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Cain got a milk-eyed mule from the auction
Abel got a telephone
And even the last of the blue-eyed babies know
That the burning man is the color of the end of day
And how every tongue that gets bit always has another word to say
Cain bought a blade from some witch at the window
Abel bought a bag of weed
And even the last of the brown-eyed babies see
That the cartoon king has a tattoo of a bleeding heart
There ain’t a penthouse Christian wants the pain of the scab, but they all want the scar
How every mouth sings of what it’s without so we all sing of love
And how it ain’t one dog who’s good at fucking and denying who he’s thinking of
Cain heard a cat tumble limp off the rooftop
Abel heard his papa pray
And even the last of the black-eyed babies say
That every saint has a chair you can borrow and a church to sell
That the wind blows cold across the back of the master and the kitchen help
There’s a big pile of innocent bones still holding up the garden wall
And it was always the broken hand we learned to lean on after all
How God knows if Christ came back he would find us in a poker game
After finding out the drugs were all free but they won't let you out the door again
Abel got a telephone
And even the last of the blue-eyed babies know
That the burning man is the color of the end of day
And how every tongue that gets bit always has another word to say
Cain bought a blade from some witch at the window
Abel bought a bag of weed
And even the last of the brown-eyed babies see
That the cartoon king has a tattoo of a bleeding heart
There ain’t a penthouse Christian wants the pain of the scab, but they all want the scar
How every mouth sings of what it’s without so we all sing of love
And how it ain’t one dog who’s good at fucking and denying who he’s thinking of
Cain heard a cat tumble limp off the rooftop
Abel heard his papa pray
And even the last of the black-eyed babies say
That every saint has a chair you can borrow and a church to sell
That the wind blows cold across the back of the master and the kitchen help
There’s a big pile of innocent bones still holding up the garden wall
And it was always the broken hand we learned to lean on after all
How God knows if Christ came back he would find us in a poker game
After finding out the drugs were all free but they won't let you out the door again
Lyrics submitted by sethbrown
Track duration: 03:42
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When I hear this song it sounds honestly kind of menacing/scorning or sarcastic in a way. The song contrasts Cains actions to those of Abel (Although the examples in the song are not in any way related to those in the Bible). The comparisons show Cain as being very complex and stubborn (his lines are very long and descriptive, while Abel's are only a few words).
While Cain is bartering over a lame mule, Abel is getting a phone.
When Cain gets a knife (he's stressing over Abel's actions, wanting to kill him), Abel is chilling out and buying herb.
When Adam is praying, Cain is distracted by a brawl with two cats, while Abel focuses on his father's prayer.
Albeit those lines might not be intended for literal interpretation, they make sense like that, portraying Cain as morally lacking and Abel being a better more virtuous person.
This song also mentions:
- And even the last of the blue-eyed babies know
- And even the last of the brown-eyed babies see
- And even the last of the black-eyed babies say
While there have been many posts indicating how the eye color changes from blue to brown to black (which I personally see as degrading from more innocent to less innocent), the ending of each sentence hasn't been brought up yet. It changes from know to see to say.
To me this represents:
knowing (instinct, having faith)
seeing (only observing, then remembering what you saw, doesn't require faith)
and saying (Just repeating what you have seen or heard, doesn't require observation or faith).
as degrading, just like the eye color idea. By the way I only say "degrading" because the color becomes darker, I don't have a problem with brown eyes :).
Overall this song is amazing and Sam's voice really sounds amazing in the song!
Viva la vida de Iron & Wine!
-Bryan
blue-we know blue as a comforting color. and in the begining, we thought the earth was comforting and good.
i like what whoever said about the eye color getting darker just like the song.
brown-not always the prettiest color, it might suggest something going downhill. earth is sorta doing that folks.
black- this symbolizes the end kinda. black isn't many people's favorite color, and it represents all things bad. that's where beam stops writing because that's where we are now...
get it?
Older brother Cain (crop farmer) and Abel (shepherd) are the first and second sons of Adam and Eve. Cain is portrayed as being sinful and jealous, for committing the first murder for killing his brother after God had rejected his offerings of produce but accepted the animal sacrifice brought by Abel (the first martyr). Genesis 4
Verse 1:
"Cain got a milk-eyed mule from the auction" for the mule to help him plow the crops.
