The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
It began when they come took me from my home
And put me in Dead Row
Of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know
And I'll say it again
I am not afraid to die
I began to warm and chill
To objects and their fields
A ragged cup, a twisted mop
The face of Jesus in my soup
Those sinister dinner deals
The meal trolley's wicked wheels
A hooked bone rising from my food
All things either good or un-good
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
Interpret signs and catalogue
A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog
The walls are bad, black, bottom kind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are sick breath gathering at my hind
I hear stories from the chamber
How Christ was born into a manger
And like some ragged stranger
Died upon the cross
And might I say it seems so fitting in its way
He was a carpenter by trade
Or at least that's what I'm told
Like my good hand
Tattooed E-V-I-L all across his brother's fist
That filthy five
They did nothing to challenge or resist
In Heaven His throne is made of gold
The ark of his Testament is stowed
A throne from which I'm told
All history does unfold
Down here it's made of wood and wire
And my body is on fire
And God is never far away
Into the mercy seat I climb
My head is shaved, my head is wired
And like a moth that tries
To enter the bright eye
I go shuffling out of life
Just to hide in death awhile
And anyway I never lied
My kill-hand is called evil
Wears a wedding band that's good
'Tis a long-suffering shackle
Collaring all that rebel blood
And the mercy seat is burning
And I think my head is glowing
And in a way I'm hoping to be done
With all this weighing up of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is growing
And I think my head is melting
And in a way I'm helping to be done
With all this twisting of the truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway, I saw no proof
And not a motive why
And the mercy seat is melting
And I think my blood is boiling
And in a way I'm spoiling all the fun
By all this consequence of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway there was no proof
And not a motive why
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
A life for a life
And a truth for a truth
And anyway there was no proof
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is smoking
And in a way I'm hoping to be done
With all these looks of disbelief
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
But anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm not afraid to lie
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm not afraid to lie
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm afraid I told a lie
And put me in Dead Row
Of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know
And I'll say it again
I am not afraid to die
I began to warm and chill
To objects and their fields
A ragged cup, a twisted mop
The face of Jesus in my soup
Those sinister dinner deals
The meal trolley's wicked wheels
A hooked bone rising from my food
All things either good or un-good
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
Interpret signs and catalogue
A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog
The walls are bad, black, bottom kind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are sick breath gathering at my hind
I hear stories from the chamber
How Christ was born into a manger
And like some ragged stranger
Died upon the cross
And might I say it seems so fitting in its way
He was a carpenter by trade
Or at least that's what I'm told
Like my good hand
Tattooed E-V-I-L all across his brother's fist
That filthy five
They did nothing to challenge or resist
In Heaven His throne is made of gold
The ark of his Testament is stowed
A throne from which I'm told
All history does unfold
Down here it's made of wood and wire
And my body is on fire
And God is never far away
Into the mercy seat I climb
My head is shaved, my head is wired
And like a moth that tries
To enter the bright eye
I go shuffling out of life
Just to hide in death awhile
And anyway I never lied
My kill-hand is called evil
Wears a wedding band that's good
'Tis a long-suffering shackle
Collaring all that rebel blood
And the mercy seat is burning
And I think my head is glowing
And in a way I'm hoping to be done
With all this weighing up of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is growing
And I think my head is melting
And in a way I'm helping to be done
With all this twisting of the truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway, I saw no proof
And not a motive why
And the mercy seat is melting
And I think my blood is boiling
And in a way I'm spoiling all the fun
By all this consequence of truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway there was no proof
And not a motive why
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
A life for a life
And a truth for a truth
And anyway there was no proof
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is smoking
And in a way I'm hoping to be done
With all these looks of disbelief
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
But anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die
And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm not afraid to lie
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm not afraid to lie
And the mercy seat is-a waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning to be done
With all this measuring of proof
Of an eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm afraid I told a lie
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
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.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
I don't know how this one could have gotten past me, but I just discovered this song. I guess everyone else already knew this, but clearly one of the master works of the era, and the amazing cover by Cash will likely seal it as an all-time classic. I want to share some of my thoughts about this song, but I don’t have time to write this as well as I’d like. Please forgive its excessive length.
First, a note on the music. It's very unusual for a song from the rock tradition. No verse course arrangement, just a building repetition, interrupted early in the song by narration in the same voice. Clearly a product of its time, the studio version is produced as an “alternative” cut with a pretty typical post-punk sound. It’s almost like no one quite knew what to do with this song, including, one assumes, Cave himself. It takes a few listens for it to sink in that there is something much deeper going on here than the style initially suggests. In later, live versions, Cave seems to have come to grips with exactly what he has here and performs it in a more fitting way. That’s not to take anything away from the studio version. The kind of weird juxtaposition of substance and style make it something that you have to discover and lets you go deeper into the song with repeated listens. The work it takes to pick through the pop veneer makes you appreciate your discovery that much more.
