Light Years

It's strong in part because of the finality of it ... as i read it. Someone is Light Years away, up with the stars, up in heaven. Someone has died. Where do I get that? "But how could you be taken away..." Ambiguous as with any good writing of this nature, but more than any others, there's finality there.

This isn't rearviewmirror, or Wish List, Faithful, MFC, Thumbing My Way, nor THin Air, Just Breathe, Come Back, Parachutes or Black even. Always hard to place the "you're gone..." motif, unless it's clear, the other party could have jet for someone else!

In the vein of love lost, relationships grieved for, Black set a pretty high bar for them to follow, and they kinda stayed away from that bar for quite a few albums. Rearviewmirror, Better Man are of a slightly different sort of expired relationship. Something deeper happens when that expiration is death, even if it's all bouncy like Last Kiss! Heck, even Black doesn't have the finality of Light Years, and The End only intimates that the final chapter is coming....

So with Last Kiss, a cover, is Light Years the only song explicity about a loved one's death? Certainly other's can be interpretted as such, but Light Years says it outright in my mind.

And I love the allusion to Black as well ... being a star in someone's sky. The confusion, the grief, the regrets, but heck, the beauty of it all. What a testatemnt to a beautiful relationship just in the melody of the tune itself, yet alone the words . . . and the longing.

acutejam wrote:

It's strong in part because of the finality of it ... as i read it. Someone is Light Years away, up with the stars, up in heaven. Someone has died. Where do I get that? "But how could you be taken away..." Ambiguous as with any good writing of this nature, but more than any others, there's finality there.

This isn't rearviewmirror, or Wish List, Faithful, MFC, Thumbing My Way, nor THin Air, Just Breathe, Come Back, Parachutes or Black even. Always hard to place the "you're gone..." motif, unless it's clear, the other party could have jet for someone else!

In the vein of love lost, relationships grieved for, Black set a pretty high bar for them to follow, and they kinda stayed away from that bar for quite a few albums. Rearviewmirror, Better Man are of a slightly different sort of expired relationship. Something deeper happens when that expiration is death, even if it's all bouncy like Last Kiss! Heck, even Black doesn't have the finality of Light Years, and The End only intimates that the final chapter is coming....

So with Last Kiss, a cover, is Light Years the only song explicity about a loved one's death? Certainly other's can be interpretted as such, but Light Years says it outright in my mind.

And I love the allusion to Black as well ... being a star in someone's sky. The confusion, the grief, the regrets, but heck, the beauty of it all. What a testatemnt to a beautiful relationship just in the melody of the tune itself, yet alone the words . . . and the longing.

Agree with all of that, however I view Sad as song about loved ones death as well. Funny my top 3 songs are Black, Light Years & Sad - I must be pretty dark!!

Ever since it first came out ive liked it, loved it on the 2000 boots, and now a days its one i hope ill hear again! What im trying to say is ive loved it from the beginning and its never faded, that song into nothing as it seems is amazing on the album.

wozza77 wrote:

acutejam wrote:

... is Light Years the only song explicity about a loved one's death?

Agree with all of that, however I view Sad as song about loved ones death as well. Funny my top 3 songs are Black, Light Years & Sad - I must be pretty dark!!

Shazam! Good one, had totally forgotten Sad. I scanned the studio albums but skipped Lost Dogs, my mind went "nope, nothing SAD on there...." Ha! That may take the cake from Light Years on sheer bummer of a tale. But Light Years overpowers in its elegance to me ... a masterpiece!

But all of these songs are among my favorites ... Black, Light Years, Sad, Last Kiss, Rearviewmirror, Come Back, Parachutes, The End, oh Parting Ways, sure. ANd their opposites like Wishlist, Thin Air, Faithful and Just Breath...

Yeah, we are a curious sort, those of us in this thread. These "slow" songs of love lost/relationships gone just bring a bunch of emotions bubbling up.

Why do that to yourself? Because the people we've lost (or are losing) meant that much to us, that we're willing to pull the scab off again, and again, experience the pain, watch the blood drip and continue whatever type of healing we can get. Because with pain and regret also comes the memories of all the happiness we've had. The intensity of the pain simply indicates the prior passion lived....

