The National – England

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  General Comment:I always thought it was "afraid of the hands, cause theyre desperate to entertain."

  Flag sylar1988on February 07, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I've always heard this song as being about writer's block, and the pressure the band (and in particular the lyricist) feel to provide new albums. It all harks back to the line 'The English are waiting' in 'Mr November'. The English are of course the band's label (4AD/Beggars):
  
  'Feeling I've lost today' - Writer's Block
  
  'You must be somewhere in London,you must be loving your life in the rain' - forlorn feelings about the label, and resentment at the pressure they are causing.
  
  'Walking Abbey Lane' - a further image of music in England, he meant of course Abbey Road, hence the next line, 'I don't even think to make corrections.'
  
  'Famous angels never come through England, England gets the ones you never need' - a dig at the England's Anglicanism; saying that all the well known saints are revered by (or come from) other countries and other religions.
  
  Carrying on the religious theme, the lyricist is now 'in a Los Angeles cathedral' and the choir is singing ('minor singing airheads sing for me').
  
  The lyricist then realises that the problem isn't the record label in England, but himself:
  
  'Put an ocean and river between everybody ever, between everything, yourself and home' – it is his own difficulties at relating to people.
  
  'Afraid of the height cause they're desperate to entertain' - his fear of having to perform and the fame it might bring.
  
  (The lyricist then goes on to write 'High Violet'. Much to England's delight.)

  Flag ccammyon August 24, 2011   Link

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    Good work CCammy. Best explanation on here in my opinion.

    Flag TheElectricLemonon August 30, 2011  
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  My Interpretation:I didn't see this song as a lament for lost love, so much as a tale of quiet desperation. To me, it felt like this person was frustrated with their life of "fame" in Los Angeles and the cold numbness that everyone seems to have towards each other there. They see England as a place of escape and freedom to be yourself without the creepy glorification of and fascination with celebrity. My favorite line: "Put an ocean and a river between everybody else/Between everything, yourself, and home"
  It's so beautiful and eloquent. The feeling of frustration and longing for escape is so strong. Others can interpret it as they want, but this is what I got out of this song.

  Flag o0Erin0oon August 14, 2011   Link

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  My Interpretation:For me, this song is someone telling the one he loves she isn't there for him.
  A runner must be sent, despite him feeling bad, to let her know she needs to come back.
  She seems to have a great life to which the singer wouldn't make corrections. So he is depressed and is jealous of her life.
  But in the chorus he critises her. If she really was perfect she wouldn't be in England, she would be in the Los Angeles Cathedral with him. The 'minor singing airheads', I think, are his family and friends who aren't as close to him as the person he sings to.
  He explains this in the second verse: Just because she puts a distance between her and him, she still has responsibilities.
  In the last part he really gets agitated: He stresses how people are trying to cheer him up, but the only one who can is an ocean and a river away.

  Flag yvogreyon July 12, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I agree the lyrics evoke "love lost." The line about not making corrections is kind of the key. The narrator keeps getting dumped and doesn't think to change himself to prevent these failed relationships from continuously failing. However, he's self-aware enough in the song to think about making corrections, if not real life.
  
  The girl is an American who moved to England. The narrator is helpless to this fact and there's nothing he can do to save the relationship. So he sits at some music event(Los Angeles cathedral) listening to bad musicians or at least musicians without any real depth to their art (the minor singing airheads) then hangs out with them after to probably get loaded and forget about his depression because he doesn't want to go home and think about the break up. (afraid of the house, stayed the night with the sinners)

  Flag supposablethumbson June 25, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Since no one else has tried I'll attempt to give you what this song means:
  
  A girl has left him and he's dealing with the aftermath. He obviously misses her and knows can't imagine that she misses him as much as she misses her. She may be off in London, moving on with her life.
  The line "put an ocean and river between everything, yourself and home" sticks out for me as she may have run away from a problem they had in their relationship. "I don't even think to make corrections" strikes me as him beating himself up over not changing in a way that she wanted him to. Now that she's left him he realizes this and is upset at himself.
  I'm not sure what to make of the last part of the song and it's meaning to what I said previously. Either way it is a beautiful song with a memorable build up to the last lines. Hats off to The National, this is a real gem and we should thank them for sharing this beautiful piece of art with us.

