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 mΓ©lange of Conorβs 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.
Ship in a Bottle
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That fixes all of life's mistakes
I want to be the house that you were raised in
The only place that you feel safe
I want to be your shower in the morning
That wakes you up and makes you clean
I know I'm just the weather against your window
As you sleep through a winter's dream
Something's churning the earth, something's stirring the sky
And the colour at once in column of light
Bacteria breeds on a microscope slide
The worm in my heart's the apple of your eye
Don't adore what is impossible
We have built this ship in a wine bottle
But oh, but if you knew how it worked
We would have to grow old
Something's eating at you, wakes you up in the night
If you dig in the past, who knows what you'll find
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
And your holding your breath for the rest for of your life
Don't you love what is intangible
I have built this ship in a wine bottle
But if you knew who I was
You would never grow old
The lyrics to "Ship In A Bottle" by Bright Eyes seem to describe a longing to be someone's everything, to be the solution to all of their problems and to provide them with safety and comfort. The singer admits to being insignificant, like mere weather against the window of the person they want to be for, but they still yearn to be that person. The imagery used throughout the song combines the small and mundane, like a morning shower, with lofty aspirations, like being someone's sanctuary from the world, and speaks to the complexity of human relationships.
The chorus offers a contrast to the longing in the rest of the song, with lines like "Don't adore what is impossible" and "Don't you love what is intangible", which seem to imply an acceptance that sometimes we can't have everything we want or understand everything we feel. The last two lines, "I have built this ship in a wine bottle / But if you knew who I was / You would never grow old", create a sense of mystery and leave the listener wondering what exactly the ship and the bottle represent and how the singer's identity would change things.
Overall, the song seems to be about the struggle between our desires and the limitations of reality, between the tangible and the intangible, and between our idealized selves and who we actually are.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to be the surgeon that cuts you open
I want to be the one who helps fix all of your emotional wounds and mistakes in life.
That fixes all of life's mistakes
I want to be the one who can help you fix everything in your life that has gone wrong.
I want to be the house that you were raised in
I want to be the place that makes you feel safe and secure like the home you grew up in.
The only place that you feel safe
I want to be the one place you can always turn to for safety and comfort.
I want to be your shower in the morning
I want to be the one who wakes you up in the morning and makes you feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead.
That wakes you up and makes you clean
I want to be the one who helps you start your day feeling renewed and rejuvenated.
I know I'm just the weather against your window
I know that I am not a permanent fixture in your life and that I am just passing through like the weather outside your window.
As you sleep through a winter's dream
As you dream during the cold winter nights, I am just a fleeting thought in your mind.
Something's churning the earth, something's stirring the sky
Something big is happening in the world that is shaking things up and causing disruptions on both land and in the sky.
And the colour at once in column of light
The sky is illuminated with a bright column of light, possibly signaling a significant change or event.
Bacteria breeds on a microscope slide
Even on a microscopic level, life continues to grow and multiply, even in the most unlikely of places.
The worm in my heart's the apple of your eye
Although I may not be the perfect match for you, I hope that the love I have for you is valued and cherished.
Don't adore what is impossible
Don't waste your love and affection on something that is never going to work out or come to fruition.
We have built this ship in a wine bottle
Our love is fragile and contained, like a ship inside a wine bottle.
But oh, but if you knew how it worked
If we truly understand and appreciate our love, we could make it last a lifetime.
We would have to grow old
We would have to weather the ups and downs of life together, growing old alongside each other.
Something's eating at you, wakes you up in the night
There is something that is troubling you, causing you to wake up in the middle of the night and worry.
If you dig in the past, who knows what you'll find
If you start to explore your past, there is no telling what kind of buried memories and emotions you might uncover.
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
There is so much information and history available for us to explore, from the old newspapers to microfiche slides.
And your holding your breath for the rest of your life
Once we uncover certain truths about ourselves, we may feel like we are holding our breath, uncertain of what comes next.
Don't you love what is intangible
Isn't it incredible how something as intangible as love can be so powerful and meaningful in our lives?
I have built this ship in a wine bottle
I have created something beautiful and meaningful with our love, even if it is fragile and contained.
But if you knew who I was
If you truly knew my deepest thoughts and feelings, you would understand how much I care for you.
You would never grow old
Our love would keep us young and vibrant, no matter how many years we spend together.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST, Conor Oberst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richard Koning
I wanna be the surgeon that cuts you open
That fixes all of life's mistakes
I wanna be the house that you were raised in
The only place that you feel safe
I wanna be a shower in the morning
That wakes you up and makes you clean
I know I'm just the weather against your window
As you sleep through a winter's dream
Someones churning the earth
Someone's stirring the sky
Every color at once in a column of lights
Bacteria breeds on a microscope slide
The worm in my heart's the apple of your eye
Don't adore what is impossible
We have built this ship in a wine bottle
But if you knew how it worked
We'd have to grow old
Someone's eating at you, wakes you up in the night
If you're digging the past, who knows what you'll find
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
And you're holding your breath for the rest of your life
Don't you love what is intangible
I have built this ship in a wine bottle
But if you knew who I was...
You would never grow old
knowledgefarmer
the baby sounds signify the immense crescendo of instruments that everyone expects to hear, i think
Family Harris
the 8 people whom have disliked this video represent 8 of the 9 demons who guard the gates of hell. they wish to make you dislike this masterful work of art for it is one of the keys to heaven. its very notes map out the path one must take to the gates of oblivion.
Championette
Family Harris
Word!! π
Rita M.
its so beautiful. words can barely express the feeilings it brings out in me
Chim Richalds
what a beautiful song to wake up to
pvyuki
this song always made me think of my friend who died, very young, the year it came out. there was a lot of secrecy around his death and just last night 16 years later i finally developed enough sleuthing skills to figure out exactly what happened
"Something's eating at you, wakes you up in the night
If you dig in the past, who knows what you'll find
Read the newspaper print off the microfiche slide
And you're holding your breath for the rest of your life"
Romano MartinΔiΔ
Love it!
mark bade
I wish he made 5 of these synth albums
Pastel
my brother and I love this song
cottonmouthsournote
i fucking love this song, and conor really has a thing with babys, drowning babys, babys at the bottom of wells, screaming babys. anywho. great fucking song. i love it.