Shiva
The Antlers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the monitors beeped the last time
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
And all of them empty but mine
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air
Completely unable to move
The bed was misshaped, and awkward and tall
And clearly intended for you
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed
And tore that old band off your wrist
But you came back to see me for a minute or less
And left me your ring in my fist
My hair started growing, my face became yours
My femur was breaking in half
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream
So instead, I just started to laugh
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
And the monitors beeped the last time
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
And all of them empty but mine
The Antlers's 'Shiva' is a heart-wrenching song laden with metaphors that evoke feelings of abandonment, betrayal, and loss. On the surface, the song seems to narrate the story of a patient who has been left alone in a hospital ward after a catastrophic event, where all the machines have stopped, and all the hospital beds except their own are empty. The lyrics describe the patient's state of mind, which is in a state of physical and emotional paralysis. The patient contemplates the empty beds, realizes they were left behind, and remembers the person who put them there. This person, in a symbolic gesture, left their ring in the patient's hand before leaving.
However, underneath the lyrics of 'Shiva,' there are deeper layers of meaning that portray the context of the song as the aftermath of a bomb blast. The lyrics denote the sudden and massive loss of human life, and the associated emotional trauma suffered by those who survived. The empty hospital beds are disturbing symbols of the devastation, as they imply that none of the casualties survived. The singer's helpless position in the hospital bed and their uncontrollable laughter (which can be understood as a mechanism of coping with severe trauma) are heartbreaking and add a poignant touch to an already haunting song.
In conclusion, 'Shiva' is a complex song that portrays the fallout of a catastrophic event through poignant, powerful lyrics and sophisticated musical textures.
Line by Line Meaning
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
All the machines that were keeping the patient alive stopped running at once.
And the monitors beeped the last time
All the monitors in the hospital beeped for the last time signaling that the patient has died.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
There are many hospital beds in the world where many people may pass away.
And all of them empty but mine
All the hospital beds are empty but the patient's, who has just passed away.
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air
The patient is lying down with their feet slightly elevated.
Completely unable to move
The patient is paralyzed and cannot move.
The bed was misshaped, and awkward and tall
The hospital bed is uncomfortable and inconvenient for the patient.
And clearly intended for you
The bed was chosen not for the patient, but for someone else, possibly the person who left their ring behind.
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed
The person who left the ring was a hospital patient who checked themselves out of the hospital before leaving their ring behind.
And tore that old band off your wrist
They removed their hospital ID bracelet.
But you came back to see me for a minute or less
The person returned for a brief moment to see the patient before leaving for good.
And left me your ring in my fist
They left their ring behind as a keepsake for the patient.
My hair started growing, my face became yours
The patient's hair and facial structure changed to look like the person who left the ring.
My femur was breaking in half
The patient experiences unbearable physical pain.
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream
The pain was so intense it was impossible to scream or even describe adequately.
So instead, I just started to laugh
The patient's overwhelming pain caused them to start laughing instead of screaming or crying.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Peter Joseph Silberman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@snehamaal
Lyrics:
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air,
completely unable to move.
The bed was misshapen, and awkward and tall,
and clearly intended for you.
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed,
and tore that old band off your wrist.
But you came back to see me for a minute or less,
and left me your ring in my fist.
My hair started growing, my face became yours,
my femur was breaking in half.
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream,
so instead, I just started to laugh.
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
@nc7182
shiva comes from the hebrew word for seven. shiva is the first seven days of mourning. in the jewish tradition, you pray, abstain from work and school and cooking and bathing. it's a time for being with your community and celebrating the person's life all together.
@kay9111
Is it bad that it’s been 4 years since my uncle died and I’m still in the first day of mourning with severe nightmares, hallucinations and ptsd?
@Marina-to4rh
@@kay9111 Grief moves at different rates. That said, you should seek counseling, that seems pretty bad
@kristopherchinander3461
Shiva also helped me win many fights in FFVII.
@maxstraight8240
Yes
@snehamaal
Lyrics:
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air,
completely unable to move.
The bed was misshapen, and awkward and tall,
and clearly intended for you.
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed,
and tore that old band off your wrist.
But you came back to see me for a minute or less,
and left me your ring in my fist.
My hair started growing, my face became yours,
my femur was breaking in half.
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream,
so instead, I just started to laugh.
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
@IgnusIncubus
@Aye Baseballl the way i see it is about a genetic disease. One that passed trough the mother, that died, to the child, that now is close to dying
@dumbmusorowan
for some reason i always presumed the title referred to the hindu god shiva. but now i'm learning about judaism and hopefully starting my conversion process i've realised this is about shiva, the week after a loved one dies. i love this song sm and now i'm connected to it even more.
@djailsonfelipe84
The title could indeed be related to Shiva, god of destruction. In the album's timeline this song represents finally the arrival of death. Shiva arrives and the ill patient finally passes away with the shutting down of the machines, the end of the relationship.
@leomorris7573
honestly i feel like it works as both, and im not sure how intentional that is on the part of whoever named it but i like to view it that way. loss and grief as destruction just works so well, especially since by this point in the album the patient has destroyed everything else in the worker's life