  Flag jbRAGEGARDENon May 05, 2011   Link

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    Let me correct my grammar since you can't edit here:
    A girl has left him and he's dealing with the aftermath. He obviously misses her and he can't imagine that she misses him as much as he misses her. She may be off in London, moving on with her life.
    The line "put an ocean and river between everything, yourself and home" sticks out for me as she may have run away from a problem they had in their relationship. "I don't even think to make corrections" strikes me as him beating himself up over not changing in a way that she wanted him to. Now that she's left him he realizes this and is upset at himself, but ultimately won't change as we find out at the end of the song.
    
    The last lines I've made a little more sense of now. He is "afraid of the house" because he knows she won't be there when he goes back. So he's staying away and "sinning" (probably drinking or doing drugs) to ease the pain of her leaving. These could even be friends he had to leave behind in his relationship w her because she didn't approve of them "sinning". Obviously I'm just throwing ideas out there, but hope it makes some sense.

    Flag jbRAGEGARDENon May 05, 2011  
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  Lyric Correction:someone send a runner through the weather that i'm under for the feeling that i lost today
  someone send a runner for the feeling that i lost today
  someone send a runner through the weather that i'm under for the feeling that i lost today
  someone send a runner for the feeling that i lost today
  
  you must be somewhere in London,
  you must be loving your life in the rain
  you must be somewhere in London
  walking Abbey Lane
  
  i don't even think to make
  i don't even think to make
  i don't even think to make corrections
  
  famous angels never come through England
  england gets the ones you never need
  i'm in a Los Angeles cathedral
  minor singing airheads sing for me
  
  put an ocean and river between everybody ever
  between everything, yourself and home
  put an ocean and river between everything, yourself and home
  
  you must be somewhere in London
  loving your life in the rain
  you must be somewhere in London
  walking Abbey Lane
  
  i don't even think
  i don't even think
  i don't even think to make corrections
  
  famous angels never come through England
  england gets the ones you never need
  i'm in a Los Angeles cathedral
  minor singing airheads sing for me
  
  afraid of the house stayed the night with the sinners
  afraid of the house stayed the night with the sinners
  afraid of the house cause they're desperate to entertain
  
  afraid of the house stayed the night with the sinners
  afraid of the house stayed the night with the sinners
  afraid of the house cause they're desperate to entertain
  
  afraid of the house stayed the night with the sinners
  afraid of the house stayed the night with the sinners
  afraid of the house cause they're desperate the entertain
  

  Flag aleesh725on April 25, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:cool to see all this discussion about which are the correct lyrics.
  
  but this is Song Meanings, really, and I haven't seen anyone really express what these lyrics mean to them, or what they think the lyrics mean to the artist.

  Flag mkeion March 25, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I saw them in London last week and they said it's
  
  You must be somewhere in London
  Walking Abbey Lane

  Flag swarmofbeeson December 05, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I think it's "Someone send a runner for the feeling that I lost today". I like the "Summer sent her running" but that doesn't make as much sense and the former sounds more like what he's saying.
  And I also think it is "Abbey Lane" and the "corrections" refers to not changing it to be "Abbey Road" in the letter he's writing. Also, Abbey Road would be a partial reference to the recording studio which is a destination for many recording artists when visiting London, just to see it. This goes back to the recording studio reference (with the "runner") in the verse. At least, that's how I see it.
  And it's "Put an ocean and a river". I've always thought it was a reference to Manhattan, in that Manhattan is across the Atlantic + the East River from England. The East River after the ocean is, of course, not necessary to mention, but that's just what's so genius about that line.
  And "Afraid of the heights, spend the night with the sinners". It's what makes sense.
  
  I think it's important to remember that Matt Berninger has a very slight Southern Ohio accent and this often comes out in some of his singing, so you have to adjust your ears a bit.

  Flagged bocmaximaon December 02, 2010   Link

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