Devil in the Details
Bright Eyes Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

A house of cards, a supple heart,
Is not a place to dwell.
Now you have you're cake, don't hesitate,
Common just do it, Common just do it.
Put it in your mouth, there is only now,
Tomorrow has to wait.
But know there's no backing out.
This is going to be reality,
You can never dream it down.
I have, No way, Of tellin',
The two, Apart.
Well I made amends, in the general sense,
Of the Devils in the details.
And I know the cost, and I want to stop.
But I can't do it, I just can't do it.
There was love I meant, there were accidents,
So tell me which is which.
'Cause I just can't work it out,
But for memory and clarity, we had better write it down.
I have, no way, of knowing,
The truth, with time, dissolves.
I put the past into the ground,
I saw the future as a cloud,
If there's still time to turn around,
I'm going to.
It's just some day I fell asleep,
And now all day, all night I dream,
I am the first one I deceive,
If I can make myself believe,




The rest,
Is easy.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Devil in the Details" by Bright Eyes are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. At its core, the song seems to be about the consequences of making choices that may not necessarily be good for us. The opening lines of the song liken a fragile situation to a house of cards, and suggest that it's not a place to dwell. The singer then implores someone to take a risk, to go ahead and do something that may seem exciting or tempting, but that they may come to regret later. The lines "Put it in your mouth, there is only now, tomorrow has to wait" suggest an urgency or immediacy to the situation, that now is the time to act rather than to wait.


The subsequent lines reference the idea of the "Devil in the Details," suggesting that making deals or engaging in activities that may have unforeseen consequences can be dangerous. The singer acknowledges that there have been mistakes in the past, accidents that he may have meant to avoid or prevent, but he can't quite remember which is which. The final lines of the song suggest a desire to start afresh, to put the past behind and to turn things around, but there's also a sense of futility and hopelessness in the face of self-deception and the human tendency to avoid facing uncomfortable realities.


Line by Line Meaning

A house of cards, a supple heart,
A fragile foundation and an easily swayed emotional state cannot sustain a person.


Is not a place to dwell.
One should not stay in such a vulnerable state for too long.


Now you have you're cake, don't hesitate,
You have what you want, so don't waste time second-guessing yourself.


Common just do it, Common just do it.
Take action without hesitation.


Put it in your mouth, there is only now,
Whatever you want, indulge in it now while you have the chance.


Tomorrow has to wait.
Don't worry about the future right now.


But know there's no backing out.
Once you commit to something, there's no turning back.


This is going to be reality,
The situation will become real and it cannot be undone.


You can never dream it down.
You can't wish the consequences of your actions away.


I have, No way, Of tellin',
I'm not sure.


The two, Apart.
The two things are indistinguishable from each other.


Well I made amends, in the general sense,
I tried to make things right in a broad way.


Of the Devils in the details.
However, there were still problems that weren't addressed.


And I know the cost, and I want to stop.
I'm aware of the negative consequences, and I want to change things.


But I can't do it, I just can't do it.
Despite my desire to change, I feel trapped and unable to make progress.


There was love I meant, there were accidents,
I had good intentions, but mistakes were made.


So tell me which is which.
It's hard to distinguish between what was done maliciously and what was accidental.


'Cause I just can't work it out,
I'm struggling to make sense of the situation.


But for memory and clarity, we had better write it down.
To avoid confusion, we should document what happened.


I have, no way, of knowing,
I'm unsure.


The truth, with time, dissolves.
The longer we wait, the harder it becomes to distinguish the truth from lies.


I put the past into the ground,
I tried to leave my past behind me.


I saw the future as a cloud,
I had a vague idea of where I was going or what I wanted in the future.


If there's still time to turn around,
If it's not too late to change things.


I'm going to.
I'll make an effort to change the course of events.


It's just some day I fell asleep,
At some point, I stopped being aware of what was happening.


And now all day, all night I dream,
Now I'm constantly thinking about my hopes and fears.


I am the first one I deceive,
I'm not always honest with myself.


If I can make myself believe,
If I can convince myself of something.


The rest,
Everything else that follows.


Is easy.
Will seem less difficult to achieve if I can convince myself of it.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST, Conor Oberst

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions