Beirut – Santa Fe

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  My Interpretation:Time moves differently in Santa Fe. It's unscheduled, strange, and difficult to explain unless you live here. It is my feeling that this is what he's referring to when he says, "Your days in one, this day undone, all day at once."
  
  "Whatever comes through the door I'll see it face to face all by your place" to me reminds me of many, many moments my friends and I have spent together talking about life and death, looking at them and examining it together to reach a higher consciousness. Everyone I have met here is so conscious, it's lovely.
  
  I love the reference to the cross of the martyrs. For the younger, non-tourist folk who live here, it's not about a monument to a "martyr" (a man who slaughters many Native Americans becomes a martyr when he's killed by one? What?), it's about watching the sunset from the highest point in town and seeing the entire sky bowl and 4 different mountain ranges. The cross is a perfect place for Santa Fe to sign you up into the "land of entrapment". If you live here, and vibe here, you never really leave.
  
  "I alone want you to know" to me, means that this town is no longer for the young local folk. We want it all to ourselves, but it's pretty overrun by rich people with their 4th homes and tourists. It's loosing its juju because too many people come here for the wrong reasons. We need more conscious young folk to come! I think that is what a lot of this song is about. How he wants the local, real Santa Fe, but it's getting harder and harder to hold on to. He doesn't talk about the Plaza, the epicenter of tourism and perversion of Santa Fe, which makes me think that this is true.

  Flag yetifuron June 12, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:Zachary Francis Condon, the lead singer/songwriter of Beirut spent much of his late teens traveling around Europe, where he picked up a lot of musical influences which he brought back to his hometown Santa Fe. The first two Beirut albums were influenced by world music, such as French and Balkan styles, but on the third, Rip Tide, these are far less evident. Beirut still sounds like Beirut, but like the core of their music that was there all along under all the frills.
  
  I think the song 'Santa Fe' is autobiographical and about a homecoming of sorts. Zachary spent a lot of his younger days traveling the world and finding exotic sounds to bring back to his small hometown. 'Santa Fe' is about coming back to what was there all along. The song expresses yearning, 'temptation, just too young, all days at once', the passage of time with constant reference to days, and acceptance that all he wants is where he started from 'And all I want, sign me up Santa Fe'

  Flag kaartjron January 19, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:Zachary Francis Condon, the lead singer/songwriter of Beirut spent much of his late teens traveling around Europe, where he picked up a lot of musical influences which he brought back to his hometown Santa Fe. The first two Beirut albums were influenced by world music, such as French and Balkan styles, but on the third, Rip Tide, these are far less evident. Beirut still sounds like Beirut, but like the core of their music that was there all along under all the frills.
  
  I think the song 'Santa Fe' is autobiographical and about a homecoming of sorts. Zachary spent a lot of his younger days traveling the world and finding exotic sounds to bring back to his small hometown. 'Santa Fe' is about coming back to what was there all along. The song expresses yearning, 'temptation, just too young, all days at once', the passage of time with constant reference to days, and acceptance that all he wants is where he started from 'And all I want, sign me up Santa Fe'

  Flag kaartjron January 19, 2012   Link

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  Lyric Correction:i think that the line is "of grace of lust" instead of "all grace of lost"
  it just makes more sense to me.

  Flag beirut14on December 30, 2011   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:oh my god, I love this song so much man. It should have way more comments. As for the meaning, I'm pretty sure lessthanyouthink nailed it.

  Flag DAFUQon November 20, 2011   Link

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• +3
  General Comment:The lead/writer is originally from Santa Fe, NM. A large cross overlooks downtown, the Cross of the Martyrs (which may be part of what he is referring to with "on the cross"). the song may be about both being called home and more complex levels involving some kind of faith (the literal translation of Santa Fe is "Holy Faith") and/or martyrdom. Those of us who live here intuitively kinda get it, but it's hard to explain.

  Flag lessthanyouthinkon October 29, 2011   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:Beirut is amazing beyond words.

  Flag MollytheEndon September 13, 2011   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:Great song. I believe the singer is from Santa Fe...assuming he's signing up to go back home, but who knows. Regardless, beautiful song

  Flag rocketqueenzon September 02, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:fell inlove with this song the 1st time i heard it...love it! :D

  Flagged mssparkleson July 29, 2011   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:wonderful :)

  Flag cmj45on July 11, 2011   Link

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