Oats in the Water
Ben Howard Lyrics
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I'll take the long way 'round
I'll find my own way down
Oh, as I should
And hold your gaze
There's coke in the Midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust
And breathe again
And you'll find loss
And you'll fear what you found
When the weather comes, oh
Tearing down
There'll be oats in the water
There'll be birds on the ground
There'll be things you never asked her
Oh, how they tear at you now
Oh, go your way
Oh, I'll take the long way 'round
Oh, I'll find my own way down
Oh, as I should
And hold your gaze
There's coke in the Midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust
And breathe again
And you'll find loss
And you'll fear what you found
When the weather comes
Tearing down
There'll be oats in the water
There'll be birds on the ground
There'll be things you never asked her
Oh, how they tear at you now
The lyrics of Ben Howard's song Oats in the Water are characterized by their evocative imagery and melancholic tone. The opening lines of the song, "Oh, go your way / I'll take the long way 'round / I'll find my own way down / Oh, as I should," give a sense of someone who is in the process of letting go of someone or something and acknowledging that there may be a difficult road ahead. The repetition of "oh, as I should" suggests a resignation to this fate despite the pain it may cause.
The chorus of the song is particularly haunting: "There'll be oats in the water / There'll be birds on the ground / There'll be things you never asked her / Oh, how they tear at you now." This imagery is both striking and ambiguous, though it suggests the idea of facing the consequences of one's actions, confronting the unexpected, and being forced to deal with the fallout. This can be interpreted as an admonishment or warning to the listener, or a reflection on the difficult truths that Howard has had to face.
The rest of the song delves deeper into this dark and foreboding mood. The line "There's coke in the Midas touch / A joke in the way that we rust" seems to criticize an obsessive pursuit of wealth and status while acknowledging the ultimate insignificance of it all. The repeated refrain of "And breathe again" seems to suggest a desire to find a moment of peace or clarity amidst the chaos and turmoil of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, go your way
Leave and do what you want to do.
I'll take the long way 'round
I will take a less direct route.
I'll find my own way down
I will discover my own path downwards.
Oh, as I should
This is the right way for me.
And hold your gaze
Maintain eye contact.
There's coke in the Midas touch
There's destruction in the pursuit of wealth and power.
A joke in the way that we rust
We are corroding and decaying in a comical way.
And breathe again
Take a deep breath and relax.
And you'll find loss
You'll experience a lack of something important.
And you'll fear what you found
You will feel anxious about what you've discovered.
When the weather comes, oh
When a storm arrives.
Tearing down
Causing destruction.
There'll be oats in the water
There will be consequences to your actions.
There'll be birds on the ground
There will be evidence of the damage done.
There'll be things you never asked her
There will be unknown consequences.
Oh, how they tear at you now
Oh, how they hurt you now.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Benjamin John Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rjscott810
Lyrics
Go your way
I'll take the long way 'round
I'll find my own way down
As I should
And hold your gaze
There's coke in the Midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust
And breathe again
And you'll find loss
And you'll fear what you found
When the weather comes
Tearing down
There'll be oats in the water
There'll be birds on the ground
There'll be things you never asked her
Oh how they tear at you now
Go your way
I'll take the long way 'round
I'll find my own way down
As I should
And hold your gaze
There's coke in the Midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust
And breathe again
And you'll find loss
And you'll fear what you found
When the weather comes
Tearing down
There'll be oats in the water
There'll be birds on the ground
There'll be things you never asked her
Oh how they tear at you now
Songwriters: Benjamin John Howard
Oats in the Water lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc
@PrasadJachak
The song was played in very related situation as per lyrics in S4.. As Hershel risks his life for his people and choose to do his duty by even other people loose hope about cure for this crisis but he keeps hope and still choose to help others as a Doctor.. Same as lyrics
Go your way,
I'll take the long way 'round,
I'll find my own way down,
As I should......
...This is nice....
No wonder TWD is Success.
@HunHaze
Go your way,
I'll take the long way 'round,
I'll find my own way down,
As I should.
And hold your gaze
There's coke in the Midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust,
And breathe again.
And you'll find loss
And you'll fear what you found
When weather comes
Tearing down
There'll be oats in the water
There'll be birds on the ground
There'll be things you never asked her
Oh how they tear at you now
Go your way,
I'll take the long way 'round,
I'll find my own way down,
As I should.
And hold your gaze
There's coke in the Midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust,
And breathe again.
And you'll find loss
And you'll fear what you found
When weather comes
Tearing down
There'll be oats in the water
There'll be birds on the ground
There'll be things you never asked her
Oh how they tear at you now
@rubiconz8015
Go your way
I'll take the long way 'round
I'll find my own way down
As I should
(This first verse is about acceptance of other's decisions,
and the effect greed has on our psyches. Dishonesty is rewarded by gold in this society)
And hold your gaze
There's coke in the Midas touch
A joke in the way that we rust
And breathe again
(This verse is about Midas and the effects he had on his town.
Coke in the Midas touch, refers to coal in the gold smelting process which creates rust. There could also be a reference to polluting water with your greed as Midas only rid himself of his curse by touching his hands to the river Pactolus. If there were coal in his gold it would've killed a lot of his townsmen while bringing them riches. I expect that the "joke in the way that we rust" is a reference to the effects that coal miners had on the towns that they life and prosperity for).
And you'll find loss
And you'll fear what you found
When the weather comes
Tearing down
(This verse is about the karmic effects that greed has. When you bring uncertainty to others, you'll be struck down)
There'll be oats in the water
There'll be birds on the ground
There'll be things you never asked her
Oh how they tear at you now
(Again this could be a reference to coal miners, as oats in the water is a reference to cocaine and it was common for coal miners to get addicted to cocaine. Birds on the ground is also a sign of imminent death often by undetectable ways. It could also be literal: coal miners would use canaries to detect early signs of carbon monoxide levels).
You'll also notice this song repeats itself. That's because this process does as well. Greed is cyclical and it ripples down to those who have been affected by it.
@GranamyrKhan
Hershel... Forever in our hearts! R.I.P. old man.
@serbianfanatics9315
Fuck you,people are still watching this you know?
@kalieadams24
This literally happened three years ago.
@robertjohnson8250
Get real douchebags!... If you don't fucking like it, then stay up with the show. Don't bitch just cause your ass is almost 3 years behind!!! He also didn't say HOW Hershel died, so it's not a complete spoiler... I mean come on, what did you think everyone was going to eventually make it out alive & all would be hunky dory?... Have you ACTUALLY watched the rest of the show? You should EXPECT that some of our favorite, main characters are going to be dying eventually... Just wait till you see Glenn's demise BUHAHAHAHA!
@Kiki-ww2mc
I cannot get enough of this masterpiece.
@miew8924
Every now and then this song pops up in my head and i have 2 hear it 🔥🔥🔥
@ImLeeAT
Who is listening in 2023?
I wish that sadness in your live stays shorter than happiness
@nightowl411am3
2024 still listening 😎🎧🎶
@masscare23
@@nightowl411am3same
@sreejitdutta
Every season the TWD team uses such brilliant pieces of music, songs which most people have never heard but each one a masterpiece, like this one. Another reason which makes this show one of the best ever to be produced for Television.