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As I walk through the streets of my new city
My back feeling much better, I suppose
I've reclaimed the use of my imagination
For better or for worse, I've yet to know
But I always knew you'd be the one to understand me,
I guess that's why it took so long to get things right.
Suddenly I'm lost
On my street
On my block
Oh why, Oh why
Oh why haven't you been there for me?
Can't you see, I'm losing my mind this time?
This time I think it's for real, I can see
All the tree tops turning red
The beggars near bodegas grin at me
I think they want something
I close my eyes, I tell myself to breathe
And be calm.
Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
Oh I know that it gets so hard sometimes.
Be calm.
I'm scared that everyone is out to get me.
"These days before you speak to me you pause."
"I always see you looking out your window."
"After all, you lost your band, you left your mom."
Now every single crack, every penny that I pass,
Says I should either leave or pick it up
But with every single buck I've made
I'm saddled with bad luck that came
The moment I was baptized
Or when I found out one day I'm gonna die
If only I could find my people or my place in life
A when they come a'carolin'
So loud, so bright, the theremin
Will lead us to a chorus
Where we'll all rejoice and sing a song that goes:
Oh be calm.
Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
I know that it gets so hard sometimes,
Be calm.
Take it from me, I've been there a thousand times.
You hate your pulse because it thinks you're still alive
And everything's wrong
It just gets so hard sometimes
Be calm.
I don't remember much that night,
Just walking, thinking fondly of you
Thinking how the worst is yet to come
When from that street corner came a song
And I can't remember the man,
The panhandler or his melody.
The words exchanged had far exceeded any change I'd given thee.
Oh be calm.
Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
Oh I know that it gets so hard sometimes,
Be calm.
Take it from me, I've been there a thousand times.
You hate your pulse because it still thinks you're alive
And everything's wrong
It just gets so hard sometimes
Be calm.
Be calm.
My back feeling much better, I suppose
I've reclaimed the use of my imagination
For better or for worse, I've yet to know
But I always knew you'd be the one to understand me,
I guess that's why it took so long to get things right.
Suddenly I'm lost
On my street
On my block
Oh why, Oh why
Oh why haven't you been there for me?
Can't you see, I'm losing my mind this time?
This time I think it's for real, I can see
All the tree tops turning red
The beggars near bodegas grin at me
I think they want something
I close my eyes, I tell myself to breathe
And be calm.
Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
Oh I know that it gets so hard sometimes.
Be calm.
I'm scared that everyone is out to get me.
"These days before you speak to me you pause."
"I always see you looking out your window."
"After all, you lost your band, you left your mom."
Now every single crack, every penny that I pass,
Says I should either leave or pick it up
But with every single buck I've made
I'm saddled with bad luck that came
The moment I was baptized
Or when I found out one day I'm gonna die
If only I could find my people or my place in life
A when they come a'carolin'
So loud, so bright, the theremin
Will lead us to a chorus
Where we'll all rejoice and sing a song that goes:
Oh be calm.
Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
I know that it gets so hard sometimes,
Be calm.
Take it from me, I've been there a thousand times.
You hate your pulse because it thinks you're still alive
And everything's wrong
It just gets so hard sometimes
Be calm.
I don't remember much that night,
Just walking, thinking fondly of you
Thinking how the worst is yet to come
When from that street corner came a song
And I can't remember the man,
The panhandler or his melody.
The words exchanged had far exceeded any change I'd given thee.
Oh be calm.
Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
Oh I know that it gets so hard sometimes,
Be calm.
Take it from me, I've been there a thousand times.
You hate your pulse because it still thinks you're alive
And everything's wrong
It just gets so hard sometimes
Be calm.
Be calm.
Lyrics submitted by SomthinCorporat
Track duration: 04:10
"Be Calm" as written by Nathaniel Joseph/dost Ruess
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Regardless, I always listen to this song when I start to have a break down. It always gives me perspective and calms me down.
"As I walk through the streets of my new city
my back feeling much better, I suppose
I've reclaimed the use of my imagination
for better or for worse, I've yet to know"
This is just a simple story of what was going through his head as he started out his day.
"but I always knew you'd be the one to understand me,
I guess that's why it took so long to get things right.
Suddenly I'm lost
On my street
On my block
Oh why, Oh why
Oh why haven't you been there for me?"
As he walks along the street he begins to think deeply about his life. He starts wondering why things aren't going as he had expected he tries to move to the root of his problems and so doing becomes overwhelmed. He stops wondering where he is going or why he's going there. He continues to walk on and on as his mind races in circles with no answer in sight.
"Can't you see, I'm losing my mind this time?
This time it's for real, I can see
All the tree tops turning red
The beggars near bodegas grin at me
I think they want something"
Then he opens his eyes. Stops walking around blindly and tries to figure out where in the world he is. Nothing is familiar. Nothing is right, the real world no longer makes sense because he's been living on the inside of his thoughts for so long.
"I close my eyes, I tell myself to breathe
and be calm."
When he comes to his breaking point he knows himself well enough to know how to handle it. He has obviously been in this situation before and knows what he needs to do. He has to stop. and Be Calm in order to cope with his thoughts.
"Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
I know that it gets so hard sometimes.
Be calm."
Now he pauses his narration to tell the listener that he can relate.
