I want to know what u all think because I cant seem to get a grip on what this song means. I was thinking a moral problem with sex without love? Anyone think I might be on to something or am I way off.

Sounds like it should be...

"Storm, cast me out"
"Warn, passengers hide"
"and it's broken your atmosphere"
"Lord, if you've got lungs, come on, shout me out"

Also, this chunk seems to be missing:

"I know the freeze hasn't thawed
and it's putting your love into action, dear
It's off in the breeze and it's shifting degrees
and it's opened your atmosphere"

I can't find any official lyrics, can anyone confirm?

Official lyrics:
(From the lyric booklet)

Storm, cast me out
So I can feel it in another way
I won't talk about
Warm passenger's high
If I could feel it for another day
It might run me dry

I know the season's evolved to freeze
Putting hearts in the balance here
It's up to your knees and it's shifting
Degrees and it's choking
Your atmosphere

Storm, wind me out
So I can feel it in another way
They won't talk about
Worn masochist's sigh
A distant figure in a photograph
Another eye

I know your reason is stalled
And your freedoms dissolved
In your passion dear
It's burning your eyes and it's
Killing your mind
And it's broken your atmosphere
But should you find it
Obscene in that grey
Old dramatics hear a young heart say
Lord if you've got lungs
C'mon shout me out

I know freeze has unthawed
And it's putting your love into
Action dear
It's off in the breeze and it's
Shifting degrees
And it's opened your atmosphere
So should you decide it's
Obscene in that grey
Old dramatics hear a young heart say
Lord if you've got lungs
C'mon shout me out

Really beautiful song, one of my faves on dear science (or any of the albums). The lyrics seem a little impressionistic, but my interpretation is:

The parts in which he is speaking to another person, the verses,
I know the season's evolved to freeze . . .

and from
"I know your reason is stalled
And your freedoms dissolved
In your passion dear . . . " to the end

seem to be directed towards someone who is choked/frozen with their own emotions, either from coming out of a bad relationship or other negative circumstances in her life. She's living in a confused/disappointed, emotionally "grey" state. But the singer cares about this person (either romantically or not), and is inviting her to move on with her life, open back up to the world, and (once she has) "shout him out"--he wants to reconnect with this person in a positive way again. And in the final verse, this other person seems to be moving towards that--she has "unthawed" and is capable of loving and being a happy person again.

The first and third verses, in which the singer seems to be discussing his own state of mind are still a little ambiguous to me, though the impression I get is one of just general waiting around and malaise:

Storm, cast me out
So I can feel it in another way
I won't talk about

things are happening, he wants to have vivid experiences, but they still seem unimportant.

Warm passenger's high
If I could feel it for another day
It might run me dry

"passenger" makes me feel like he feels as if he's along for the ride rather than making his own progress, and this feeling of spinning his wheels (possibly waiting for the aforementioned other person to come around), is "running him dry"--wearing him out.

So IMO, this song is about someone waiting for a good friend or desired lover to come out of an emotional funk and rejoin the world of the living (and the singer). thoughts?

1 Reply

I see the straight-forward meaning of getting a friend out of a "funk," whatever that "funk" may be.

That being said, I'd like to playfully suggest that the song is about the singer getting himself out of a funk.

"Storm, cast me out
So I can feel it in another way"

"Storm, wind me out
So I can feel it in another way
They won't talk about
Worn masochist's sigh
A distant figure in a photograph
Another eye"

These parts could mean he wants to dissociate from himself so he can think about his from an perspective not so attached.


"Warm passenger's high
If I could feel it for another day
It might run me dry"

When he dissociates from himself, he sees how great and comforting his "funk" is, but knows it is running him dry. At this point he's talking about himself from the 3rd and then 1st person even though its all viewed from the 3rd person.

The other parts of the son are all talking to himself from his new perspective as he's able to help him get better.

Pitchfork says this song 'borrows well from Bob Dylan's 'A Hard Rain's A-gonna Fall'"


Can someone tell me exactly how? I don't see any lifted lyrics, and the choruses aren't really at all similar.

Is pitchfork just full of shit, as usual?

this song reminds me of a hotboxed car, and everybody in it completely high out of their minds. ^_^