In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
The hollow light is still on the fields
where the winter has warmed
and the snows have drained away.
And the hunter's cry is still on the air
as the bullet flies home
and the heart that's pierced with it.
Still is racing.
Still is racing, all alone.
The silver shoals of the light in the deep
brush the glitterin skein
where the great, dark body writhes.
And the trembling jaw, the unfathoming sounds
of leviathan, bound,
as his heart, though weakening.
Still is racing
Still is racing, all alone.
All alone.
You are racing.
You are racing, alone.
where the winter has warmed
and the snows have drained away.
And the hunter's cry is still on the air
as the bullet flies home
and the heart that's pierced with it.
Still is racing.
Still is racing, all alone.
The silver shoals of the light in the deep
brush the glitterin skein
where the great, dark body writhes.
And the trembling jaw, the unfathoming sounds
of leviathan, bound,
as his heart, though weakening.
Still is racing
Still is racing, all alone.
All alone.
You are racing.
You are racing, alone.
Lyrics submitted by thiagozero
Leviathan, Bound Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The legend of the leviathan, if I recall, is that in the early days of Earth's creation, God made two, a male and a female. But soon He found them to be too powerful, too big, and decided He didn't want any little leviathans running amok. To keep them from procreating, God killed off the female, damning her mate to die alone and unwanted.
This song, like virtually everything else on this haunting and exceptional album, is about the sad horror of man's cruelty to nature and the world and the apocalyptic end that awaits the world as a result. The first verse is about a hunter killing an animal (the slaughter of a tiger is used in the lyrics of the next song on the album, Home Life). The second is probably about a whale but is integrated as pointed out with the image of Leviathan, bound and slowly dying - a bit like the natural world as a result of man's selfish cruelty. Heavy, huh!?
This song is based on the documentary Blue Water, White death, about one of the first expeditions to learn more about the Great White Shark. It is an interesting documentary, but there is one scene where they shoot a whale to attract sharks, and they shine lights on the whale from underneath. All in all, a very eerie scene. I heard about this song when Shearwater did NPR's tiny desk concert.
To me this song seems to be about whale hunting. It's very sad.
After reading the lyrics, it seemed to be about a solider at war who is dying (but the heart is still racing)
If the post above about Leviathan is true, its f*cking awesome!
I don't think this is about man's cruelty, more likely about loneliness.
Yes, the metaphor is about Leviathan, a legendary massive creature living in the bottom of the sea. Not strictly speaking an immortal being, but something that lives for a long, long time, destined to be the only one of its kind and ultimately die alone. I just wonder about the first verse. Somehow, even though some animal has been shot, through the heart, it still isn't dying. Maybe that is just the first part of the metaphor, about how your heart still keeps beating although it has been broken by someone?
Love the images of nature that this album is full of, by the way.
I also heard of these guys through NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, I listened to a couple of the tracks and brought the album. The whole album is beautiful and I'll be getting the others soon. This is currently my favourite song on the album, it brings tears to my eyes. The combination of the melody, his voice, the lyrics, the slight change in the chord structure in the 2nd verse, it's just perfect.