Desert Song
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Lyrics
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Yes my dad, he gave my name
Now my mama keeps saying
Run to the desert
You will see be all that you need to be
Run to the desert
You will see all that you need to see
I woke up to the shadow of a man standing over me
Here in the land of frozen hands
I came out here to kill you father like a Sergio Leoni picture
Gee I hope you understand
And as the red soaked the sand
Run to the desert
You will see all that you need to see
Run to the desert
You will be all that you need to be
The lyrics to Desert Song by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros appear to be metaphorical, emphasizing the concept that sometimes you need to leave everything behind and go to a remote space in order to discover your true self. The singer reveals that he was born as the devil's son, and his father named him as such. His mother, however, repeats to him that he needs to flee to the desert to realize who he is and what he wants. The desert symbolizes a place of emptiness and purity, free from the toxic influence of the outside world.
The following verse of the song introduces another character, who confronts the singer. The shadow of a man is standing over the singer in the "land of frozen hands." The singer tells the man that he came to kill his father like in a Sergio Leoni picture, a cinematic reference back to classic Spaghetti Westerns. This situation could represent the internal struggle the singer feels he needs to overcome before he can reach his true self. The final lines repeat the chorus, reinforcing the idea that running away to the desert, even if it's just metaphorically, can lead to self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born, the devil's son
The singer believes they were born with evil tendencies or perhaps born into a family that society deems evil.
Yes my dad, he gave my name
The singer's father named them, possibly after something or someone that has a negative connotation.
Now my mama keeps saying
The singer's mother has a message she keeps repeating.
Run to the desert
The artist is advised to go to the desert.
You will see be all that you need to be
In the desert, the artist will discover who they truly are or what their purpose in life is.
You will see all that you need to see
The desert holds answers that the singer needs.
I woke up to the shadow of a man standing over me
The singer was startled by the presence of someone in their vicinity when they opened their eyes.
Here in the land of frozen hands
The artist is in an area where it is extremely cold.
I came out here to kill you father like a Sergio Leoni picture
The artist has come to this place with the intention of killing their father, possibly in a western movie style.
Gee I hope you understand
The artist is hoping that the person they are speaking to will understand their violent intentions towards their father.
And as the red soaked the sand
The blood spilled as a result of the murder, staining the sand a red color.
You will be all that you need to be
Going to the desert will allow the artist to become everything they hope to be.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Cloud9
Written by: ALEX M T EBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paulina Martinez
He vivido en este lugar
Por cuantos anos no se
Me llamo Eduardo
Fui encanado
Quiero la sangre sonido
De mis profundos oidos
Hasta que hayamos cantado
Soy encanado
Encanado
Parlante con el mar del cielo
Pide que la sed de crecer
En todo la creacion me dios
Y el manifiesto
Consciente de la llama en
Alimentada por todo
Convertimos en lo que estamos
Soy illuminados
Illuminados
This is my god alarm
Kisses over Babylon
Warkind your time has come
Kisses over Babylon
Neetika Sharma
"Desert Song" lyrics
Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros
"Desert Song"
I was born the devil's son
Yes my dad, he gave my name
Now my mama keeps saying
Run to the desert
You will be all that you need to be
Run to the desert
You will see all that you need to see
I woke up to the shadow of a man standing over me
Here in the land of frozen hands
I came out here to kill you father like a Sergio Leoni picture
Gee I hope you understand
And as the red soaked the sand – shhh
Run to the desert
You will see all that you need to see
Run to the desert
You will be all that you need to be
Pat Bishop
one of my favorite songs by this band. speaks many truths. on so many levels.
Multisnoot
Why does everyone have to get high to enjoy this?? This amazing music and video is a NATURAL high in itself - it needs nothing else but appreciation.
Ana
they were unimaginably brilliant live! saw them at BDO and they were most definitely the best act, incredible!
combridge1
Beautiful, extremely creative and a wonderful song. Fantastic job on this!!
SB164
"His father would often take the family on long car trips through the desert. On one such trip, his mother shot footage of his father chanting in the desert, cradling Alex's baby sister Gabi, which would one day become a part of the video for the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros song "Desert Song"."
Shadae Yancey
This is a very powerful song. To enjoy it, you must know the history behind it. I respect it.
Joseph Gonzalez
Does anyone else this this band is like our generations version of the doors? i do. its amazing cuz i love both bands.
Vitor Soares
I created a very strong relationship with this song, not just the letter, but the composition itself, each time I hear it is as if awakened something inside me.
Estomamo
So Alex made this video/song to show how he feels about his life, his mission of what we know is love and light and truth, the message of peace, for the people and the ones he loves. It starts with the dad chanting for his son, who has a middle name meaning devil or demon, so it is Alex coping with where he comes from. He has the alternate personality or name, Edward Sharpe and his crew, the Magnetic Zeros. The beginning shows him upside down, leg bended, witha red 0 on his chest. In the tarot
FlamboyantFlamingo97
This song isn't about drugs or tripping out...Alexander's father was a psychotherapist, and a very Freudian one at that, and it's about his relationship with his father...Which is why he kills him in the video. Everything in the video and the song has deep emotional and psychological meaning behind it.