"Abel got a telephone" this one is questionable, but could insinuate that abel got a communication from God
"And even the last of the blue-eyed babies know That the burning man is the color of the end of day"
i think the color of the eyes are insignificant. meaning that at the end of days, this will effect every man on earth regardless of where they are from. that the people who are not believers in Christ and left on this earth will be scortched by fire "The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire" Revelation 16:8
"And how every tongue that gets bit always has another word to say"
there are many times in the Bible where it talks about watching what you say "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." james 3:8
Verse 2:
"Cain bought a blade from some witch at the window" to kill abel with
"Abel bought a bag of weed"
"And even the last of the brown-eyed babies see"
"That the cartoon king has a tattoo of a bleeding heart. There aint a penthouse Christian wants the pain of the scab, but they all want the scar" how people tattoo themselves with christian symbols etc on their bodies, but they would never want or go through the pain that Christ had to go through on the cross
"How every mouth sings of what its without so we all sing of love"
And how it aint one dog whos good at fucking and denying who hes thinking of
Verse 3
"Cain heard a cat tumble limp off the rooftop" foreshadowing a brawl about to happen, like cats fighting on the roof, before he kills abel
"Abel heard his papa pray" im thinking its regarding heard God pray
"And even the last of the black-eyed babies say"
"That every saint has a chair you can borrow and a church to sell" that even though people are claimed as saints they sin as well. there are a few times Jesus got angry in the bible and it was when people would sell good inside the church/place of worship. "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of money changers and the benches of those selling doves. It is written, he said to them, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers Matthew 21:12-13
"That the wind blows cold across the back of the master and the kitchen help" sort of a creepy erie feeling that happens when someone is about to die.
"Theres a big pile of innocent bones still holding up the garden wall" i think this isnt referring to Christ like others interpreted, but more of Adam and Eve, and possibly Abel. Because at the garden of eden is where man was created and is where eve ate from the apple. And where the first sin happened. And innocence was lost with the first sin. and then the first murder by cain.
"And it was always the broken hand we learned to lean on after all" its easier to sin and go towards temptation, or the devil/sin "broken hand", but Christ strengthens us more then the devil ever could, if we just trust in him
"How God knows if Christ came back he would find us in a poker game" for Christ's second coming he would find all of us as sinners, gambling
"After finding out the drugs were all free but they won't let you out the door again" wont let you in the door again, cause you owe them too much money for losing the game
by penthouse Christians, I think he just means that they are much more comfortable than they claim to be willing to be.
first of all I think everyone has some great ideas as to this song's meaning,
may I put something out there?
"That the cartoon king has a tattoo of a bleeding heart"
to me Jesus is the cartoon king b/c he claimed to be a king (supposedly anyway) and Christians refer to him as one. so anyone he's a cartoon king, meaning not a king in the real sense, as cartoons are not 3d, but 2d... you get my drift.
and he has the tattoo of the bleeding heart b/c he has an image of caring for people enough to die for them, also like images of the sacred heart of jesus, etc.
I also like the part about the saint, the chair and the church. to me it speaks of hypocrisy. so saint you're gonna SELL me your church eh? how nice.
One of the best lines: There ain’t a penthouse Christian wants the pain of the scab, but they all want the scar
I think kind of refers to - Matthew 19:24
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God."
Meaning rich penthouse Christians don't want to make the sacrifices their religion asks of them, which is giving away their wealth to help the ones in need.
I'm not sure about the specific meaning of the Blue to Black eyes of the babies, but the lyrics seem to get darker as the song goes on to match the eye color.
Titular line: There’s a big pile of innocent bones still holding up the garden wall
I agree with coolcrowe that the innocent bones refer to the innocent victims of Christianity.
:And it was always the broken hand we learned to lean on after all
Broken hand refers to Christ, the justification of said victimizing?
and then my favorite line: How God knows if Christ came back he would find us in a poker game
Means despite the efforts of the crusades, evangelists, etc. it is all for not, because people are still "sinning"
Verse 1: Cain buying a "milk-eyed mule" shows that he's more the rural farmer type, and Able buying a telephone is more the industrial moving forward type... this next lyric is "Burdened man" I believe, and it works with the scene. "The burdened man man is the color of the end of day." Because they were black like the night. Unless he is saying "burning man" (such as in lynching which was popular at the time. Though, they more or less hung their blacks back then instead of burning.) which would be the colors of Dusk.
Verse 2: This would show the era around the wars. Cain, chose to be a soldier, and Able chose to be a hippie. The "Cartoon King" having a "Tattoo of a bleeding heart" shows that he doesn't really care, he's just putting up an image so he looks good. And the "Penthouse Christians" don't want to go through the pain of the tattoo, or building the image, but they all want it. I see the "Penthouse" part having meaning that most of them are perverts. :] But that's just me. The last two lines of this verse are my favorite, and the most truthful. "How every mouth sings of what it's without so we all sing of love. And how it ain't one dog who's good at fucking and denying who he's thinking of." Sums itself up. We never confess that we're thinking of someone else if we are.. we just settle and go with the flow.
Verse 3: Cain hearing the cat being thrown off of the roof, may show the murderous side of him. I perceive him being the one to throw the cat up on the roof. Able hearing his papa pray is a good contrast to the evil that Cain just commited. The saint's are fakes and they just want money. It seems we like to emphasize that our country was built on death and war. All those innocent people didn't deserve to die and just be another innocent bone stuck against the "garden wall", or America. Of course, we learn to lean on the "broken hand" which would symbolize Jesus's gift of salvation. God knows if he sent Christ back he'd find us all sinning, drunk off our asses with free booze, but we're stuck here because of our sins of over intoxication.