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.
Awful Sweetness of Escaping Sweet
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the day disappears from the sky
Into night
We became what we wanted to be
Like a dream or a ghost
I collapse out of turn
Near a house
Rising up to contract and expand like a breathe
We escape from that place
Soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart
Easily
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without though as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink like the moon
Tends to do if you stare at it too long
Then you blink and its gone
And we crawl to our sleep with the dawn
I awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat until what is burning is gone
And it's light is away
Then we are back in the dark
Chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence but it didn't get me
Yeah it's fear
It makes you so low
And these creatures look crooked
Their shadows cut lines through my face and the concrete is fire
Where my bare feet are placed
In a line next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it was fear that was born
As those awful eyes made their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence
Said your name
And I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet and my mouth was dry
I heard you scream but I made no reply
I can still taste it now if I try
The lyrics to Bright Eyes’s song “Awful Sweetness of Escaping Sweet” is a vivid, dream-like description of escaping from reality, letting go of inhibitions, and succumbing to fear. The first two lines describe the transition between day and night, as the characters escape from their house and become whoever they want to be. As the song progresses, the singer describes their experiences in almost surreal terms, drifting between reality and dreams.
The use of imagery is particularly rich, such as when the singer describes "the heat from the ground, rising up to contract and expand like a breath." Later, the fence and the creatures take on a grotesque quality, "crooked" and cutting "lines through my face." It's clear that the singer is grappling with fear, using escape as a coping mechanism.
The final lines of the song are particularly haunting, as the singer describes drinking sweat "like wine," and hearing a scream but refusing to respond. There's a sense of danger and uncertainty throughout, leaving the listener unsure of what exactly has transpired.
Overall, “Awful Sweetness of Escaping Sweet” is a powerful exploration of fear, escapism, and the search for freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
We escape from the house
We leave the house and go outside
As the day disappears from the sky
As the daytime turns into nighttime
Into night
It becomes night
We became what we wanted to be
We fulfilled our desires
Like a dream or a ghost
Similar to an unreal or intangible experience
I collapse out of turn
I fall unexpectedly
Near a house
Close to a residential building
Lying still in the grass and felt the heat from the ground
Resting on the ground and sensing the warmth emanating from it
Rising up to contract and expand like a breathe
Growing and shrinking like a breath
We escape from that place
We leave that location
Soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Drenched in perspiration and the toxic substance that we consumed
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Put ice in the bathtub and pray that our fever will subside
Like a heart
Similar to a heart
Easily
Without difficulty
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
I cannot remember all the things that were said
On those wire lips as they greeted me
On those cold, insincere lips that welcomed me
A promise was made without though as the temperature climbed
A vow was given without careful consideration as the heat increased
And I started to sink like the moon
And I began to descend like the moon in the sky
Tends to do if you stare at it too long
It usually happens when you gaze at it for an extended period
Then you blink and its gone
And suddenly, it disappears when you blink
And we crawl to our sleep with the dawn
We slowly move to our beds as the sun rises
I awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
I get up in the morning feeling empty and egocentrically comfortable
Close the blinds and retreat until what is burning is gone
Shut the window covers and withdraw until the pain disappears
And it's light is away
And its brightness has disappeared
Then we are back in the dark
Then we are in the dark again
Chasing nothing through backyards and trees
Going after nothing by going through lawns and forests
You ripped your shirt on a fence but it didn't get me
You tore your shirt on a barrier but it didn't affect me
Yeah it's fear
Yes, it's terror
It makes you so low
It brings you down so far
And these creatures look crooked
And these living things appear twisted
Their shadows cut lines through my face and the concrete is fire
Their shadows create patterns on my face and the ground is hot
Where my bare feet are placed
Where my uncovered feet are resting
In a line next to yours
In a queue beside yours
And I guess I'm not sure if it was fear that was born
And I suppose that I'm uncertain if it was terror that emerged
As those awful eyes made their claim on us
As those terrible eyes took possession of us
I put my hands on the fence
I place my hands on the barricade
Said your name
Uttered your name
And I started to climb
And I began to ascend
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
And it may have been perspiration, but I consumed it like wine
It was sweet and my mouth was dry
It was sugary, and my mouth was parched
I heard you scream but I made no reply
I heard you shout, but I didn't respond
I can still taste it now if I try
I can still perceive it if I attempt to relive the past
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST, Conor Oberst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind