Jeff Buckley – Grace

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  General Comment:What does he mean by "There's the moon asking to stay
  Long enough for the clouds to fly me away"?

  Flag may6052418on May 11, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:This may very well be Jeff's most spiritual song, as it expresses not only his fearlessness towards death, but his profound understanding that it is an integral part of life, and perhaps even a positive experience in that it extinguishes all of our earthly attachments and sufferings, and is merely a continuation of our soul's eternal journey (in keeping with Jeff's interest in Sufism). He also has realized that love is the most divine emotion of all, and that once love is experienced, the pain of life can be seen as illusory. I'm going to be very guarded in saying this, but I truly believe that Jeff was unafraid to die and was ready for it. He MAY have even been wanting to die. That isn't to say that he committed suicide per se, but perhaps he had fulfilled his purpose, and wasn't going to fight death when it arrived. Another commenter wrote that Jeff may have been curious to taste death, and this is something I can connect with. He may have seen death as a pathway to rebirth, and who knows, he may have wanted this.

  Flag lilynymphon January 07, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:The lyrics of Grace contain the pivotal phrase, "wait in the fire".This image is important within the Sufi sect of Islam. Jeff Buckley was very interested in Sufiism. He held one of its torch bearers, Nusrat Ali Khan, in great esteem.
  
  'Wait in the fire' represents the philosophy that our connection to God, our lifeline of Grace, is strengthened by burining away the secular impurities of the world in which we live. The fire of faith, of penance for our sins, purifies us. This notion is akin to a very similar image and concept in Christianity.
  
  The lyrics of Grace cannot be adequately understood unless one appreciates how Sufiism influenced and shaped Jeff Buckley's outlook and understanding of our mortal and immortal existence.

  Flag ecald12on December 01, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:I know that some people don't want to hear this, but I think Jeff knew very well that he would die young. I don't think anyone around him saw how broken he was, how lost and sad he was feeling, especially towards the end. The lines "wait in the fire" and "I'm not afraid to go, but it goes so slow," suggest not only an awareness of his impending death, but a hidden struggle with having to carry the pain for so long. I even think he knew early on how he was going to die, hence all of the drowning/water references in his songs, and I think he became increasingly more conscious of this as time went on. His songs were directly exercised from his soul, and revealed a lot of his inner turmoil which was not something he would have otherwise expressed outwardly. Maybe this is too far-fetched, but I also made the connection between the line "My fading voice sings of love," and how right before he drowned he was singing "Whole Lotta Love". I don't think we'll ever know exactly if he consciously chose to end his life, but there is significant evidence to suggest that he let himself go and he wasn't going to fight death when it finally arrived.

  Flagged Camaimeeeon November 30, 2012   Link

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    No offfense, but your comment is based on presuppositions without any evidence. True, I don't want to hear your comment but that is because it is unfounded and derogatory to one of the greatest, if not the greatest, singer/songwriter/guitarists, of all time. And, a terrific human being as well!
    
    That the lyrics of Grace can be interpreted, after the fact, to apply in a general manner to the way Jeff Buckley died, is a pure coincidence. Jeff was in Memphis developing songs for his second album. He was excited about that prospect, as well as looking forward to seeing his good friends and band members that evening. He was in the process of looking for a home to purchase. That very day he opened a bank account. He loved his new city and home, of Memphis. This does not comprise an evidentiary context for a man about to commit suicide
    
    Please, you appear to appreciate the talent of this great man. Do not sully his name and reputation with such foolish gibberish. Think before you speak or write, and be considerate towards the feelings of others.
    
    

    Flag ecald12on December 01, 2012  

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    I truly am sorry if I offended/upset you, your comment made me take a step back and rethink what I wrote. I love Jeff Buckley, and would never, EVER want to be harmful towards him or make others feel that way. I didn't however, say that Jeff committed suicide. What I meant by he let himself go was explained further when I said he wasn't going to fight death when it finally arrived. There was evidence to suggest that Jeff was dealing with a lot of inner turmoil at the time, and many of his friends DID suggest that he might have known his destiny. Michael Tighe even said that Jeff "had to come into something.. he had to die". While I don't know the exact meaning of this, I think it is unfair to say that my thoughts were "foolish gibberish", "unfounded and derogatory,". They might have been if I flat-out wrote "I think Jeff Buckley killed himself," but this is not the case. Even if I had written this, it would be my opinion, and I am free to express it, don't you agree? I just thought I should give an explanation and I hope you can obtain some further understanding.

