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.
Down in a Rabbit Hole
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Covered yourself up in snow
Baby, tell me where'd you go
For days and days
Did they make you stay up all night?
Did they paint your face that pasty white?
You're thirsty but your appetite
Is chased away
The sun turns us to stone
It's a cloudy day
But we still can't go home
Open our back cellar door
Till we see the moon
We're invisible
No one ever takes the garbage out
A new kid gets dare to touch the house
He runs back only to announce
There's no one home
Does he paint the foil with a flame
Smear the soda, taste butane
For every fear that can't be named
To calm you down
Your heart starts skipping steps
So your farther gone
Then you might expect
If your thoughts should turn to death
Got to stomp them out
Like a cigarette
The lyrics of Bright Eyes's song "Down in a Rabbit Hole" are open to multiple interpretations, but one common thread is a sense of confusion and disorientation. The singer is trying to reach out to someone who seems to have disappeared, but they are met with silence and uncertainty. The first verse paints a vivid picture of someone lost in a winter landscape, covering themselves in snow and disappearing into a rabbit hole. The imagery suggests a desire to escape, but it is unclear what the person is trying to escape from.
In the second verse, the singer introduces a sense of confinement and isolation. The person they are trying to reach has been kept up all night and painted with a "pasty white" substance. There is a sense of something sinister or oppressive happening, but the details are again vague. The chorus offers some relief, with the idea that the sun turns us all to stone, and therefore the cloudy day is a temporary reprieve. However, the line "we still can't go home" suggests that there is something preventing the singer from finding safety and comfort.
The final verse introduces a new character, a "new kid" who is dared to touch the abandoned house. The environment becomes more surreal, with talk of painting foil with a flame and tasting butane to quell fear. The final lines suggest that the singer is grappling with their own mortality, but they try to push these thoughts away like a cigarette. Overall, the song creates a feeling of unease and uncertainty, with a strong sense of wanting to understand what is happening but being unable to fully grasp it.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard you fell into a rabbit hole
I heard you went down a dark path.
Covered yourself up in snow
You went into hiding or isolation.
Baby, tell me where'd you go
Please share with me what's been going on with you.
For days and days
It's been a long time.
Did they make you stay up all night?
Did they torture you?
Did they paint your face that pasty white?
Did they traumatize you?
You're thirsty but your appetite is chased away
You're feeling hollow or numb.
The sun turns us to stone
The world can be a harsh and unyielding place.
It's a cloudy day
Things are not clear or straightforward.
But we still can't go home
We don't feel safe or welcome in our usual surroundings.
Open our back cellar door till we see the moon
We're seeking a way out of our troubles or limitations.
We're invisible
We feel overlooked, ignored or unwanted.
No one ever takes the garbage out
Nobody wants to confront the mess or negativity that's been building up.
A new kid gets dare to touch the house
Someone new or foolhardy is trying to enter or challenge the situation.
He runs back only to announce there's no one home
They're met with emptiness, abandonment or a lack of support.
Does he paint the foil with a flame?
Is he trying to rebel or self-destruct?
Smear the soda, taste butane
He's numbing or destroying himself with harmful substances.
For every fear that can't be named, to calm you down
To cope with the overwhelming anxiety or uncertainty he feels.
Your heart starts skipping steps, so you're farther gone
Your emotional state is spiraling out of control.
Than you might expect
It's happening faster or more radically than anticipated.
If your thoughts should turn to death, got to stomp them out like a cigarette
Don't let suicidal thoughts or despair consume you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CONOR OBERST, NICK ZINNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind