Saddle Creek also released Letting Off the Happiness in November 1998, a ten-track record that boasted a much more focused and clear sound than the previous album. According to the Saddle Creek press release, it features members of Lullaby for the Working Class, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Of Montreal. It was predominantly recorded in the Oberst family basement in Omaha on an analog eight track reel to reel; with some work also done at keyboardist Andy Lemaster's Athens, GA studio. Although almost all of the tracks feature a full band, June on the West Coast is performed with only acoustic guitar and vocals. Padraic My Prince gives a dramatic fictional account of the death of Oberst's imagined baby brother.
In 2000 Bright Eyes released Fevers and Mirrors, a demonstration of the immense improvement in production quality and musical vision of the band. New instruments such as flute, piano, and accordion were introduced into the song arrangements. After An Attempt to Tip the Scales, a mock radio interview takes place. The mock radio interview features Todd Fink of The Faint doing an impression of Conor Oberst while reading a script that Oberst wrote. The man interviewing is Matt Silcock, a former member of Lullaby for the Working Class. In this interview, the fake Oberst intentionally presents a strange, contradictory explanation of his attitude towards his music. The interview acknowledges criticisms of his lyrics as overblown and insincere, which had begun to appear as the popularity of the band increased, but responds by stating that the lyrics are meant for personal interpretation. In a 'real' interview with KittyMagik.com, Oberst stated about the mock one: "It was a way to make fun of ourselves because the record is such a downer. I mean, that's one part of who I am, but I also like laughing and fucking around."
2002 saw the release of Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, and since then Oberst has released an almost constant stream of new material on collaborative EPs, split singles, tribute albums, and charity records. He ventured into the studio with Nebraska folk-pop outfit Tilly And The Wall, co-producing their debut album Wild Like Children and released it on his newly established record label, Team Love.
January 2005 saw the release of two albums: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, which is a country-tinged mélange of Conor’s finest acoustic songs, featuring guest vocal appearances from Emmylou Harris and Jim James of My Morning Jacket; and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, which is a more produced, electronic album featuring cameo appearances by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
One single from each album, Take It Easy (Love Nothing) from Digital Ash and Lua from I'm Wide Awake took the top two slots on Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, the first time for any artist since 1997.
As had become expected of Bright Eyes recordings, the albums feature an array of talented comrades including members of Rilo Kiley, Tilly And The Wall, Cursive, Now Its Overhead, The Good Life, Azure Ray, The Faint, The Bruces, Neva Dinova, The Postal Service and Audrye Sessions.
In October 2006, Bright Eyes released a compilation of rare tracks called Noise Floor: Rarities 1998-2005.
Bright Eyes released their sixth studio album called Cassadaga on April 9, 2007, preceded by an EP entitled Four Winds on March 6, 2007.
A further 25-30 tracks have been recorded in Portland, Oregon and New York City, with another session planned in Omaha, Nebraska. Some of these tracks had already been performed at live shows.
On February 15, 2011, the band released their seventh studio album, The People's Key.
On June 22, 2020, they released Down In The Weeds Where The World Once Was, their first album on Dead Oceans after a long history with Saddle Creek.
A New Arrangement
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement is going to make a difference
Because it is the moment that you are living in
And not the one that follows
That makes the mess you are cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward
Because you know it is what you leave behind
You will soon start missing and the people you once counted on
Says it's all depending on how you act and how you treat yourself
And that is not very well
So baby, when I call for you
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgment of your frequent mood swings
But what good is an acknowledgment
It still don't change things
We've tried all forms of encouragement
And it's still no better
You can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one
So baby, when I call to you
I want you to come and lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind
Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone
The lyrics to Bright Eyes's song A New Arrangement are about the struggle of living in the present moment and finding a way to deal with the past. The singer imagines being able to arrange his/her days in a new and better sequence, hoping that a change in the routine would make a difference in their life. However, the reality is that it's the moment we live in, not the one that follows, that determines our mental state. Time keeps moving forward, dragging us along with it and making us face the things we try to leave behind.
The singer seems to address someone specific in the song, urging them to explain themselves to everyone. They acknowledge that the person has been going through a rough time, experiencing frequent mood swings and struggling to put on a smile. Despite all the encouragement they've received, nothing seems to have helped. The singer implores the person to come forward and lay out their troubles for everyone to understand, instead of simply sitting awkwardly and avoiding the confrontation.
