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Saw an eagle on a pole,
I think it was an eagle.
Watched its' shadow fly 'cross the cement.
And I woke up in the snow,
All the trees, and crowds, and people.
No shirt, no shoes, no idea where they went.
I followed the fenceline thin,
Back where the yard begins
My woman, she stood crying like a man.
Said, where have you been?
Where have you been?
I thought you said that all of that was done.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
Thought the kettle was a train.
Thought that Monday was a door-frame.
Tried so hard to finally settle down.
Heard the fire pop and snap.
Like a tack piano rag.
I never could get used to happy sounds.
Yeah, I hope the world's exposed.
A cruel and elaborate hoax.
It convinces me to walk without a cane.
But what can you do?
Child, what can you do?
I always heard that what is done is done.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
The past don't ever quit.
There's boxes in the attic.
Baby shoes and taxidermy dream.
While the ashes of the dead, like a dandelion head,
Explode and then are scattered by the breeze.
We're such a long way back to all the fun that we had.
When nothing ever seemed to bother me.
But what can you do?
Brother, what can you do?
Sleep with the stars, and toil in the sun.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
I think it was an eagle.
Watched its' shadow fly 'cross the cement.
And I woke up in the snow,
All the trees, and crowds, and people.
No shirt, no shoes, no idea where they went.
I followed the fenceline thin,
Back where the yard begins
My woman, she stood crying like a man.
Said, where have you been?
Where have you been?
I thought you said that all of that was done.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
Thought the kettle was a train.
Thought that Monday was a door-frame.
Tried so hard to finally settle down.
Heard the fire pop and snap.
Like a tack piano rag.
I never could get used to happy sounds.
Yeah, I hope the world's exposed.
A cruel and elaborate hoax.
It convinces me to walk without a cane.
But what can you do?
Child, what can you do?
I always heard that what is done is done.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
The past don't ever quit.
There's boxes in the attic.
Baby shoes and taxidermy dream.
While the ashes of the dead, like a dandelion head,
Explode and then are scattered by the breeze.
We're such a long way back to all the fun that we had.
When nothing ever seemed to bother me.
But what can you do?
Brother, what can you do?
Sleep with the stars, and toil in the sun.
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
El Cielo es azul,
Just don't go telling everyone
Lyrics submitted by lovenothing__
Track duration: 04:42
"Eagle on a Pole" as written by Conor Oberst
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I'm sorry. I wasn't going to tell anyone, but I had to!
I would imagine that every Spanish Language text book, cd, dvd, whatever would have that phrase in it. It doesn't rob the song of any power.
Saw an eagle on a pole
I think it was an eagle
Watched its' shadow fly 'cross the cement
This is the part i have the most questions about. I've seen several ideas about waht the eagle on a pole is referencing.
I woke up in the snow
All the trees were crowds of people.
No coat, no shoes, no idea where they went
This signifies an awakening, bewilderment (snow, as in white out)
I followed the fence line thin
Back where the yard begins
My woman, she stood crying like a man
Said, "where have you been
Where have you been?"
I thought you said that all of that was done
El Cielo es azul
Just don't go telling everyone
He found his way home, where his girl has been waiting for him. "I thought you said that all of that was done" suggests drug use rather than PTSD. "The sky/heaven is blue. Just don't go telling everyone" suggests something obvious that he wants to keep quiet.
Thought the kettle was a train
Thought that Monday was a door frame
I tried so hard to finally settle down
Heard the fire pop and snap
Like a tack piano rag
I never could get used to happy sounds
This verse reminds me of PTSD or really any situation where a person has just returned from a radically different lifestyle and can't cope with their reality. I love the first two lines. I don't think these are really hallucinations though. Trains and door frames are ways of leaving, as ambelina said.
But I hope the world's exposed
A cruel and elaborate hoax
That convinces me to walk without a cane
He's bitter and maybe in denial that he's still having issues with the real world. If this is about drugs, then the "cane" is definitely drugs. And if it's about PTSD, then it could also be a drug reference, or even using his condition as a crutch.
The past don't ever quit
There's boxes in the attic
Baby shoes and taxidermy dreams
While the ashes of the dead, like a dandelion head,
explode and then are scattered by the breeze
Your past haunts you. the phrase "taxidermy dreams" is really poetic because taxidermy is like the idea of stuffing something that's dead to make it have the appearance of being alive. His past that's been made of useless sentimental things (baby shoes) and things that have the appearance of being alive, but now have no spark to him (taxidermy dreams).
