Shiva
Antlers (The) Lyrics
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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
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' song "Shiva" is a haunting and surreal exploration of loss, grief, and transformation. The opening lines describe a scene of mass death, with all the machines in a hospital suddenly shutting down and leaving behind only one survivor - the singer himself, lying alone in his bed.
The second verse is a vivid depiction of the singer's physical condition, which is deteriorating rapidly, leaving him "completely unable to move" and with only a misshapen bed for company. He describes how his hair begins to grow and his face changes, as though he is becoming someone else entirely - perhaps the loved one he has lost.
The closing lines of the song are enigmatic and unsettling, as the singer reflects on the strange and unsettling sensations he is experiencing. He describes the feeling of his femur breaking in half as "scissors and too much to scream", suggesting that the pain is too intense to be expressed in words. Instead, he can only laugh - a response that is both cathartic and unnerving.
Overall, "Shiva" is a powerful and evocative meditation on the process of grief and the ways in which we transform in the face of loss. The surreal imagery and haunting melodies of the song create a sense of otherworldliness and mystery that is both beautiful and haunting.
Line by Line Meaning
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
All of the machines in the hospital stopped working at the same time.
And the monitors beeped the last time
The beeping sound that monitors make when everything is normal beeped for the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
There were a lot of empty hospital beds in the area.
And all of them empty but mine
Out of all the empty beds, the only one occupied was the artist's.
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air
The artist was in a helpless position, lying flat on their back and unable to move their feet.
Completely unable to move
The singer was paralyzed or had no control over their body.
The bed was misshaped, and awkward and tall
The bed was not comfortable or accommodating to the singer's body.
And clearly intended for you
The bed seemed like it was meant for someone else, not the artist.
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed
The person who put the artist to bed had already been discharged from the hospital.
And tore that old band off your wrist
The person who put the artist to bed removed their hospital bracelet as a symbol of leaving the hospital.
But you came back to see me for a minute or less
The person who put the singer to bed returned briefly to see them.
And left me your ring in my fist
The person who put the artist to bed left a ring in their hand as a gift or a reminder of their presence.
My hair started growing, my face became yours
The singer experienced a surreal transformation in which their physical features morphed into the person who put them to bed.
My femur was breaking in half
The singer experienced excruciating pain as if their femur bone was breaking in half.
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream
The sensation the singer was feeling was like scissors cutting through bone, and it was too painful to scream.
So instead, I just started to laugh
The artist's response to the overwhelming pain was to laugh, possibly from shock or hysteria.
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@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