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.
I Won't Ever Be Happy Again
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it dressed the sky in a lovely yellow gown
Now the shops they are all opening
In that narrow hallway of downtown
Filled with people who are shopping
For their lovers and their friends
Saying they won't ever be lonely again
Well, the forest fenced becomes backyards
Like songs are born from sound
And the apple fell and it taught us all
We are chained here to the ground
So, I mean, here we go but there ain't no escape
These streets are just dead ends
So I won't ever be happy again
Now it seems you, too, see a painful blue
When you stare into the sky
You could never understand
The movement of a hand waving goodbye
But as the story goes or it is often told
A new day will arise
And all the dance halls will be full of skeletons
That are coming back to life
And on a grassy hill
The lion will lay down with the lamb
And I won't ever be lonely again
But until that time I think
I'd better find some disbelief to suspend
'Cause I don't want to feel like this again
In "I Won't Ever Be Happy Again," Bright Eyes presents a bleak outlook on life despite the brightness of the morning sky. The song opens with the description of the morning sky, which could be perceived as beautiful or hopeful, yet the lyrics are instead pointing out the emptiness of society's daily routines. The song takes place in a city, specifically in the hallway of downtown, which is filled with people going about their daily routines. The lyrics highlight the place's repetitive and meaningless nature. People shop for their lovers and friends, claiming they will never be alone again, but there's a sense of irony in the statement. The song's theme is about feeling stuck in the mundaneness of life, leading to a loss of hope and happiness. The upbeat tempo and melody contrast with the depressing lyrics, emphasizing that in the end, no matter how nice the morning is or how people fill their lives, it's all futile.
The song's second verse highlights the idea that everything in life is temporary. The forest becomes backyards, songs begin with sound, and even the apple falls to the ground to teach us that we are chained here. The lyrics suggest that life is mundane, irrational, and that everyone is stuck on the earth, unable to escape the meaningless routine of life. There is no escape, and the streets they're limited to are dead ends. The lyrics paint a picture of being trapped, with no hope for a way out, and therefore the singer of the song will never be happy again.
In the final verse, there is a potential indication of hope. The pain that the singer feels is not unique only to him/her. Someone else has the same blue pain that the morning sky brings, and whether or not they can understand it or not is not the point. The song suggests that while life is like this, eventually, one day, things will change. Suggested by the dance halls that come back to life, and the lion and the lamb laying down together, even our bones will come back to life. However, until that happens, the singer wants to suspend his/her disbelief and not feel like that again.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, morning came
A new day has begun
And it dressed the sky in a lovely yellow gown
The sky looks beautiful with a yellow color due to sunshine
Now the shops they are all opening
Shops are starting to open for business
In that narrow hallway of downtown
Referring to the main street in a small town
Filled with people who are shopping
People are out and about, buying things
For their lovers and their friends
Buying gifts for people close to them
Saying they won't ever be lonely again
Possibly trying to convince themselves that they won't feel alone
Well, the forest fenced becomes backyards
Natural areas have been replaced with human-made yards
Like songs are born from sound
Comparing the creation of yards with the creation of music
And the apple fell and it taught us all
Alluding to the story of Newton discovering gravity
We are chained here to the ground
We are stuck here on Earth, unable to escape
So, I mean, here we go but there ain't no escape
Acknowledging the inevitability of life's struggles
These streets are just dead ends
The paths we take in life may seem pointless and unfulfilling
So I won't ever be happy again
Feeling a sense of hopelessness about finding happiness
Now it seems you, too, see a painful blue
Referencing a feeling of sadness or melancholy
When you stare into the sky
Looking up at the sky
You could never understand
Feeling like others can't relate to your struggles
The movement of a hand waving goodbye
Saying goodbye to someone, possibly forever
But as the story goes or it is often told
Referring to common narratives or beliefs
A new day will arise
There is hope for a better future
And all the dance halls will be full of skeletons
Imagery of the dead coming back to life
That are coming back to life
Indicating the possibility of resurrection or renewal
And on a grassy hill
Painting a peaceful image
The lion will lay down with the lamb
Reference to biblical prophecy
And I won't ever be lonely again
Looking forward to a time when loneliness will be gone
But until that time I think
Acknowledging that the desired outcome may take awhile to occur
I'd better find some disbelief to suspend
Finding a way to cope or block out painful feelings
'Cause I don't want to feel like this again
Not wanting to experience the present pain again in the future
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TastyKibble11
Well morning came
And it dressed the sky
In a lovely yellow gown
Now the shops they are
All opening
In that narrow hallway of downtown
Filled with people who
Are shopping for
Their lovers and their friends
So they won't ever be lonely again
Well a forest fenced
becomes backyards
Like songs are born from sound
And the apple fell
And it taught us all
We are chained here to the ground
So here we go
But there ain't no escape
Yeah, these streets they're just dead ends
So I won't ever be happy again
Well, it seems you too
See a painful blue
When you stare into the sky
You could never understand
The motion of a hand waving you goodbye
"Bye bye"
But as the story goes
or it is often told
A new day will arise
And all the dance halls will
Be full of skeletons
That are coming back to life
And on a grassy hill
the lion will
lay down with the lamb
And I won't ever be lonely again
No, no, no, no, no
But until that time
I think I had better find
some disbelief to suspend
Cause I don't want to feel like this again
Closh Go
I'm not ashamed to say I cry to this song, every time I hear it. It has such raw emotion. It actually makes me feel something inside. I wish I could listen to "Bright Eyes" 24/7.
TastyKibble11
Well morning came
And it dressed the sky
In a lovely yellow gown
Now the shops they are
All opening
In that narrow hallway of downtown
Filled with people who
Are shopping for
Their lovers and their friends
So they won't ever be lonely again
Well a forest fenced
becomes backyards
Like songs are born from sound
And the apple fell
And it taught us all
We are chained here to the ground
So here we go
But there ain't no escape
Yeah, these streets they're just dead ends
So I won't ever be happy again
Well, it seems you too
See a painful blue
When you stare into the sky
You could never understand
The motion of a hand waving you goodbye
"Bye bye"
But as the story goes
or it is often told
A new day will arise
And all the dance halls will
Be full of skeletons
That are coming back to life
And on a grassy hill
the lion will
lay down with the lamb
And I won't ever be lonely again
No, no, no, no, no
But until that time
I think I had better find
some disbelief to suspend
Cause I don't want to feel like this again
Lauren R
He is beautiful, and his lyrics are beautiful.
Elizibeth Reding
I love Connor because his music just brought two very different people together. He is not fake nor does he try to hard. He just feels and falls, and I respect that. Connor, you, sir are my hero, not for some big extravagant reason, but for the fact that you DON'T care what any one else thinks you're just yourself and everyone still loves you. I want to be just like you one day. hopefully soon, because right now I'm a total HOSER!!! Thank you Connor!
rust puppy
This song,as well as every other Bright Eyes song,gives me chills. That's why I love it so damned much. I get why he's depressed.I get why he has these feelings. I've been there.We've all been there. But nobody's been there as poetically as Conor.
Spencer Rose
I've been so scared that this song would one day entirely apply to my own personal situation. And here we are. Profound sadness.
Brian Villagrana
love Conor's music and i've been listening for a while. i just love he also mentions some of his of his earlier works. " you never understand the emotion of a hand waving goodbye."
Weronika Pach
Bright eyes justifies every vice any of us can possibly have. There's a song for everything, and every single one is pure perfection.
Ugly Casanova
Crying my eyes out of their socket. I love you Connor.
taylor gardner
Conor obesrt is simply a lyrical genius, he is completely the "Bob Dylan" of this generation.