    Flag Camaimeeeon December 02, 2012  

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    Camaimeee, I agree with what you're saying. I definitely feel that Jeff was suspicious toward when death was coming for him. I understand what you're saying - he did not commit suicide, but I'm sure he had an eerie feeling upon him for a little while. I have friends who feel this way, and I slightly feel this way myself. Jeff's death is very similar (in my opinion) to the death of James Dean, and every other person who has made frequent comments about death and understand life - people who are old soul's and seem to be overtly familiar with life and death. I am in agreeance with what you're saying. I definitely do not feel this to be foolish gibberish.

    Flag ladyraineon March 13, 2013  
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  General Comment:Here's what Jeff about Grace during a 1994 interview:
  "It's about not fearing death, or fearing any of those countless slings and arrows that you suffer sometimes on this earth, because somebody loves you. You're not afraid to go, you're not afraid to withstand what you need to withstand because there's a tremendous fuel that you feel regenerating inside because of someone else's love for you. That's what Grace is about. And it's just about life sometimes being so long. At the time I was anticipating leaving Los Angelos for New York. So I was waiting to go. I'm not afraid to go, I'm not afraid to die, I'm not afraid to go away from this place or from any place but it just goes so slow. And I had somebody who loved me in New York. A lot. And it was amazing. It still is."

  Flag melusineon April 27, 2012   Link

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    That would be nice!

    Flag leavesintheriveron March 13, 2013  
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  General Comment:I think it's about a man who has long accepted his mortality and he no longer fears death but accepts him as he would a friend and that its just another part of life that we all must come to eventually.
  
  The woman he loves doesnt share the same views and is afraid of her mortality, afraid of death.
  "As she weeps on my arm, Walking to the bright lights in sorrow, Oh drink a bit of wine, We both might go tomorrow, Oh my love"
  She is afraid of dying, Afraid of "walking into the bright lights". He is telling her to calm down "Oh drink a bit of wine" and to not be afraid. That death can come at any time "We both might go tomorrow".
  
  When the man's death does come, He knows that people will be sad and mourn him and "It reminds me of the pain I might leave behhind". Yet eventually they will all forget him "drown out his name" and that his name and his legacy will soon follow with him in death "So easy to know and forget with this kiss" He refers to the kiss of death. That while people will mourn him when he passes (As everyone does after the death of a loved one) they will eventually move on and forget him as time passes.
  
  The last line of the song "Im not afraid to go but it goes so slow" refers to him knowing that even though he accepts death and is waiting for it with open arms, He cant decide when he goes or not. That Death will eventually come for him on its own. He simply has to wait for the time that Death comes and the time "goes so slow"

  Flag asylumspadezon November 01, 2011   Link

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  My Interpretation:I feel that in this song he is very conflicted. It's like he is talking of how he tries to make the woman he is with understand how he loves her. She is going through emotional hardship and has trouble seeing anything past her own pain. He is reminded of his own personal pain by seeing her this way, and he is asking her to forget their troubles together for a while. In himself though, sometimes life feels so painful for him that he thinks dying might not be a worse option than living. He knows his lover would be hurt to lose him, so he stays for her and "waits in the fire". It's a very emotionally raw and powerful song.

  Flag Solstaron May 22, 2011   Link

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    Sounds good to me. I suck at interpreting songs, though. Sometimes I just suck. (That didn't come out as intended:)

    Flag SillyCheekson March 08, 2012  
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  General Comment:I believe there are underlying hints of suicide in the lyrics. It seems that he attracted his own death (not knew it was going to come) and no doubt to me that there are references to it in this song. It seems like he has known for a long time that he was going to follow his father's fate. Probably all through his childhood. If you try to put yourself in his shoes growing under his dads legacy, it is not hard to see that he saw himself dying young as well.
  
  This long felt vision of his own death also explains the extreme heartfelt deep emotional music this passionate person created. truly someone who will be remembered by those who he touched.
  
  I cant help to think how much better it would be if he was still alive. He never lived to fully achieve the recognition he deserved, it was only a matter of time. the music that he would have created would have put a dent in the popular music sound we hear today.
  
  I put him on the same category as Jimi Hendrix. The world would be a better place if Jeff and Jimi lived into old age.

  Flag hoodunon April 26, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:In Buckley's words, "It's about not feeling so bad about your own mortality when you have true love."

  Flag TrueLiaron July 25, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:he said live it was about coming to terms with his own mortality or any man at that

  Flag wankyourselfsillyon May 06, 2010   Link

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