And it's such a long way back to all the fun I had
When nothing ever seemed to bother me
But what can you do
Child, what can you do
Sleep 'neath the stars, and toil in the sun
He wonders what happened to his former life-- the good times. But what can he do but press on? If you go with the war PTSD thing, you could imagine him going to war when he was a teen and coming back with the burdens of war and adulthood, wondering what happened to the carefree days of youth.
Saw an eagle on a pole
I think it was an eagle
Watched its shadow fly across the cement
was refering to the Mexican Flag. It has no relation to the rest of the song other than the obvious spanish influence, but it's always the image I pull from it.
El cielo es azul = "the sky is blue"
Maria Taylor's band = Azure Ray
The girl's name Azure
It is of Spanish origin, and the meaning of Azure is "sky blue". The color, from "azul", used as a given name. Suitable for a blue-eyed baby.
^ also with the "baby shoes in the attic" and thinking back to the song Lime Tree (which Conor admits is about abortion).....Eagle on a Pole surely brings up a lot of personal, relationship problems here...
Its my favourite song on this record.
Saw an eagle on a pole
I think it was an eagle
Watched its' shadow fly 'cross the cement
The eagle could represent justice and freedom and all the bs that the US is supposed to stand for. He says he thinks it was an eagle because he is starting to question the actions of the US across the globe. He elaborates further by giving the metaphor of the US's shadow (presence or what was once their presence i.e. Iraq?) across the globe (cement). This idea can be supported by bpm's interpretation of:
But I hope the world's exposed
A cruel and elaborate hoax
That convinces me to walk without a cane
I think the most puzzling lines are:
I woke up in the snow
All the trees were crowds of people
No coat, no shoes, no idea where they went
If i had to guess id relate it back to the eagle think. The snow would represent the harshness and coldness of war and life. Trees are where eagles would normally be found (when not on a pole) which he says have been turned into crowds of people. This could mean that where eagles (US and other oppressive countries) can be found, there will be crowds of people who will suffer in the cold without their coats or their shoes. So basically it is a reference to the suffering that has been caused to many different peoples. And if you'll notice the next stanza is about his drug use, which again correlates with bpm's interpretation of:
But I hope the world's exposed
A cruel and elaborate hoax
That convinces me to walk without a cane
The next stanza is likely means something close to what bpm said. I would even go further and say the the line: Heard the fire pop and snap, could be a reminder of the fighting, the pop and snap could represent the sounds of gun fire. Again it correlates with the rest of the stanza.
The past don't ever quit
There's boxes in the attic
Baby shoes and taxidermy dreams
While the ashes of the dead, like a dandelion head,
explode and then are scattered by the breeze
And it's such a long way back to all the fun I had
When nothing ever seemed to bother me
But what can you do
Child, what can you do
Sleep 'neath the stars, and toil in the sun
I think this last stanza is again related to the soldier theme. Obviously the boxes in the attic is a metaphor for memories. Baby shoes and taxidermy dreams are referring to the nicer memories while the ashes line refers to the memories of the people he has killed, whose bodies are long gone but they live on in his head. The next few lines express how hard it is for a war torn soldier to assimilate to ordinary life outside of the military. I believe the last line is a sort of nomadic reference. to sleep beneath the stars is to insinuate that one does not have a home in which to sleep, and toil can mean to move or travel with difficulty, weariness, or pain. So he keeps on traveling day, even though it is though to keep moving. Again this correlates with the kettle stanza.
"It's about infidelity, and acceptance of the way things are..."
The interview can normally be found if you google search "Conor Oberst The Independent". The journalist seemed to think it was about Oberst's on going relationship with Maria Taylor- no comment on that from me!
Dont know about anyone else but it totally changed the way I heard the song and a lot of the album.
My woman, she stood crying like a man
Said, "where have you been
Where have you been?"
I thought you said that all of that was done
"stood crying like a man"- because infidelity is traditionally a male attitude. I always thought it was the male dealing with the cheating partner but it may also be vice versa.
you guys put so much thought and RESEARCH into them
when really it was something so incredibly simple
MVB, am i the only one that misses Bright Eyes?
and Simon Joyner was the one who said it would make a great song