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.
Haligh Haligh A Lie Haligh
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Words were missed then, some apology
"I didn't want to tell you this
No, it's just some guy she's been hangin' out with
I don't know, the past couple weeks, I guess"
Well, thank you and hang up the phone
Let the funeral start, hear the casket close
Let's pin split-black ribbons to our overcoats
In this house, I don't understand that sound no more
It seems artificial, like a TV set
Well, haligh, haligh, a lie, haligh
This weight, it must be satisfied
You offer only one reply
You know not what you do
But you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed
A lock of hair you said would prove
Our love would never die
Well, ha ha ha
And I remember everything
The words we spoke on freezing South Street
And all those mornings watching you get ready for school
You combed your hair inside the mirror
The one you painted blue and glued with jewelry tears
Something 'bout those bright colors
Would always make you feel better
But now we speak with ruined tongues
The words we say aren't meant for anyone
Just a mumbled sentence to a passing acquaintance
But there was once you
You said you hate my suffering
You understood, you'd take care of me
You'd always be there
Where are you now?
Haligh, haligh, a lie, haligh
The plans were never finalized
But left to hang like yarn and twine
Dangling before my eyes
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
From that same head you have twice removed
A lock of hair you said would prove
Our love would never die
And I sing and sing of awful things
The pleasure that my sadness brings
As my fingers press against the strings
Another clumsy chord
Haligh, haligh, an awful lie
This weight will now be satisfied
I'm gonna give you only one reply
I know not who I am
But I talk in the mirror
To the stranger that appears
Our conversations are circles
Always one sided, nothing is clear
Except we keep coming back
To this meaning that I lack
He says the choices were given
Now you must live them, or just not live
But do you want that?
The lyrics to Bright Eyes's song "Haligh Haligh A Lie Haligh" are haunting and emotive, exploring themes of loss, regret, and the futility of trying to recapture something that has already been lost. The singer in the song receives a phone call informing him of his ex-girlfriend's infidelity, and the rest of the song is a reflection on their past relationship and how it has unraveled. The lines "laughter pours from under doors/In this house, I don't understand that sound no more/It seems artificial, like a TV set" speak to the sense of dislocation that the singer experiences as he realizes that the world he thought he knew has changed irrevocably.
The chorus of "haligh, haligh, a lie, haligh" is a repeated refrain that suggests that the singer is grappling with the idea that what he once believed in was an illusion. The hair that his ex-girlfriend gave him as a symbol of their love has become meaningless, and he sings of "tearing his hair from roots" as if trying to erase the past. The lines "But now we speak with ruined tongues/The words we say aren't meant for anyone/Just a mumbled sentence to a passing acquaintance" suggest that both the singer and his ex-girlfriend have lost their connection to each other, and that the stories they once shared have become incoherent.
The final lines of the song are a plea for clarity and meaning: "He says the choices were given/Now you must live them, or just not live/But do you want that?" The singer is left with the realization that the past cannot be recovered, and that he must make choices about how to move forward. The song is a powerful exploration of the human heart and its capacity for both love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
The phone slips from a loose grip
I was holding the phone weakly and it fell from my hand.
Words were missed then, some apology
I missed some words of apology during the phone call.
"I didn't want to tell you this
I didn't want to tell you the truth.
No, it's just some guy she's been hangin' out with
She's just been hanging out with some other guy.
I don't know, the past couple weeks, I guess"
I don't know how long it has been going on.
Well, thank you and hang up the phone
I said thank you and hung up the phone.
Let the funeral start, hear the casket close
I'm metaphorically ending something important like a funeral and I'm closing the casket.
Let's pin split-black ribbons to our overcoats
I suggest we mourn by wearing black ribbons on our coats
Well, laughter pours from under doors
Laughter is coming from within the house through doors and it sounds strange.
In this house, I don't understand that sound no more
I don't know why people are laughing in this house anymore.
It seems artificial, like a TV set
The sound of laughter feels fake and forced like it's from a TV show.
Well, haligh, haligh, a lie, haligh
I am shouting out "hallelujah" sarcastically to indicate something is a lie.
This weight, it must be satisfied
I need to relieve the emotional burden that is weighing me down.
You offer only one reply
You never say anything substantial, you just give a vague response.
You know not what you do
You are not aware of the harm you cause.
But you tear and tear your hair from roots
You are distressed and pulling your hair out aggressively.
From that same head you have twice removed
From the same head you previously cut hair from.
A lock of hair you said would prove
You said this lock of hair would signify our love would last.
Our love would never die
Our love was eternal.
Well, ha ha ha
Sarcastic laughter to mock the ridiculousness of that idea.
And I remember everything
I remember everything that happened between us.
The words we spoke on freezing South Street
I still recall our conversation that took place in South Street when it was extremely cold outside.
And all those mornings watching you get ready for school
I remember seeing you getting ready for school every morning.
You combed your hair inside the mirror
You would comb your hair while looking at yourself in the mirror.
The one you painted blue and glued with jewelry tears
You decorated the mirror with blue paint and tears of jewelry.
Something 'bout those bright colors
The colorful decorations on your mirror were aesthetically pleasing.
Would always make you feel better
The decorations would always uplift your spirits.
But now we speak with ruined tongues
Now our communication is impaired and broken down.
The words we say aren't meant for anyone
The words we exchange do not have any significance or meaning.
Just a mumbled sentence to a passing acquaintance
The words we exchange are just meaningless small talk to brush off someone passing by.
But there was once you
I remember the person you used to be.
You said you hate my suffering
You confessed to hating to see me suffer.
You understood, you'd take care of me
You promised and understood you will take care of me.
You'd always be there
You assured me that you would always be there for me.
Where are you now?
You are not there for me, so where are you right now?
The plans were never finalized
We discussed plans but never finalized anything.
But left to hang like yarn and twine
Those plans were left hanging, without any proper closure.
Dangling before my eyes
This idea or plan is constantly on my mind.
As you tear and tear your hair from roots
You are still pulling your hair out due to distress.
From that same head you have twice removed
You are still aggressively pulling hair from the same spot you had snipped hair previously.
A lock of hair you said would prove
This lock of hair was supposed to be proof of your undying love.
Our love would never die
Our love was supposed to last forever.
And I sing and sing of awful things
I'm expressing my pain and sadness through singing about terrible things.
The pleasure that my sadness brings
I get some kind pleasure from wallowing in my own sadness.
As my fingers press against the strings
As I play the guitar, I feel the vibrations from the strings under my fingers.
Another clumsy chord
I am struggling to play the correct chord and making mistakes.
The weight will now be satisfied
I have finally found a way to alleviate the emotional burden that was weighing me down.
I'm gonna give you only one reply
I'm going to respond briefly and without much detail.
I know not who I am
I am very confused and lost about my identity and I don't know who I am.
But I talk in the mirror
I talk to myself in the mirror.
To the stranger that appears
The person I see in the mirror is a stranger to me.
Our conversations are circles
My conversations with myself are circular and unproductive.
Always one sided, nothing is clear
I am talking to myself so the conversation is always one sided and I don't get any clarity.
Except we keep coming back
I always find myself returning to the same thought or idea over and over again.
To this meaning that I lack
I'm searching for a deeper meaning or understanding, but I can't find it.
He says the choices were given
The person in the mirror tells me that I had choices but I have made my decisions already.
Now you must live them, or just not live
I have to live with the choices I have made or I can choose to give up on life completely.
But do you want that?
The mirror image questiones whether that is what I want.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Conor Oberst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind