This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Had a dream
You and me and the war at the end times
And I believe
California succumbed to the fault line
We heaved relief
As scores of innocents died
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
Hetty Green
Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab
If you know what I mean
On the road
It's well-advised to follow your own path
In the year of the chewable Ambien tab
And the Panamanian child
Stands at the Dowager Empress's side
And all the remains is the arms of the angel
And all the remains is the arms of the angels
And you've receded into loam
And they're picking at your bones
Will call cold
We'll come home
Quiet now
Will we gather to conjure the rain down
Will we now
Build a civilization below ground
And I'll be crowned
The community kicked it around
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angels
You and me and the war at the end times
And I believe
California succumbed to the fault line
We heaved relief
As scores of innocents died
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
Hetty Green
Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab
If you know what I mean
On the road
It's well-advised to follow your own path
In the year of the chewable Ambien tab
And the Panamanian child
Stands at the Dowager Empress's side
And all the remains is the arms of the angel
And all the remains is the arms of the angels
And you've receded into loam
And they're picking at your bones
Will call cold
We'll come home
Quiet now
Will we gather to conjure the rain down
Will we now
Build a civilization below ground
And I'll be crowned
The community kicked it around
And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel
'Til all the remains is the arms of the angels
Lyrics submitted by Tinneal, edited by highbeam2004
Calamity Song Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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"When I was writing 'Calamity Song,' Sarah Palin was talking about how everybody was going to move to Alaska when the end times come." — Colin Meloy, Decemberists frontman
Apparently this song was inspired by one of the crazy ramblings Sarah Palin graced us with during the 2008 presidential campaign. While there are a few references to the the then-upcoming election, the lyrics mostly have fun with the concept of the "end times," as eagerly awaited by Christian fundamentalists like Sarah Palin.
Colin Meloy is, of course, a firmly left-wing progressive (anti-war, gay rights, healthcare reform, etc.) Naturally, he supported and campaigned for Democratic candidate Barack Obama in 2008.
Some explanations and elucidations:
"California succumbed to the fault line" = The natural disasters of the "end times" evidently include massive earthquakes along the San Andreas fault in California.
"And the Andalusian tribes / Setting the lay of Nebraska alight" = "Andalusian" refers to southern Spain, usually in reference to the Vandals, a barbarian tribe that once occupied that region. In the context of the song, the "Andalusian tribes" are likely roving gangs of desperate and violent savages, roaming, burning, and pillaging across the wasteland in the aftermath of the apocalypse.
"Hetty Green" = An early 20th-century businesswoman known for her greed and stinginess "Hetty Green / Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab / You know what I mean" = Sarah Palin (Queen of pro-rich [supply-side economics] folksy [bonhomie] bone-grey dullness [bone-drab])
"And the Panamanian child" = John McCain (Born at a US Army base in Panama)
"Stands at the Dowager Empress's side" = Cindy McCain (Always wears heavy make-up and elaborate clothing, like a Dowager Empress.
I was initially skeptical it was a political song, but given he now offers it up for free for Bachmann to use as campaign theme - It seems fairly obvious now. LOL!
Here's my take on the song:
The Narrator is telling his friend about a dream he had that they had been part of, in which the following situation was the case:
Following a large earthquake that takes out California, the united states is plunged into a post-apocalyptic state of being, where people form tribes that operate independent of the whole (like Andalusia and Panama).
During the chaos, the upper-crust Wall-street types (like Hetty Green) attempt to establish their dominance, but they can't manage to keep control in a world where their old ways no longer apply. That short lived empire fails and is swallowed up by the Earth(receded into loam). Now, the narrator and his friend are coming back to their former home to start a new society. In the end he's making suggestions as to how to go about just that.
Also, the line "and all of that remains is the arms of an angel" I think is in the same spirit as Shelly's "Ozymandias" in where all that remained of that previous civilization were the two legs of the ruler's statue, in the midst of a vast wasteland.
The year of the chewable ambien tab is probably an allusion to David Foster Wallace's infinite jest, where years are named after products (most of the book takes place in the year of he depend adult undergarment). I feel like that's too similar to be coincidence.
I agree. I immeadatly thought of Infinite Jest when I herd it.
Definitely alluding to Infinite Jest, Colin said so on the NPR radio show with David Dye last week. He was reading the book at the time of the writing.
@positive_tension Check out the music video for this song. It's a loose remake of the Eschaton scene. The lead singer plays Pemulis. Otis Lord doesn't dive through the monitor at the end though, unfortunately.
I sincerely doubt that The Decemberists dislike California since they seem to have been making a point to play this song in California. They wouldn't hate on a state in that state; they aren't assholes. I think the "heaved a sigh of relief line" is meant to be a bit callous because people tend to be that way. They feel bad when disasters happen to other people, but at the same time they are glad that they don't have to suffer.