Overall, A New Arrangement is a somber and introspective song that explores the complexities of living in the present moment and reconciling with the past.
Line by Line Meaning
If could change your days
If you were granted the power to alter your days
Arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Reorganizing them into a more pleasant order
Like any new arrangement is going to make a difference
As if any new arrangement would have a significant impact
Because it is the moment that you are living in
Since the current moment is what really matters
And not the one that follows
And not the next moment that is yet to come
That makes the mess you are cleaning in your head
That causes the confusion or difficulties you are trying to sort out mentally
And time still drags you forward
And time continues to move you along
Although you keep resisting
Even though you try to resist
Because you know it is what you leave behind
Because you understand that what you leave behind is what you will miss
You will soon start missing and the people you once counted on
You will eventually begin to miss the people who were important to you
Says it's all depending on how you act and how you treat yourself
Say that everything hinges on how you behave and how you take care of yourself
And that is not very well
And right now, that is not going too well
So baby, when I call for you
So darling, when I ask you to come
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
I want you to come and clarify things to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgment of your frequent mood swings
You acknowledge your tendency to experience frequent mood swings by nodding
But what good is an acknowledgment
But what use is it to simply acknowledge the issue
It still don't change things
It doesn't actually change anything
We've tried all forms of encouragement
We have attempted every type of supportive strategy
And it's still no better
But the situation remains unchanged
You can't seem to fake or force a smile
You are unable to artificially produce or forcefully display a smile
Not even a little one
Not even a small or subtle one
So baby, when I call to you
So darling, when I ask you to come
I want you to come and lay it out for everyone
I want you to come and explain exactly what is going on to everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
In the exact same way it was before all of this started occurring
And why you can't leave it behind
And why you are unable to let go of it
Don't just sit there when I call to you
Don't simply sit there when I summon you
I told you to come and lay it out for
I instructed you to come and explain everything to
Don't feel awkward
Don't be uncomfortable or self-conscious
Lay it out for everyone
Explain everything to everyone
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Arielle Shea
If could change your days
Arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement is going to make a difference
Because it is the moment that you are living in
And not the one that follows
That makes the mess you are cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward
Although you keep resisting
Because you know it is what you leave behind
You will soon start missing and the people you once counted on
Says it's all depending on how you act and how you treat yourself
And that is not very well
So baby, when I call for you
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgment of your frequent mood swings
But what good is an acknowledgment
It still don't change things
We've tried all forms of encouragement
And it's still no better
You can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one
So baby, when I call to you
I want you to come and lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind
Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone
Patrick Burns
"You still nod in acknowledgement of your frequent mood swings. Yeah, what good's an acknowledgment? It still don't change things. The people you once counted on say it's all depending on how you act and how you treat yourself. And that's not very well." Thank you Conor, for describing the last three years of my life in four lines.
KiLL JMiN
Patrick Burns
I posted the second verse you quoted on Facebook 5 years ago today and decided to give it another listen and Connor seriously is one of the realest musicians ever and truly speaks words of a tortured soul. The shakiness he has in his voice in almost every super deep song just lets off a vibe where you know these are more than words to him.
Arielle Shea
If could change your days
Arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement is going to make a difference
Because it is the moment that you are living in
And not the one that follows
That makes the mess you are cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward
Although you keep resisting
Because you know it is what you leave behind
You will soon start missing and the people you once counted on
Says it's all depending on how you act and how you treat yourself
And that is not very well
So baby, when I call for you
I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgment of your frequent mood swings
But what good is an acknowledgment
It still don't change things
We've tried all forms of encouragement
And it's still no better
You can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one
So baby, when I call to you
I want you to come and lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind
Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone
Flinch Fu
All of these different issues meet together in a lyrical moire pattern... He's a multidimensional song writer.
ratatasaratata
sehr simpel, extrem schön. immer noch ihr bester! very simple, extremely beautiful, still their best!
Adrian Burton
These early tracks are my favorite but I notice a lot of missed instrumental opportunities like that violin should have be turnt tf uppp
bored cat
by far the saddest bright eyes song. I love the lyrics so much.
Madison Perry
Fucking amazing I love this
magicalemperor
i would send this to my mother if she would talk to me
Kelly MacLeod
I love how you just lol'd at him. xD If you can't understand these lyrics you have no business listening to them.