The construction of the song has a great trick that is remarkably effective. The chord progression itself is wonderful, but it’s eight measures long, and seven of them build a tension that is only briefly resolved by the eighth before it immediately returns to uneasiness. It makes the whole song feel incredibly intense and unrelenting, which is analogues to the subject: a man on death row awaiting the electric char.
Which brings us to the lyric. There have been great song writers whose lyrics stand alone as poetic statement, but this has to be one of the best bits of poetry in its own right released on a rock record. It’s possible that I want it to be even better than it obviously is, but I read a little more into it than some. In the beginning monologue he proclaims his innocence, or at least sort of. “Of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know”. Later he talks about his hands and fingers, one evil and one good, of which he observes “That filthy five! They did nothing to challenge or resist”. As if to proclaim his innocence, blaming the whole incident on these filthy five fingers. Tellingly, it is the “kill-hand” that “Wears a wedding band that's G.O.O.D.” He calls the ring “a long-suffering shackle collaring all that rebel blood”.
I read all of that to give an ambiguous meaning to guilt or innocence. A man, maybe not cut out of the same cloth as everyone else, doing his best to live as society dictates but finding himself unable to live up to the expectations. It’s a cognitive dissonance that eventually plays out in murder, but a murder this complex man does not blame himself for. This is a character that lives uncomfortably in a world not of his making. And as such, death can almost be welcome, a sentiment repeated throughout the song.
The middle verses about Jesus are the key to the whole thing, I think. He notes the irony that Christ was born and then, after making a life as a carpenter, he is crucified on a work of carpentry. He paints, quickly, a view of Jesus as another character who wasn’t able to live as others expected and ultimately met the same fate he himself awaits. He then goes on to further identify himself as a Christ figure by noting that He now sits on his heavenly throne, but down here it’s made of wood and wire, an obvious reference to the electric chair he will soon take his seat in.
But what to make of that last line: “But I’m afraid I told a lie.” I don’t think this is a confession of guilt. That’s already happened, really. We know he did it, and we know he did it for no reason anyone else could call “motive”. So what’s the lie? I think there’s a clue in the verse structure. The line comes in the same resolve measure that’s repeatedly told us “I’m not afraid to die”. A man who has lived his life with conflicting thoughts once again has to face the fact that what he’s told himself to be true may not be. As he climbs into what he’s convinced himself is the mercy seat, he realizes that he actually is afraid.
Weather he means it the way I hear it or not, it’s difficult to argue that this song is anything but brilliant. Clearly one of the best songs of the era, maybe one of the best rock songs ever. As an observation at the end of a review about a song that deals with death, I’d say this to Nick Cave. Walk through life confidant that, in a world of mortal men, you have made a mark that transcends mortality. A true masterpiece that will leave a strong legacy.
@fasteddie72 The lie he told is that he is not afraid to die.
@fasteddie72 Right, the lie he told was he wasn’t afraid to die, but, that’s the torment of waiting to die, the same stuff runs thru your head over and over, thru appeals (ever had something you had to prepare for and just wanted it the fuck over with?), he probably once actually believed he wasn’t afraid to die but his own mind cannot help but torment him. His life has a firm end date. That’s fuckin heavy.
Great work all. Cave is a master of metaphor and it is good to see so many people care about what he is actually trying to say.
While there are many themes in the song, the predominant one uses guilt and innocence to explore the objectivity of truth. In this regard it is greatly influenced by books such as "The Outsider" and Crime and punishment. The "I begin to chill to objects and their fields" line is taken straight from Dostoevsky.
From our characters view, having denounced mans right to judge him, God is the paradigm of truth, and the song explores the implications of such belief with great depth and subtle precision. The uncertainty of his actions and and as such why he would commit them if they were wrong or unjust, leads to the analogies with Jesus, who is the ultimate victim of his own fate. It is fitting that as the song begins to reach it's climax and his disdain becomes bolder that he picks the wedding band, a symbol of Gods holiest institution on earth, as the shackle of his rebel blood, life and spirit, which is suggestive of a truth he can't explore, indicating the fallacy of his God.
The last line "I'm afraid I told a lie" is not a submission of guilt, it simply sums up a fearful yet enduring uncertainty on all matters, as he is not sure of guilt or innocence or god or truth or any other yardsticks, right or ability, to measure his supposed crime.
Cash's version is of a different flavor, his emphasis put on haunting nobility, a beat prince trudging towards a destined fate in almost heroic fashion, while Cage focuses on the subjective, with dark, all too human, undertones creeping through the prose. Which makes it, lyrically at least, a far more interesting work.
great post, i didn't realise there was a 2nd page when writing mine. Yours has, i believe, far more insight than mine. I can definitely see the comparisons and similarities to "the outsider".
I must say that this song confirmes that nothing is black or white. How can anyone see what is good and what is bad, when we twist it all. So many people has died on a chair, or soo, and ho's to blame for it? Their blood is on our hands. We are no better! Just a bunch of a hypocrites. Can't we learn on a cilling Jeasus. No! There was a lot of "Jesuses" throughout the history.
So, whay would killer believed our judgment, and accepted that he is guilty? Just in a moment of death, when he's alone with God and freed from all delusions of a mankind, he realises what he truly has done. Just my opinion. Great song!!!
I don´t agree with you on the last line. He truly believes he, at the very least, had an excuse to commit this crime, as confirmed by the "of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know". Also, there is no mention of him feeling guilty in the lyrics. No, I firmly believe the lie he is talking about is when he keeps saying he´s not afraid to die.
well, i agree with that interpretation, but not wholly.
i think that in the last few moments of his life he doesn't know whether he's innocent or not.
if he did it, he's told himself so strongly that he was innocent, that it's hard to accept guilt.
and if he didn't, he's been told so frequently that this is why he's being murdered. this is his punishment.
there is proof, not enough. but could i have done it and blocked it out? my EVIL hand wears a wedding band called GOOD. is it hiding it's true self?
did he do it? i think it's all interpretation.
in all i think this is internal conflict for him: what is the truth?
nick cave is brilliant.
Forget about the context for a moment. The song is about fear of death and the uncertainty surrounding the gray areas of truth and morality that all of us wrestle with, not just those on death row. "Am I a good person? Did I live a good life?"
Mercy Seat isn't so cut and dry. Everyone wants to know: Did he get executed for a crime he didn't commit?
Of course not. With the lyrics as a weak defense case, we see a stubborn murderer using his final breaths trying reconcile the bitter life he had.
When you're jailed and stripped of your freedom, you begin turn into the victim you murdered.
The song is about how one is always haunted by their incidents of bad karma.
"My kill-hand is called E.V.I.L. Wears a wedding band that's G.O.O.D. Tis a long-suffering shackle Collaring all that rebel blood"
"Kill-hand" may be a poker reference - under some rulesets in which the game is short but the stakes are high - but here I think it's simply a colourful name for his right hand, the one which would wield a weapon.
The E.V.I.L. / G.O.O.D. probably refers to knuckle tattoos, often sported by prisoners. That he's on death row would indicate he's had these applied during a former stretch in general population.
Wedding band would mean good and evil are inextricably linked, and the good balances the evil & somehow restrains it from getting (excuse the pun) out of hand. The lines following would support this idea.
A point about those tattoos. They are directly influenced by the 1955 film 'Night Of The Hunter', which was the only film ever directed by the great actor Charles Laughton. In this film, Robert Mitchum plays a psychotic preacher who has 'LOVE' and 'HATE' tattooed on his knuckles. He uses the tattoos to illustrate the constant fight that good and evil are engaged in in every soul. By extension, the tattoos also reveal the struggle between the pious Christian preacher and the callous killer that both reside within his own soul. The film disturbingly notes that these two sides may not be as far apart as they initially seem....<br /> <br /> Cave is very culturally literate, and has scripted a number of films himself. I'm sure he had this film in mind when he wrote these lines.
This is one of Nick's many songs built around a story, although this one isn't as immediately clear as some of his others.
It concerns a killer, though exactly what he did isn't explained. He's convicted and sentenced to death, all the while claiming he didn't do it. While on Death Row, he discovers Christianity, and in his final few moments before dying, he confesses (to himself, and to God) that he is guilty of it after all. The Mercy Seat of the title is a reference to the throne of God, and also to the electric chair.
well, i agree with that interpretation, but not wholly.
i think that in the last few moments of his life he doesn't know whether he's innocent or not.
if he did it, he's told himself so strongly that he was innocent, that it's hard to accept guilt.
and if he didn't, he's been told so frequently that this is why he's being murdered. this is his punishment.
there is proof, not enough. but could i have done it and blocked it out? my EVIL hand wears a wedding band called GOOD. is it hiding it's true self?
did he do it? i think it's all interpretation.
in all i think this is internal conflict for him: what is the truth?
nick cave is brilliant.
gah. bump.