This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Me and Lazarus, we shovel all the ashes out
Black bare linens blowing 'round
Back and forth and up and down
Oh, oh, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
Me and Lazarus kept bailing on that riverboat
Floating by the choir rose
Bobbing in the ebb and flow
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
He's an emancipated punk and he can dance
But he's got a hole in the pocket of his pants
Must be a symptom of outstanding circumstances
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Me and Lazarus, we fiddle with a baby spoon
Fever flowing through the room
Far too long and way too soon
Oh, whoa, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
Me and Lazarus, we pick up papa's white boy blues
Hand-me-downs and Sunday shoes
Never made the local news
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
And I'm a liberated loser that can roam
But where my pocket was I'm peeking through a hole
A couple second chances surely would console me
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Black bare linens blowing 'round
Back and forth and up and down
Oh, oh, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
Me and Lazarus kept bailing on that riverboat
Floating by the choir rose
Bobbing in the ebb and flow
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
He's an emancipated punk and he can dance
But he's got a hole in the pocket of his pants
Must be a symptom of outstanding circumstances
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Me and Lazarus, we fiddle with a baby spoon
Fever flowing through the room
Far too long and way too soon
Oh, whoa, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
Me and Lazarus, we pick up papa's white boy blues
Hand-me-downs and Sunday shoes
Never made the local news
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Guess I had nowhere else to go
And I'm a liberated loser that can roam
But where my pocket was I'm peeking through a hole
A couple second chances surely would console me
Whoa, whoa, whoa
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“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Correct lyrics:
Me and Lazarus, we shovel all the ashes out Black bare linens blowing 'round Back and forth and up and down oh oh woah, guess I had nowhere else to go
Me and Lazarus kept bailing on the riverboat Floating by the choir rose Bobbing in the ebb and flow oh oh woah, guess I had nowhere else to go
He's an emancipated punk and he can dance But he's got a hole in the pocket of his pants Must be a symptom of outstanding circumstances Woah
Me and Lazarus, we fiddle with a baby spoon Fever flowing through the room Far too long and way too soon oh oh woah, guess I had nowhere else to go
Me and Lazarus, we pick up papa's white boy blues Hand-me downs and Sunday shoes Never made the local news oh oh woah, guess I had nowhere else to go
And I'm a liberated loser that can roll But where my pocket was I'm peeking through a hole A couple second-chances surely would console me Woah
Me and Lazarus, picked apart those white boy blues Hand made gowns and sunday shoes never made the local news WHooOOooOOooAH
Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, i guess he had nowhere else to go.
not choir rose...choir rows!
This verse seems strikes me as a drug reference: using the spoon to mix injectables, cotton poisoning a side effect from shooting...lasts sooo long!
Me and Lazarus, we fiddle with a baby spoon Fever flowing through the room Far too long and way too soon
The references to holes in pockets would speak to the fact that junkies go through their money so fast!
From an interview at the time:
I had this tune where I had this image of Lazarus on a motorcycle that didn’t mean anything [laughs] – or at least it didn’t mean enough. But then I had this other sort of Jamaican sounding thing that had a melody I liked.
I had a bunch of friends during the Bush era that were like, ‘Fuck this shit let’s get out of here! I’m leaving! I’m going to Europe or Canada.’ They had it all figured out. And I remember feeling, ‘you know, you’ll always find some problem.’
I didn’t like what the administration was doing at the time either, but the idea of running away? And at the same time there was all these bank bailouts, and so it kind of all got stirred up in the soup of ‘Me and Lazarus’ who got a second chance. The narrator paling around with Lazarus. It doesn’t mean it’s, not a particular thesis on any particular point, it’s just a big… soup.