Songs like this are why I love music. Incredible, beautiful, and intricate musicianship (in this case, guitar); eloquent, thought-provoking lyrics; soul-wrenching emotion in the vocals singing those lyrics.
It's a lot more mellow and sobering than the other songs I've posted by The Tallest Man On Earth, but it's possibly an even stronger track on what is becoming one of my favorite albums (I listened to it twice today...)
I'm not going to speculate on the meaning behind this one, in part because I'm not sure and in part because it seems to be one of those songs that is particularly exemplary of how a song can mean different things to different people. Check out songmeanings.net to see what I mean - vastly varying opinions, including one person who's convinced the entire song is about the failures of Obama's presidency, and a rebuttal stating "I find it highly implausible that Kristian Matsson, a Swedish singer, would write a song unjustly criticizing President Obama's actions." Music can be just as polarizing as politics... regardless of what you think of Obama and his policies, I do agree that it's unlikely this song is about that, especially given the nationality of the songwriter. But there you have it - the meaning is in the ear of the beholder. What do you behold?
I'm also including a sweet live performance from KEXP, a Seattle radio station. It's a bit different than the album version - this one has a slightly fuzzy electric rather than the acoustic six-string, and both sounds work well for the song. Also, keep your eyes peeled for some unexpected things (and stick around till the video ends!)
"Like a house made from spider webs and the clouds rolling in
I bet this mighty river's both my savior and my sin
Oh, my savior and my sin..."
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