Eternal life is now on my trail
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names

And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal,
Angel

Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone

And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal

There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?

Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel yeah
Angel, unh, angel, unh



Lyrics submitted by pixyscope

Track duration: 04:53

"Eternal Life" as written by Jeff Buckley

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Eternal Life song meanings
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35 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I'd just like to comment about the desk job-thing (and also tap in to what Lnbodibic is talking about). I don't necessarily belive it's desk job as in the kind a lot of people do every day, I think it's more the "You that hide behind desks"-type of job (as Bob Dylan so brilliantly put it).

    Wow, that's a lot of desks in one post!
    Flag Katzenjammeron December 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about extremists who look for eternal life by suicide bombing or through war or whatever. "Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you," is a good example of this. Also the stuff about "were is the love in what your prophet has said" seems to suggest religious extremism. I think it also conveys a message of peace though. "All I want to do is love everyone," is a good example of this.
    Flag Grungemusician87on March 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Memory:i am so confused with what this song is about
    i have his CD grace around the world
    which is the CD for the 15th anniversary for grace
    and its pretty much just grace but all live
    and just before he started singing he said
    "i'd like to dedicate this to a pedophile"
    im confused
    help?
    Flag zzoeEon July 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I believe this song is expressing a pretty major distaste for a misguided, naive authoritative attitude of a religous, racist, close-minded person. That could be reading too much into it though.

    My favourite verse is this one:

    tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said
    man it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
    well i've got a message for you and your twisted hell
    you'd better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal, angel

    ...he then continues on to open his lungs and remind the rest of us that not only can he write lyrics of such profound expression, he can carry them out just as great musically.

    So glad i've got this album.
    Flag choccoon April 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Crown my fear your king at the point of a gun." Love that line.

    I believe it's about ignorant hatred. Just hating people because they aren't like you. ie racism, sexism, religious intolerance, homophobia, etc. and having that hate passed down to their children.
    Flag devilchild8389on October 05, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:great song! a fantastic early, very rare live solo version of this song can be found here

    abc.net.au/triplej/music_specials/…

    its an hour long STREAM put together by australian radio station triple J... eternal life can be found at 2:50

    also a GREAT source of info and full of rare recordings!
    every fan should put aside an hour in your life to hear this!
    Flag sacred_juneon June 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song is an angry song, as jeff says on sin-E. to me, it's about the pointlessness of war.
    well done mycroft45 for having the balls to point out the truth about people with 'desk jobs' in our lives.
    Flag mixitupon April 26, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:I'm not sure about everything in this song, there are a few lines, "Got my red glitter coffin man, just need one last nail" for example; where I'm not sure if they have further meaning other than their face value.

    Anyway, as far as I can tell:

    "Eternal life is now on my trail"
    Essentially saying that by Christian/Islamic (and various other major and minor religions) standards heaven is now behind him.

    "Got my red glitter coffin man, just need one last nail"
    Not entirely sure about this line, it appears pretty self explanatory but I can't see why he says it and I'm not sure whether 'red glitter coffin' has any further meaning.

    "While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games"
    Racists, warmonger, religious extremists, arms dealers, etc. Take your pick, pretty self explanatory but see: Masters of War by Bob Dylan.

    "And as your fantasies are broken in two
    Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you
    You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
    Angel"
    Again, see Masters of War by Bob Dylan. Not sure about the last line but he appears to be saying say hello to Heaven, possibly talking from their perspective.

    "Racist everyman, what have you done
    Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
    Crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
    All I want to do is love everyone"
    Pretty self explanatory, where he says "Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son" I think he's saying that you're escalating the situation and that violence only leads to more violence. Similar to the verse that the line, "You put a gun in my hand and you hide from eyes" from Masters of War. The next line is talking about the use of fear and scare tactics as a method of controlling people as far as I can tell.

    "There's no time for hatred, only questions
    What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace
    When will i find the strength to bring me release"
    Word.

    The last verse is pretty self explanatory, though I will say that much of the song could be seen to be a realisation of the ‘truth’, hence the change in the last line to basically say ‘you’re going to hell’. Again very similar to the last verse of Masters of War, except that song just makes me think, 'Eat a peach Bush', written nearly 50 years ago n' all.

    Might well be wrong about a few of those things but that's the way it seems to me. It’s a great song.

    Lnbodibic
    Flag Lnbodibicon August 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:paffy:
    I disagree. If anything, he is saying "quit hiding behind your religion to justify your ugliness."
    Since the beginning, man has hid behind religion to justify murder, hate, and all kinds of evil. (the usual "religion to control masses" type of deal.)

    Buta true "believer" would agree with the above statement. I don't know what Jeff Buckley's religous beliefs were, but the fact that he pointed this wrong out says to me he was saying "that's not what it is supposed to be about! It's about love..."

    At the end of the song he says, "You better turn around and blow your kiss *GOODBYE* to life eternal."
    Flag chasemiceon August 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think its about Buckleys view on christianity. I dont think he believed in God...
    Flag paffyon August 03, 2006   Link

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