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.
Another Travelin' Song
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
About all the billion highways
And the cities at the break of dawn
Well, I guess the best that I can do now
Is pretend that I done nothing wrong
And a dream about a train that's gonna
Well, now the ocean speaks and spits
And I can hear it from the interstate
And I'm screaming at my brother on a cell phone
He is far away
I'm saying nothing in the past or future
Ever will feel like today
Until we're parking in an alley
Just hopin' that our shit is safe
So I go back and forth forever
All my thoughts they come in pairs
Oh, I will, I won't, I do, I don't
I'm not surprised
But I never feel quite prepared
Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I guess you'd call that paintin' in a cave
And there's a word I can't remember
And a feeling I cannot escape
And now my ashtray's overflowing
I'm still staring at a clean white page
Oh, and morning's at my window
And she is sending me to bed again
Well, I dreamed a dark on the horizon
I dreamed a desert where the dead lay down
I dreamed a prostituted child
Touching an old man in a fast food crowd
I dreamed a ship was sinking
There was people screaming all around
And I awoke to my alarm clock
It was a pop song, it was playin' loud
So I will find my fears and face them
I will cower like a dog
I will kick and scream
I will kneel and plead
I'll fight like hell, to hide that I'm givin' up
The lyrics to Bright Eyes's "Another Travelin' Song" are about the restlessness and uncertainty of being a traveling musician. The singer is changing his guitar strings and preparing to write a new song about traveling, inspired by the vast highways and cities he's seen. He feels guilty about the past and dreams of a train that will take him back to where he belongs, but he's not sure where that is anymore.
The second verse finds the singer on the road, listening to the roar of the ocean from the interstate and talking to his brother on his cell phone. He muses that nothing feels as good as today, and that he won't feel completely secure until he's parked safely in a back alley. The singer describes his constant mental struggle, his indecision and self-doubt, and his attempts to write new songs while coping with the distractions and vices that come with being a musician.
The final verse takes a darker turn, with the singer dreaming of death, prostitution, and disaster while his alarm clock blares a pop song loudly. Despite his fear and uncertainty, the singer resolves to face his fears and "fight like hell" to hide his own feelings of giving up.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm changin all my strings
I am changing my guitar strings.
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
I am going to write a new song about traveling.
About all the billion highways
It's going to be about all the possible roads out there.
And the cities at the break of dawn
I will describe the cities just as they wake up.
Well, I guess the best that I can do now
I can only do my best now.
Is pretend that I done nothing wrong
I need to act like nothing went wrong.
And a dream about a train that's gonna
I dream about a train that will take me where I belong.
Take me back where I belong
It will take me back to where I feel I belong.
Well, now the ocean speaks and spits
I can hear the ocean from where I am.
And I can hear it from the interstate
I can hear it even with all the noise from the highway.
And I'm screaming at my brother on a cell phone
I'm having an argument with my brother on the phone.
He is far away
He is not here with me.
I'm saying nothing in the past or future
I'm thinking about the present only.
Ever will feel like today
Nothing will ever compare to this moment.
Until we're parking in an alley
Not even when we're hiding in an alley.
Just hopin' that our shit is safe
Just hoping that our belongings are safe.
So I go back and forth forever
I keep going back and forth in my mind.
All my thoughts they come in pairs
I always have two thoughts, one for and one against.
Oh, I will, I won't, I do, I don't
I am undecided.
I'm not surprised
I am unfazed by it.
But I never feel quite prepared
I never feel completely ready for anything.
Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I am sitting uncomfortably over the typewriter.
I guess you'd call that paintin' in a cave
I suppose this is similar to painting inside a cave.
And there's a word I can't remember
There is a word that I cannot recall.
And a feeling I cannot escape
I have a feeling that I cannot shake.
And now my ashtray's overflowing
My ashtray is full and about to spill.
I'm still staring at a clean white page
I am still looking at a blank piece of paper.
Oh, and morning's at my window
Morning is coming through my window.
And she is sending me to bed again
It's time for me to go to sleep again.
Well, I dreamed a dark on the horizon
I had a frightening dream about something bad coming.
I dreamed a desert where the dead lay down
I had a dream about the dead laying down in a desert.
I dreamed a prostituted child
I had a dream about a prostituted child.
Touching an old man in a fast food crowd
The child was touching an old man in a busy fast-food area.
I dreamed a ship was sinking
I had a dream about a ship sinking.
There was people screaming all around
Everyone was screaming as they went down with the ship.
And I awoke to my alarm clock
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock.
It was a pop song, it was playin' loud
It was a loud pop song that woke me up.
So I will find my fears and face them
I need to locate my fears and confront them.
I will cower like a dog
I may initially act like a coward.
I will kick and scream
I will struggle and make noise.
I will kneel and plead
I may try to beg and plead.
I'll fight like hell, to hide that I'm givin' up
I will fight tooth and nail to hide the fact that I am giving up.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CONOR OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jason Leon
Well I'm changin all my strings
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
About all the billion highways
And the cities at the break of dawn
Well, I guess the best that I can do now
Is pretend that I done nothing wrong
And a dream about a train that's gonna
Take me back where I belong
Well, now the ocean speaks and spits
And I can hear it from the interstate
And I'm screaming at my brother on a cell phone
He is far away
I'm saying nothing in the past or future
Ever will feel like today
Until we're parking in an alley
Just hopin' that our shit is safe
So I go back and forth forever
All my thoughts they come in pairs
Oh, I will, I won't, I do, I don't
I'm not surprised
But I never feel quite prepared
Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I guess you'd call that paintin' in a cave
And there's a word I can't remember
And a feeling I cannot escape
And now my ashtray's overflowing
I'm still staring at a clean white page
Oh, and morning's at my window
And she is sending me to bed again
Well, I dreamed a dark on the horizon
I dreamed a desert where the dead lay down
I dreamed a prostituted child
Touching an old man in a fast food crowd
I dreamed a ship was sinking
There was people screaming all around
And I awoke to my alarm clock
It was a pop song, it was playin' loud
So I will find my fears and face them
I will cower like a dog
I will kick and scream
I will kneel and plead
I'll fight like hell, to hide that I'm givin' up
Josh Carrillo
walter showed me this song when i was 12 or 13 and said that this was one of his favorite bright eyes tunes...
and now here i am preparing to sing it at his funeral. i love you man, i’m gonna miss you every day. we’ll have one last jam someday man i just know it
Brenden Davis
Friends like you are hard to come by 🫡
The Uhhh
When I listen to this, I'm immediately back in my car, driving the two hours from my hometown to my college. It's 8 years ago, a fall day and I've got this album in the cd player of my volvo.
obiwanfisher537
Nothing says broke college drop-out/successful bachelor (both the same lol) than a cd and volvo
Sean Culver
One of my very best friends has been playing this song for a long time around me and I have always gotten goosebumps listening to it.  Tonight when he went to start playing it on my guitar, I just typed in a couple lyrics that he was singing and quickly googled the lyrics.  To my surprise this is what came up.. ROght now this second, hes playing along with it, in nearly perfect harmony.  Nothing like having a private personal show from a musician I would pay to see but hes my friend, and hes playing a song that Ive liked for along time hearing him sing it.  Bright Eyes, you guys are aweosme.  Just wanted to  let you know.
dikdik abdul
Sean Culver y
Dap Sugar Willie
Sean Culver
Great story.
Although I'm a tiny bit concerned about the 'near perfect harmony' line....
Heh~heh.
Vicky G.
Fucking adore this. Adore him. Hope he never gets discouraged and keeps cranking out lyrical genius in the form of catchy indie-folk songs!
Kim
Whenever this song comes on from shuffle on one of my playlists. It hits me in a way that... There's a word I can't remember to describe it. Anyway, it hits me that way. And when it does. I'm not surprised, but I never feel quite prepared
Jason Leon
Well I'm changin all my strings
I'm gonna write another travelin' song
About all the billion highways
And the cities at the break of dawn
Well, I guess the best that I can do now
Is pretend that I done nothing wrong
And a dream about a train that's gonna
Take me back where I belong
Well, now the ocean speaks and spits
And I can hear it from the interstate
And I'm screaming at my brother on a cell phone
He is far away
I'm saying nothing in the past or future
Ever will feel like today
Until we're parking in an alley
Just hopin' that our shit is safe
So I go back and forth forever
All my thoughts they come in pairs
Oh, I will, I won't, I do, I don't
I'm not surprised
But I never feel quite prepared
Now I'm hunched over a typewriter
I guess you'd call that paintin' in a cave
And there's a word I can't remember
And a feeling I cannot escape
And now my ashtray's overflowing
I'm still staring at a clean white page
Oh, and morning's at my window
And she is sending me to bed again
Well, I dreamed a dark on the horizon
I dreamed a desert where the dead lay down
I dreamed a prostituted child
Touching an old man in a fast food crowd
I dreamed a ship was sinking
There was people screaming all around
And I awoke to my alarm clock
It was a pop song, it was playin' loud
So I will find my fears and face them
I will cower like a dog
I will kick and scream
I will kneel and plead
I'll fight like hell, to hide that I'm givin' up