I'm scared that everyone is out to get me.
"These days before you speak to me you pause."
"I always see you looking out your window."
"After all, you lost your band, you left your mom."
Now, he begins to think about the decisions he has made recently. He cannot figure out if he made the right choice. He has different aspects of his personality talking to him in his mind and making him second guess his decisions.
"Now every single crack, every penny that I pass,
says I should either leave or pick it up
But with every single buck I've made
I'm saddled with bad luck that came"
Now because his mind is telling him that he keeps messing up he can no longer make even the most inconsequential of decisions like picking up a penny off the sidewalk. He is finding that even though one part of his life might be going alright (his career) everything else is falling apart, in his head.
"the moment I was baptized
or when I found out one day I'm gonna die
if only I could find my people or my place in life
a when they come a'carolin'
so loud, so bright, the theremin
will lead us to a chorus
where we'll all rejoice and sing a song that goes:
Oh be calm."
His brain is continuing to over-complicate life. Once he begins to think about the issues of the world he cannot stop and as he becomes overwhelmed he begins to worry over the never ending question that has pushed the wisest of men to their limit "What happens when we die?". Then, through the muddle of thoughts crowding his mind, his sub-conscious pushes through with a small sliver of light that reminds him to be calm. That it will be alright.
"Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
I know that it gets so hard sometimes,
Be calm.
Take it from me, I've been there a thousand times.
You hate your pulse because it thinks you're still alive
and everything's wrong
It just gets so hard sometimes
Be calm."
Once again he relates his experiences to the listener. Telling them that it did work out in the end even if there was a time when at his lowest he no longer wanted to live.
"I don't remember much that night,
Just walking, thinking fondly of you
Thinking how the worst is yet to come"
Here, he goes back to his narration of his walk that began in the morning with simple everyday thoughts. The day, because of his panic-attack has been a whirlwind of excitement (portrayed by the music) but now we are back to his narration of walking along the street. He has already resigned himself to the fact that his relationship will not last and is now just thinking about how he is and will continue toenjoy it as long as it lasts. The music in the section is really extraordinary because it shows how after his panic-attack even these loud harsh chords are calming when compared to his adrenaline rush. An example of this would be if you went into the lobby of a venue holding a Megadeth concert after being involved in a mosh pit. Your mind would be calm even with the intense music still blaring because when compared to what you just finished experiencing the lobby is an oasis of tranquility.
"When from that street corner came a song
And I can't remember the man,
The panhandler or his melody.
The words exchanged had far exceeded any change I'd given thee."
I'm not completely sure about this ending but I believe he is telling the listener where he got the advice that he was giving them. After Nate's long day walking he sees a street musician and drops him a bit of money. The man either said or (more likely) played something that touched Nate. That made him control his thoughts, and be calm.
"Oh be calm.
Be calm.
I know you feel like you are breaking down.
I know that it gets so hard sometimes,
Be calm."
He really wants the listener to learn from his mistakes and handle similar situations by calming down and letting go.
Although there are no lyrics in this point of the song I believe the ending deserves an interpretation because it is so unique. The beauty is in the minor key that gives it a realistic, crushing ending. He is trying to say that this is not going to be the end of your struggles but you must always persevere on.
1. "I've reclaimed the use of my imagination
for better or for worse, I've yet to know"
Schizophrenia manifests itself as delusions that can impair or enhance a person's function...hence "for better or for worse, i've yet to know"
2. "The tops of trees are turning red
The beggars near bodegas grin at me" .. sounds like either a schizophrenic hallucination or a good trip on hallucinogenic drugs.
3. "I'm scared that everyone is out to get me"
Schizophrenia provokes feelings and thoughts of people out to get you, in which you conciously need to remind yourself to be calm.
The whole song sounds to me like a schizophrenic thought process and the chorus "be calm" is a way of coping and reassuring himself of what is and isn't real. it's scary, and i think it's well explained throughout the song. I could be totally off but that's my theory.
1. I often feel I loose my imagination when I'm feeling down on my luck, or especially adult like (having responsibilities sometimes you forget or give up the time to be creative). At this line I feel he is simply getting back into song writing/music creating and isn't sure if it's going to be better or worse than his past experiences.
2. Tree tops turning red, and beggars grinning are completely normal situations that happen under normal context. In the fall, leaves turn red, often the tops being the most red due to how the color change occurs. Beggars, as the name implies, are begging for something so saying they want something from him is not unreasonable. These examples are completely reasonable in the context of the song (being in a city) so it's hard to see them as hallucinations because they are not blatantly false.
3. Being scared that people are out to get you is characteristic of many conditions including paranoid personality disorder, as well as simply going through a rough time (me or us against the world mentality).
4. Finally, a major part of Schizophrenia is that they have poor insight not a coping mechanism, meaning they believe 100% the hallucinations are real life events. If he is coping by telling himself to be calm, then he is not Schizophrenic.
I would agree that he might be worried about the onset of a mental disorder or simple breakdown with lines like "Can't you see, I'm losing my mind this time? This time I think it's for real", but whether he is showing signs, I'm not convinced.
I really see it more as down on your luck, feeling like nothing is going your way, and then remembering to be calm, because things will turn around as they always do.
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their sound is beautiful! it does sound very similar to the format thow.