The line is "we heaved relief". At no point is a sigh mentioned.
Succumbing to the fault line doesn't necessarily mean that California falls into the ocean, just suffers a large earthquake.
I think that the 'heaved relief' line means that they were relieved that they survived, or that they were not in California when it happened.... You might see a disaster on TV, and you are horrified by the violence of it and at the same time, you feel relieved that you and your family are safe... That is what this song brings out in me...
I agree with this interpretation of the line. Colin doesn't need to explicitly say "heaved A SIGH of relief" to get across the basic idea there (it doesn't scan with the music anyway). The character and his/her fellows are relieved that they weren't among the dead of California. It's simultaneously a positive ("hurray, we aren't dead") and negative ("who cares about the dead, so long as we are not among them!") sentiment that is all-too-common among insulated middle America, people whose only exposure to large-scale tragedy tends to be via newsreel footage - a not-unfrequent target of Colin's gentle criticisms.
I thought Dhamp had some good points. Here's some other stuff I noticed:
In addition to references to natural disasters, there are references to war and anarchy: "the war of the end times", the "Andalusian tribes", etc. The whole "Hetty Green" bit seems to be about how you can only trust yourself in these times and look out for your own interests. The verse that begins with "Quiet now" suggests that the disaster(s) may have resulted in some kind of post-apocalyptic future with a handful of survivors. It's suggested that there might be some kind of drought ("Will we gather to conjure the rain down?") and/or nuclear fallout ("Will we now / Build a civilization below ground?"), or at least that the surface of the Earth has been made inhospitable in some way. Not sure what "the arms of the angels" refers to - it could be that the last thing left to hold onto is religion, or perhaps just human kindness.
I think Panamanian Child and The Dowager Empress might refer to John Mcain and Sarah Palin. John Mcain was born in Panama and ironically (because of Obama's birth questions) would not have been eligible to be president at the time of his birth. The Dowager Empress was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908.
I think the Dowager Empress is Cindy McCain, who often wore extravagant clothes and lots of make-up. Also fits with John McCain as the Panamanian.
"And I believe California succumbed to the fault line"
The first part of the song is about the theory that the next big earthquake will snap the San Andrea's fault line and send California to the sea.
"We heaved relief As scores of innocents died"
The singer of this song clearly doesn't like Californians.
"And the Andalusian tribes Setting the lay of Nebraska alight 'Til all the remains is the arms of the angel"
Then it says that after California slips into the ocean, Mexico is going to attack Nebraska until there is no American left in the midwest.
Petty green = cash?
Not sure who the queen is. Maybe a politician?
Basically the premise of the song is a guy dreaming of Mexico conquering America while a conservative politician lady is trying to fix things, but the public doesn't give a damn about the entire situation... Or at least that's what I got out of it...
Absolutely my (first) fave off the new album. The lead guitar is clearly Peter Buck. The main chord sounds like the chord in Talk About the Passion - just a bit faster tempo.<br /> <br /> decent first stab at this. i had some similar initial inclinations, BUT<br /> <br />
Look at that. Andalusia IS in Spain... Well that's embarrassing.<br /> <br /> ANYHOW<br /> <br /> This song, as well as others of Meloy's, seem to have references from conflicting eras, places, etc. (Let's not count "My mother was a Chinese trapeze artist". Well all know that was done purely in fun.) It tends to make interpretation difficult. He's probably reading these boards and laughing to himself about how we just don't get it.
"And I believe<br /> California succumbed to the fault line"<br /> <br /> "The first part of the song is about the theory that the next big earthquake will snap the San Andrea's fault line and send California to the sea."<br /> <br /> Er, California will never fall into the ocean. The San Andreas fault (which, I assume is the 'fault line' the Decemberists are describing considering it's the fault that gets the most attention in California, plus it also the largest fault in the state) is a transform fault with a strike-slip motion: abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/fixit/ch2/sld003.htm<br /> <br /> California will someday be were Alaska presently is on the globe due to the fault's movement, but this will only occur over millions of years. It's a common misconception California will break off from the continent and fall into the ocean. That's seismically and geologically impossible.<br /> <br /> I think the "succumbed to the fault line" part just means that, in the song, the San Andreas generated a major earthquake that killed a lot of people, considering many large cities sit right on top of the fault (such as Palm Springs). In reality, if and when the fault produces a large earthquake a lot of people will probably die, sadly. <br /> <br /> "We heaved relief<br /> As scores of innocents died"<br /> <br /> I don't know what one could be relived about when thousands of people are killed in a natural disaster. Seems a bit callous to me, but I'm probably missing something.<br /> Maybe they're referring to the relief of knowing the large earthquake finally happened (there's a lot of hype around it in the California media. Just google 'the Big One earthquake'), and that there won't be another like it in California for another 300 years or so?
