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.
On My Way to Work
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there are people singing praises
Say, "It's all because of him"
And there is a bird perched on a frayed, wet wire
And his voice sings out for a lover
But it's covered by the choir of voices
Reaching way beyond the rafters
They cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks
Slight suffering is not too much to ask
Besides, we all are making money
And we are all fucking alone
And we don't know what we are doing
Maybe just buying us some hope
Because we know that we are lonely
Yeah, lonely, that's for sure
And the older ones are coughing
And the older ones are dying
Maybe we are all dying
I pass a graveyard on my way to work
Today I saw two dozen white roses
On a fresh new mound of dirt
And I wondered about the occupant
When the darkness finally swallowed him
Was he calm and content?
Or was he sweating in a struggle to keep breathing
Ripping apart the sheets that dressed his bed
Crying out loud for someone to help him
And collapsing on his back, all pale and dead?
Maybe it's me who's this unstable
Always obsessed about the end
Why can't I let what happens happen?
And just enjoy the time I spend
Oh, how I wish it was so easy
But when there is no point to anything
It can get a bit confusing
Why is that I keep going?
Why is that we keep going?
In Bright Eyes's song "On My Way to Work," the singer tells a story about his daily commute and encounters on the street that make him reflect on life, death, and the human condition. He sees a car parked where the block begins, and people singing praises, crediting someone for something unclear. A bird perched on a frayed, wet wire sings out for a lover, but its voice is covered by the choir of voices reaching way beyond the rafters in a sacred performance. The people cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks, suggesting that they are trying to buy hope to overcome their loneliness and mortality. The older ones are coughing and dying, reminding the singer of his vulnerability and fear of death. He passes a graveyard on his way to work and sees two dozen white roses on a fresh new mound of dirt, wondering about the occupant and how he might have felt in his final moments. The singer admits his own instability and obsession with the end, questioning why he and humanity keep going despite the lack of a clear purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a car parked where the block begins
As I travel on my way to work, I see a car parked at the beginning of the block.
And there are people singing praises
I also hear people singing and praising someone in the vicinity.
Say, "It's all because of him"
These people sing in unison and claim that everything happening is because of the unnamed person.
And there is a bird perched on a frayed, wet wire
A bird is sitting on a wire nearby which is frayed and wet from the rain.
And his voice sings out for a lover
The bird sings sweetly, looking for a mate.
But it's covered by the choir of voices
Unfortunately, the song of the bird is drowned out by the voices of the people singing.
Reaching way beyond the rafters
Their voices are so loud that they seem to be reaching beyond the ceiling of the building.
With devotion, they perform these sacred tasks
The people are very dedicated as they continue performing these holy activities.
They cross themselves and offer up their checkbooks
These people make prayers and donate money generously.
Slight suffering is not too much to ask
They believe that they should endure some pain and sacrifices as a part of their faith.
Besides, we all are making money
They justify their donations by saying that they all are earning good money.
And we are all fucking alone
Despite being surrounded by many people, everyone feels lonely in their own way.
And we don't know what we are doing
Even when we are performing our daily tasks, we don't have a clear sense of purpose.
Maybe just buying us some hope
Perhaps, we are clinging onto what little hope we have while living our lives.
Because we know that we are lonely
We understand that we are alone in the world and that's a sad truth.
Yeah, lonely, that's for sure
As a consequence, we feel lonely and isolated from others.
And the older ones are coughing
I see elderly people who are suffering from a cough or other ailments.
And the older ones are dying
They are approaching the end of their lives.
Maybe we are all dying
These aging bodies are a reminder that death is inevitable for us all.
I pass a graveyard on my way to work
As I make my way to work, I come across a cemetery where people are buried.
Today I saw two dozen white roses
On a fresh grave, I noticed twenty-four white roses placed recently.
On a fresh new mound of dirt
The grave is still new, and dirt is piled high in a fresh mound.
And I wondered about the occupant
I wonder who this person is and what kind of life they lived.
When the darkness finally swallowed him
Eventually, this person also succumbed to death.
Was he calm and content?
I wonder if this person died peacefully, feeling satisfied with their life.
Or was he sweating in a struggle to keep breathing
Perhaps this person died while struggling to cling on to life, desperately gasping for air.
Ripping apart the sheets that dressed his bed
In his fear and panic, the person may have pulled apart the sheets on his bed.
Crying out loud for someone to help him
He may have cried out for someone to save him in his last moments.
And collapsing on his back, all pale and dead?
In the end, he may have fallen backward and died, leaving his body pale and lifeless on his bed.
Maybe it's me who's this unstable
I could be the one who is always irrational and not in control of my life and my fears.
Always obsessed about the end
I am perpetually worried and obsessed about death and the end of things.
Why can't I let what happens happen?
I find it challenging to simply accept and go with the flow of life and not worry about what the future holds.
And just enjoy the time I spend
It would be nice to live in the present moment and enjoy the time I have on this earth.
Oh, how I wish it was so easy
But accepting things as they are and living in the present is easier said than done.
But when there is no point to anything
Life seems hopeless and pointless when you begin to question the purpose of everything.
It can get a bit confusing
It becomes challenging to make sense of anything when you feel lost and confused about the point of it all.
Why is that I keep going?
Despite everything, I keep moving forward on this journey of life.
Why is that we keep going?
As humans, we continue to endure and persevere despite the chaos and confusion that life throws our way.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind