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.
One for You One for Me
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One for the tyrant, one for the slaughtered lamb
One for the struggle, one for the lasting peace
One for you, and one for me
One for the Fuhrer, one for his child bride
One for the wedding, one for the suicide
One for the bunker, one for the broadcast booth
How did we get so far away from us?
How did we get so far away?
One for the people, one for the parliament
One for the weary, one for the malcontent
One for the master, one for the protege
One for you, and one for me
One for the bread lines, one for the billionaires
One for the missing, one for the barely there
One for the certain, one for the real confused
One for me, okay, now one for you
Now that we've come so far away from us
Now that we've come too far to say
You and me, you and me that is an awful lie
You and me, you and me that is an awful lie
It's I and I
It's I and I
It's I and I
It's I and I
The lyrics to Bright Eyes's song One for You One for Me are a commentary on the stark injustices and inequalities that exist in our world. The song acknowledges the differing realities that individuals may face based on their class, power, and privilege. Each line of the song presents a dichotomy, juxtaposing the experiences of the oppressor with those of the oppressed, and emphasizing the vast disparity between them.
The first verse highlights the contrast between the "righteous" and the "ruling class," the "tyrant" and the "slaughtered lamb." In this way, the verse speaks to the inherent power imbalance that exists in society, where some individuals hold immense power and privilege while others are oppressed and mistreated. The second verse examines the experiences of the "Fuhrer" and his "child bride," the "wedding" and the "suicide." Here, the lyrics question the morality of society's power structures and their impact on individuals.
The third verse delves into the experiences of the "people" and the "parliament," the "weary" and the "master." By contrasting these experiences, the lyrics question the efficacy of democracy and the ability of those in power to truly understand and address the needs of the marginalized. The final verse speaks on the experiences of those in the "bread lines" and the "billionaires," the "missing" and the "real confused." In this way, the song encompasses the vast range of inequalities that exist in society, recognizing that even within those who are oppressed, there are varying degrees of suffering.
Overall, the song's lyrics paint a picture of a world where injustice and inequality are rampant, and where individuals are forced to live vastly different lives based on their class, power, and privilege. The chorus - "One for you, and one for me" - can be interpreted as a commentary on the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities in society.
Line by Line Meaning
One for the righteous, one for the ruling class
One for those who do the right thing, one for those who rule over others
One for the tyrant, one for the slaughtered lamb
One for the oppressive ruler, one for the innocent victims
One for the struggle, one for the lasting peace
One for the hard times, one for the long-lasting tranquility
One for you, and one for me
One for you, and one for me
One for the Fuhrer, one for his child bride
One for the Nazi leader, one for his young wife
One for the wedding, one for the suicide
One for the celebration of love, one for the act of self-destruction
One for the bunker, one for the broadcast booth
One for the place of safety, one for the place of news dissemination
One for me, now one for you
One for me, now one for you
How did we get so far away from us?
How did we become so distant from our true selves?
How did we get so far away?
How did we become so far removed?
One for the people, one for the parliament
One for the common folk, one for the government officials
One for the weary, one for the malcontent
One for the tired souls, one for the discontented
One for the master, one for the protege
One for the teacher, one for the student
One for you, and one for me
One for you, and one for me
One for the bread lines, one for the billionaires
One for the impoverished, one for the wealthy
One for the missing, one for the barely there
One for the vanished, one for the nearly invisible
One for the certain, one for the real confused
One for the assured, one for the truly perplexed
One for me, okay, now one for you
One for me, alright, now one for you
Now that we've come so far away from us
Now that we've drifted so far from our true selves
Now that we've come too far to say
Now that we've become too distant to communicate effectively
You and me, you and me that is an awful lie
You and me, you and me, that is a terrible falsehood
You and me, you and me that is an awful lie
You and me, you and me, that is a terrible falsehood
It's I and I
It is I myself, and I alone
It's I and I
It is I myself, and I alone
It's I and I
It is I myself, and I alone
It's I and I
It is I myself, and I alone
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CONOR M OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind