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Now that San Francisco's gone
I guess I'll just pack it in
Wanna wash away my sins
In the presence of my friends
You and I, we head back east
To find a town where we can live
Even in the half light
We can see that something's gotta give
When we watched the markets crash
The promises we made were torn
And my parents sent for me
From out west where I was born
Some people say
We've already lost
But they're afraid to pay the cost
For what we've lost
Pay the cost for what we've lost
Now that you have left me here
I will never raise my voice
All the diamonds you have here
In this home which has no life
Oh, this city's changed so much
Since I was a little child
Pray to God I won't live to see
The death of everything that's wild
Though we knew this day would come
Still it took us by surprise
In this town where I was born
I now see through a dead man's eyes
One day they will see it's long gone.
I guess I'll just pack it in
Wanna wash away my sins
In the presence of my friends
You and I, we head back east
To find a town where we can live
Even in the half light
We can see that something's gotta give
When we watched the markets crash
The promises we made were torn
And my parents sent for me
From out west where I was born
Some people say
We've already lost
But they're afraid to pay the cost
For what we've lost
Pay the cost for what we've lost
Now that you have left me here
I will never raise my voice
All the diamonds you have here
In this home which has no life
Oh, this city's changed so much
Since I was a little child
Pray to God I won't live to see
The death of everything that's wild
Though we knew this day would come
Still it took us by surprise
In this town where I was born
I now see through a dead man's eyes
One day they will see it's long gone.
Lyrics submitted by firstgreenroom
Track duration: 04:29
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Half light is something middle between dark and light. Arcade Fire has a lot of religious themes, so I guess this is about living in the middle line - doing something bad and something good.
"Lock us up safe - and hide the key... in the half light we´re free"
they like the light they the both like the dark I guess. This is phase betweed being really good, everyone of us once had it.
But Half Light II. (no celebrations) says, that he starts to like it and starts to prefer that kind of living.
"Pray to God I won´t live to see the death of everything that´s wild."
Then he says about day, that he knew about it. But still it took him by suprise.
I believe it is about a man who started to like the living in half light. Doing something bad and good. And he forgot the day and that´s why he is dead now.
---
Please forgive me my wrong english
And note the economic references to stock or home value devaluation (some people say we've already lost). And (but they're afraid to pay the cost) seems to refer to the huge National debt "parents" have rung up, but are afraid to pay for.
In the presence of my friends
Incase you haven't noticed Many of Win's lyrics are directly related to christianity. Much of his lyrics deal with growing up in a religious inviroment which I believe is a key ingredient to arcade fire's music.
It wasn't obvious, but I think I've figured it out... This song is about the commercialization of the US/Western World/the world and how it's made people void of humanity. San Francisco is a few hours away from the town where Win Butler (singer) was born, it was a hotspot of progressive cultural change in the '60s and '70s. But now, it's associated with Silicon Valley as the center of high-tech, dot-coms, etc. As in Sprawl II and perhaps other songs of the album, light is a metaphor for what is attractive (shiny) yet illusory (hollow, intangible)
The over-speculation of dot-com stocks by greedy investors led to a stock market crash that left others suffering. And of course, the housing market collapse of 2008 has led to the current economic recession that still hasn't ended, and many people unrelated to the causes to lose lots -- their retirement savings, their mortgages, etc. Kids have seen their parents lose their jobs. Even now, there's no real reparations, and it's taken in everyone's minds that it's a done deal. If your house is repossessed, you're blamed for trying to afford outside of your minds, that you've set up yourself up for disaster already. But those who'd like most to accept things for what they are those who caused the problem, and they're afraid to really own up to what they've caused. Those who are left impoverished are struggling with their own problems to band together and effect change in the system, while those who profited and escaped lift a rich, unrewarding
Already seeing what's happened in San Francisco, Win is saying that he's worried that all that's still good and natural in the world will be killed off by the effects of short-sighted human greed, superficiality, etc., which is happening faster than they expected. At some point, people will look back and wonder how things went wrong, but it will be far too late.
Of course, this is just the gist of what I interpret. You may have other ideas. Personally, I'd also say that techology is a part of the self-destructive forces of commercialization sung about.
Cool lyrics!
Oh, this city's changed so much
Since I was a little child
Pray to God I won't live to see
The death of everything that's wild
I guess I'll just pack it in
Wanna wash away my sins
In the presence of my friends"
My first thought was, "Oh No's, he's talking about a horrible earthquake!" But then I realized it could be a few different things. SF has been taken over by the "hipsters" everyone here mentions, making it no longer a cool place to live. Someone was laid off during the recession, or the recession made it that much harder to survive in this city. Or someone finally realized the California Dream is better left a dream.