Not that I dwell on all that ... much.

Davidtrios wrote:

I think they've improved it with time. In recent years, they usually dedicate this song to someone and play it with a LOT more passion than in 2000.

+1, I'm pretty sure eds crying in the london o2 version from aug 18 09

RiotZact wrote:

Davidtrios wrote:

I think they've improved it with time. In recent years, they usually dedicate this song to someone and play it with a LOT more passion than in 2000.

+1, I'm pretty sure eds crying in the london o2 version from aug 18 09

Yeah as I said in early post he lost it in the first messed up intro. Great version. Plus I am pretty sure in release he replaces Dad with Jeff - I'm gonna have to check the boot now!

FenwayFaithful wrote:

I mean, these have got to be some of the best lyrics Ed has ever written:

I've used hammers made out of wood
I have played games with pieces and rules..
I've deciphered tricks at the bar...
But now you're gone,... I haven't figured out why...
I've come up with riddles... and jokes about war...
I've figured out numbers and what they're for...
I've understood feelings.. and I've understood words...
But how could you be taken away?...

And wherever you've gone...and wherever we might go...
It don't seem fair...today just disappeared...
Your light's reflected now,... reflected from afar...
We were but stones,... your light made us stars

With heavy breath,... awakened regrets...
Back pages and days alone that could have been spent,
Together... but we were... miles apar...t
Every inch between us becomes light years now...
No need to be void,... or save up on life...
You got to spend it all.....

And wherever you've gone... and wherever we might go...
It don't seem fair...you seemed to like it here...
Your light's reflected now,... reflected from afar
We were but stones,... your light made us stars

And wherever you've gone... and wherever we might go...
It don't seem fair...today just disappeared...
Your light's reflected now,... reflected from afar...
We were but stones,... your light made us stars

true dat...especially: "We were but stones...your light made us stars" ... and his delivery of it too...always has me in awe...

acutejam wrote:

wozza77 wrote:

acutejam wrote:

... is Light Years the only song explicity about a loved one's death?

Agree with all of that, however I view Sad as song about loved ones death as well. Funny my top 3 songs are Black, Light Years & Sad - I must be pretty dark!!

Shazam! Good one, had totally forgotten Sad. I scanned the studio albums but skipped Lost Dogs, my mind went "nope, nothing SAD on there...." Ha! That may take the cake from Light Years on sheer bummer of a tale. But Light Years overpowers in its elegance to me ... a masterpiece!

But all of these songs are among my favorites ... Black, Light Years, Sad, Last Kiss, Rearviewmirror, Come Back, Parachutes, The End, oh Parting Ways, sure. ANd their opposites like Wishlist, Thin Air, Faithful and Just Breath...

Yeah, we are a curious sort, those of us in this thread. These "slow" songs of love lost/relationships gone just bring a bunch of emotions bubbling up.

Why do that to yourself? Because the people we've lost (or are losing) meant that much to us, that we're willing to pull the scab off again, and again, experience the pain, watch the blood drip and continue whatever type of healing we can get. Because with pain and regret also comes the memories of all the happiness we've had. The intensity of the pain simply indicates the prior passion lived....

Not that I dwell on all that ... much.

At the Pinkpop Festival in 2000, Vedder dedicated "Light Years" to Diane Muus from Sony Music, a friend of the band who died at the age of 33 in 1997. He said there are "times you have got friends that don't fuck up at all and are great people. And then you just lose them for some reason. They are off the planet and you never had a chance to say goodbye. I only mention this because there was a person we used to know here and that was Diane and ah, we never got a chance to say goodbye. This is goodbye. And if you've got good friends, love them while they're here."

I think that it helps with the grieving process because when others tell you how sorry they are, at least I secretly wonder if they really get it. Because he is so able to explain exactly how he is feeling in these lyrics and they so closely match what I am feeling, I know he gets it. And I don't feel so completely alone in that grief.

This is a song that always gives me chills... The lyrics are superb. One of their best. Up there with Indifference, I'm Open, Immortality IMO.