The line is actually "Hetty Green," not "Petty green," referring to the first woman whose investments significantly impacted Wall Street. "Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab" is an apt description of the Hetty Green, who was notorious for being well-off but extremely stingy.
@oksure: Yes, California will never fall into the ocean, but that line does probably refer to the belief that it would happen. Don't you remember Lex Luthor's plan in the first Superman movie? <br /> <br /> The bits about living underground remeind me of the Omega Man.
Let's keep in mind that the very first line is "HAD A DREAM". So stop fact-checking and Wikipediaing. It doesn't matter. The song is about a dream about an apocalyptic war. <br /> So I thought the sigh of relief when people died because of the fault lines was because people everyone were going to die anyway, but more brutally. Except for the people who build an underground civilization.<br /> <br /> Basically this song is a silly guess at how the world will end, with lots of clever references thrown in, but nothing to take too seriously. I can't find any deeper meaning than that.
Tinneal, I think you had it right about Mexico. I think he's saying Mexican people are "tribes" of Spain in a sort of lost tribes of Israel way.
"When I was writing 'Calamity Song,' Sarah Palin was talking about how everybody was going to move to Alaska when the end times come." — Colin Meloy, Decemberists frontman<br /> <br /> Apparently this song was inspired by one of the crazy ramblings Sarah Palin graced us with during the 2008 presidential campaign. While there are a few references to the the then-upcoming election, the lyrics mostly have fun with the concept of the "end times," as eagerly awaited by Christian fundamentalists like Sarah Palin. <br /> <br /> Colin Meloy is, of course, a firmly left-wing progressive (anti-war, gay rights, healthcare reform, etc.) Naturally, he supported and campaigned for Democratic candidate Barack Obama in 2008.<br /> <br /> Some explanations and elucidations:<br /> <br /> "California succumbed to the fault line" = The natural disasters of the "end times" evidently include massive earthquakes along the San Andreas fault in California.<br /> <br /> "And the Andalusian tribes / Setting the lay of Nebraska alight" = "Andalusian" refers to southern Spain, usually in reference to the Vandals, a barbarian tribe that once occupied that region. In the context of the song, the "Andalusian tribes" are likely roving gangs of desperate and violent savages, roaming, burning, and pillaging across the wasteland in the aftermath of the apocalypse.<br /> <br /> "Hetty Green" = An early 20th-century businesswoman known for her greed and stinginess<br /> "Hetty Green / Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab / You know what I mean" = Sarah Palin (Queen of pro-rich [supply-side economics] folksy [bonhomie] bone-grey dullness [bone-drab])<br /> <br /> "And the Panamanian child" = John McCain (Born at a US Army base in Panama)<br /> <br /> "Stands at the Dowager Empress's side" = Cindy McCain (Always wears heavy make-up and elaborate clothing, like a Dowager Empress.
This song is a premonition of sorts of the fall of an empire.
Its about a dream. Its not an alternate reality.
"Heaving relief as scores of innocents died" isnt disliking Californians, its saying that people were throwing relief efforts into saving the victims of the Big One mentioned. It doesnt say "heaving A SIGH of relief", which would be negative.
The Andalusian Tribes are a reference to the Vandals, a tribe from Andalusia who sacked Rome at the fall of the empire, and where we get the word vandal and its associations from.
Its not Petty Green, but Hetty Green, the first woman to make an impact on Wall Street. She was also incredibly stingy, and miserly. She is "The Queen of supply-side bone-drab.", and that verse seems to be about not being tied to the strings of accepted economics.
Presumably the idea of the panamanian child and dowager empress is there to suggest this calamity shows people that money cant save you reality - supported by the choice of California with its incredible weath gap between the richest and poorest.
Great interpretation. That makes so much more sense than any of the other interpretations I've heard. The one thing I'd like to add to that is that I think at the beginning the lyric is "you and me and the war of the enzymes." Which would mean a huge chemical war was what started this huge calamity and then the earthquake in California was what threw the world over the edge into complete chaos. It's a pretty cool/vivid image that this song paints.
Colin told David Dye in an interview last week on NPR that it was a "disaster song about the war of the end times." Although war of the enzymes would be apt, its not correct.
Awwwwww, that's disappointing. Doesn't really take away from the song though. In the end.
Are these lyrics official or just transcribed? Because I really thought the line was "I'll be crowned the community cake giver-out", and I'll be extremely disappointed if that's not true :)
For what it's worth, the line would make sense with the interpretations of the song as a bit of a farce/jab at the fundamentalist christian view of the "end times": Giving out cake suggests a levity at odds with the seriousness of the situation (i.e. that all civilization had to escape to below ground), ala Marie Antionette, rather like the way some christians talk about "end times" as though it would be a joyful, somehow beautiful event to have the world torn to pieces and nearly everyone tormented and killed. Anyway.