
They got eyes for your wife and the blood that lives in her heart

Cast myself towards infinity
Trust me, I had my reasons
Had a dress for every season, it was worth it
Pulled into town relatively free of hassle
Secured a room at the castle, it paid for itself
Checked out my surroundings, headed down to Thornton Park
Find your way
Discover that things are dark
Shadowy figures babbling on about typical rural shit
I wave bye to them in a modern way and increase my stay at the dock of the bay

Quiet, Ruby, someone's coming
Approach with stealth
Oh, it's just your precious American Underground
and it is born of wealth
With not a writer in the lot
Sapphires vie for your attention
Cheap dancers they mean well in their way
But Priest says - "Please, I can't stand my knees And I can't bear her raven tresses caught up in the breeze like that!"

Blessed doctor, do your worst
Cut me open, remove this thirst
Hidden, but near
A series of visions, I won't repeat them here
I won't repeat them here

Typical me, typical me
I gave my cargo to the sea
I gave the water what it always wanted to be

Look to the West!
"Ah, look, it's no contest" - Proud Mary said as she lit the fuse
"I wanted you. I wanted your blues"
Your Blues

"All good things must come to an end
The bad ones just go on forever"
Isn't that what I just said?
It is Now and it is Never
It is Now and it is Never
It is Now and it is Never
It is Now and it is Never

Don't worry about her
She's been known to appreciate the elegance of an empty room
Look, I made you this broom
A predicate warning to the sun -
"This Night advances on..."

The sketchy crowd shows me drawings, they're alright
An alternately dim and frightful waste
Now come on honey let's go outside
You disrupt the world's disorder just by virtue of your grace, you know...
I didn't want to go, but leave I must...
As gratifying as this dust was

Please don't wake me from this - my golden slumber -
I am proud to be a part of this number!



Lyrics submitted by asymm

Track duration: 09:25


Rubies song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:How come nobody has noticed the reference to The Doors at the very last line??
    "I am proud to be a part of this number!", which comes in The Doors' epic The Soft Parade!

    Really beautiful song by the way!
    Flag MrGjoobon February 11, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the song is about a prostitute
    Flag twoheadedboy8191on December 01, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:such an epic song!

    I love all the stages he goes through in singing this one.
    Flag backyon June 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze
    I can't find my knees" - From the Bob Dylan Song Visions of Johanna.
    Flag timp31on May 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I gave the water what it always wanted to be

    such a brilliant line!
    Flag armsaimedatthe_sunon January 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Don't worry about her, She's been known to appreciate the elegance of an empty room"

    I absolutely love the imagery in Dan's music....particularly the line above...I'd caught most of the references mention except the Led Zep & Beatles..

    This song is so epic though...
    Flag CoryGreenwellon January 20, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the imagery in destroyer songs is so vivid and the wordplay is so thickly layered that it's hard to have a central point of view on any possible meanings.

    and yes, BigglesTh9 is right, "typical me, typical me" is a reference to the smiths song "i started something i couldn't finish" and he is referencing past albums.

    you'd have to actually live in vancouver (dan bejar's hometown) to get most of the references. for example, 'thornton park' is a reference to a real park in strathcona, east vancouver.

    'dock of the bay' is a reference to the otis redding book.

    "(wealthy) american underground" is, as explained by bejar in an interview, about how he recently and embarassingly came to the conclusion of just how rich American hipster culture is -- as in financially rich, not culturally. his remarks and general dislike of hipsterdom is more of an ode to songwriting, not social critique.

    "look to the west!" is another lyrical reference to led zep's stairway to heaven. "proud mary" is a reference to the creedence clearwater revival song of the same name. "golden slumber" is a reference to the beatles song "golden slumbers" off "abbey road."
    Flag vulgaron May 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Typical me, typical me" - Nice appropriation of a Smiths line (I think).
    Also, nominal references to two of his previous albums ("Your Blues" and "This Night").
    Flag BigglesTh9on September 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"All good things must come to an end
    The bad ones just go on forever"

    I love how that line is delivered so bluntly.
    Flag ThatGuyEdon July 13, 2006   Link

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