Electric Heart
Devendra Banhart Lyrics

The electric heart
Referring to a metaphorical 'heart', that is electric in nature.

Shines for you
This electric heart shines for someone or something.

It's giving off sparks
This heart is continually generating sparks or energy.

But that's nothing new
It's been doing it previously, nothing different or new in present context.

The electric heart
The beginning of the second stanza, encapsulating the same rhetorical figure, refers to that electric heart's effect or manifestation rather than its existence.

Spins it's lightning web
The heart creates a web through which lightning might flow.

The spider's sparkle
The luminous quality of the spider's webs was borrowed as a metaphor for the brilliance of the heart's power.

Lights the way ahead
That brilliance guides one's path and illuminates what's ahead.

I eat the biscuits
The first-person narration takes a turn to the material world, listing the objects consumed as gifts from an unknown donor.

A gift from her
The biscuits received as a gift from a woman.

I eat the fishes
Listed as something else consumed, this time, fish are eaten.

They got no fur
Fish are not furry creatures and this line adds a surreal and comical element to the list.

The open road
This is a motif in the song, representing life's journey or some other wider experience bringing a sense of freedom.

Of God's final town
The final destination of the open road might have a spiritual resonance with God's final town.

I'll take a little sip
The singer refers to sampling a taste of the divine or heavenly nature of this final town.

From its honey drip
This divine nature is sweet like honey which can be extracted or tasted in the form of a 'honey drip'.

The earth-hurt skies
Here, the skies are hurt as if injured or punished due to the human presence and action on earth, possibly a reference to climate change or human-inflicted natural damage.

Say your name
The skies reveal the influence of a person.

The earth was dry
Before this person's arrival, the earth lacked some quality or perhaps was unproductive.

Until you came
This person revitalized or rejuvenated the earth as it was until they came.

A little baby begins to grow
The artist shifts his attention to the cycle of life and birth, beginning with an infant.

A happy belly begins to glow
The mother carrying the baby glows in her contentment and joy over her pregnancy.

The electric sky
Returning to the electric theme, now the singer refers to a vast electric expanse, the 'electric sky'.

Combing in the snow
This electric sky is gentle and comforting, as if combing through the snow with a soothing touch.

He's always high
This line sets up a homophonic pun, playful and jocular in tone, deriving comedic effect from the ambiguity of the phrase.

He's a gentle soul
Even though 'he' might always be high, they are at a peace or harmless persona.

My winter friends
In winter, the singer has a group of friends who bear some characteristic related to that season or are only around during that time.

With Christmas legs
A humorous and imaginative description for these non-human characters in terms of their legs that evoke Christmassy associations.

And cold, cold beards
Another fanciful description for these friends, this time related to facial hair, which is associated with a beard, but emphasizes their coldness, probably due to being from a wintery place.

And frozen heads
These winter friends have frozen heads emphasizing the grimness of their appearance, yet still, possibly friendly.

We keep them shiny
The singer or someone else polishes or cares for these winter friends to maintain their appearance.

We keep them shown
The artist or group of people displays these winter friends to show how valuable they are or perhaps how acquainted they are with them.

Cause though they're tiny
Though the winter friends are small or finite in number or importance, they are still treasured by these people.

They're valuable
These winter friends hold a certain worth to the people expressing this because they represent something special or unique.

Now I've lost my nails
This line seems ambiguous and might apply to the previous stanza or might be another direction altogether.

But that's nothing new
Again concluding a thought with the choice of words from the beginning.

And goddamn thumbs
This sudden string of expletives expresses frustration or annoyance over losing one's thumbs, their precision and usefulness.

Thumbs, goddamn you
This line is basically repeating the same sentiment in stronger words, targeting thumbs as the source of frustration.

And if all else fails
This conditional clause introduces a hypothetical scenario where everything seems hopeless or futile.

To win the race
The failure or success might relate to the ability to win something.

Then someone else for sure
The artist concedes the likelihood that someone else will take their rightful place if they do not win.

Will take my place
The hypothetical scenario is confirmed, as someone else will replace the singer if they don't succeed.

Now flung from dreams
The singer shifts back to a dreamlike, surreal state. Perhaps he's not in the real world.

Your voice reappears
From whatever context it is, a voice he recognizes returns, as if calling out to them.

And it almost seems
The voice elicits a powerful reaction, as if their aura is everywhere around the artist.

Like you're almost here
Their presence can almost be felt, and the artist feels as though the voice is close at hand.

Singing an ancient chant
Whatever memory or presence is associated with this voice is also expressed through singing.

That spreads its dusty legs
The song, chant or message seems to have moved from the source, as if making progress or spreading, like dust covers a larger area.

And I'm coming in
The singer begins their final thoughts referring to their being, almost like being 'inside' something or coming into existence.

In my head
The singer is thinking visualizing this or having this experience in his own imagination or mind.

Electric heart
Recalling the earlier motif, the singer concludes the song by mentioning the electric heart once more.

Shine for us
The electric heart is now addressed directly to provide luminescence.

Shiny love
Ending the song with this phrase, evocative of the electronic heart's power and heartening quality.

Shiny love
A repeated phrase now reinforcing the previous line.

Shiny love
The final line is another repetition for emphasis.