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.
Tereza and Thomas
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's sail away past the birth and death of the day
Let's sail away to where the blues and greens swirl into gray
Let's sail away
Let's sail away past the cradle of these waves
Let's sail away past the tide and it's slow decay
Let's sail away to where the water goes, some endless open space
Take only what you need, my love, and leave the rest behind
Don't be afraid of where we'll go, my love
I promise you will be fine
Now you are the only one that's mine
Let's sail away past the reflections of the light
Let's sail away floating weightless through the night
Let's sail away like a photograph, fading to all white
It's finally all right
Forget all the mistakes my love
They won't be made again
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love
We no longer need them
We both know where we've been
Let's sail away disappearing in a mist
Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss
Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas
Suspended in this bliss
The lyrics to Bright Eyes's song Tereza and Thomas speak to the idea of escaping from the mundane and monotonous aspects of life, and finding peace and solace on a journey. The lyrics express a longing for letting go of the past and moving forward towards a brighter future. The repetition of "Let's sail away" suggests a desire to run away from the noise and chaos, to leave everything behind, and to start anew. The lyrics also allude to the idea of love and partnership, as the singer urges their partner to take only what they need and to leave the rest behind. The lines "Now you are the only one that's mine" suggest that the journey is one that they will undertake together, and that their love is what ultimately motivates them to escape.
The imagery used in the song is incredibly effective in conveying the singer's sentiments. The repetition of "Let's sail away" creates an almost hypnotic effect, suggesting a deep desire for escape, while the descriptions of the water, the night, and the mist add an ethereal quality to the lyrics. The use of the names Tereza and Tomas also adds a layer of complexity, perhaps referencing the characters in Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, who themselves are seeking transcendence and escape.
Overall, the lyrics to Bright Eyes's Tereza and Thomas are a beautiful and poignant tribute to the power of love and the desire to transcend the banality of everyday life. Through vivid imagery and repetition, the lyrics convey a deep longing for escape, but also a sense of hope and possibility as the couples set sail into the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's sail away past the noise of the bay
Let's leave behind the distractions and commotion of this place
Let's sail away past the birth and death of the day
Let's travel beyond the cycle of day and night, something new and infinite
Let's sail away to where the blues and greens swirl into gray
The place we need to be is where things blend and turn into something else entirely
Let's sail away past the cradle of these waves
Let's travel beyond the coming and going of the waves as they gently rock us
Let's sail away past the tide and it's slow decay
Let's leave behind the ebb and flow of life, slowly advancing only to go back again
Let's sail away to where the water goes, some endless open space
We need to travel to where water becomes endless, where we can be anything we want
Take only what you need, my love, and leave the rest behind
We should only take the essential things with us on this journey
Don't be afraid of where we'll go, my love
I promise you will be fine
Now you are the only one that's mine
I am the only one who belongs to the person, and I promise that nothing can harm us
Let's sail away past the reflections of the light
We should leave all bright and shining things behind
Let's sail away floating weightless through the night
We should go where we can float peacefully without any disturbances
Let's sail away like a photograph, fading to all white
We need to disappear like the white clouds that fade into the sky
It's finally all right
Everything is fine and good at last
Forget all the mistakes my love
They won't be made again
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love
We no longer need them
It's time to let go of the past and move on, leaving behind what we don't need and letting go of our mistakes.
We both know where we've been
Let's sail away disappearing in a mist
Although we know who we are and where we've been, it's still time to leave, to disappear into the mists of time.
Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss
Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas
Suspended in this bliss
We can disappear like Tereza and Tomas along the way, and be at peace with ourselves, finally.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carla S
Finding references to one of your favourite books in a song by one of your favourite artists is just beautiful. The next time I'm reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being, I'll have this track on repeat.
AO4YAY0
Forget all the mistakes my love.... They won't be made again.
I remember the first time my college gf and I listened to this song while laying on the floor of my studio apartment in San Francisco. We loved each other so fucking much but just couldn't get it right together. We had been broken up for like a month the night she came over and we listened to this song. From that point forward we would often reference how much we wished we could just sail away and be happy together forever. It took me years to get over her. She is married now and we still talk every couple of months. I've yet to find someone I love as much as her.
bullshit whip
This wrecked me
stuart trivers
Goddamnit. The most Bright Eyes encapsulating story. Beauty of life, though. I hope you are happy in your own ways, friend, there's another one out there. You'll find her.
Vanessa Neira
I cried while reading this. I hope you find someone to love.
CT
+AO4YAY0 well at least she moved on from your depressed ass... totally kidding bro hope you can find love again i totally know how you feel. Life is hard if you actually have a heart.
Jizz Fudgsickle
+AO4YAY0 You're a beautiful boy.. you're a sweet little kid. But i am a woman.
anita barrera
so happy to hear this at the end of my day , being stuck in ur head is nothing compared to when u hear conor voice for what it is , raw , pure , and beautiful.
Tom Sock
Well done
Aly Galgano
the album version's legit 25 minutes long hahhahaha i love this so much.