Led by acclaimed film composer Max Avery Lichtenstein, Camphor finds Lichte… Read Full Bio ↴Led by acclaimed film composer Max Avery Lichtenstein, Camphor finds Lichtenstein bringing his dramatic sense of melody and expansive production to this great collection of conceptual, melancholic pop. Featuring members of indie all-star bands like Mercury Rev, Beirut and Bright Eyes, "Drawn to Dust" is a beautifully nuanced record that fans of Beck's more somber side (a la "Sea Change"), Sparklehorse and Black Heart Procession will want to check out. --Other Music, NYC

Bones
Camphor Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everywhere you look are piles of bones
And everyone you meet is piles of bones
The floor beneath your feet
The language that you speak
The gospel that you preach is piles of bones

Everywhere you look are sticks and stones
And everything you own is overgrown

The stars that shine above
The object of your love
Everythin you know is piles of bones

But oh, how inspiring
Oh, how real

Overall Meaning

The song Bones by Camphor is an introspective piece that taps into the universal truth of life and death. The lyrics revolve around the motif of bones, which are seen as symbols of mortality and the fleeting nature of human existence. The opening lines "Everywhere you look are piles of bones and everyone you meet is piles of bones" are a testament to the inescapability of death and the fact that all living beings are ultimately reduced to mere skeletons. The song goes on to explore how this realization permeates every aspect of life, from the ground beneath our feet to the language we speak and the beliefs we hold.

The second stanza of the song employs the metaphor of "sticks and stones" to emphasize the transitory nature of material possessions and the inevitability of decay. The stars that shine above us and the object of our love, everything we know and cherish, is ultimately destined to be reduced to dust. The chorus, which consists of the refrain "Oh, how inspiring, Oh, how real" seems to acknowledge the suffocating weight of this realization but at the same time, it also offers a sense of liberation. There is a recognition that the acceptance of one's mortality can lead to a greater appreciation of the present moment and a deeper understanding of what truly matters.

Line by Line Meaning

Everywhere you look are piles of bones
Everywhere you look, you see evidence of death and decay in the form of bones.

And everyone you meet is piles of bones
All humans inevitably end up as bones, even the people you meet.

The floor beneath your feet
Even the ground beneath you is full of buried bones.

The language that you speak
All languages are built on bones, using words created by people who are now dead.

The gospel that you preach is piles of bones
Even the religious beliefs you hold are based on the lives and deaths of those who came before you, whose bones now lie buried.

Everywhere you look are sticks and stones
Sticks and stones represent the physical matter that surrounds us.

And everything you own is overgrown
The possessions we value are ultimately covered in dust and decay.

The stars that shine above
Even the universe is full of matter that will one day turn to bones.

The object of your love
We may love things that are alive now, but they will eventually become bones.

Everythin you know is piles of bones
This line sums up the entire song, reminding us that everything we know is connected to death and decay.

But oh, how inspiring
Despite the fact that everything is connected to death and decay, we can still find inspiration in the world around us.

Oh, how real
The harsh reality of death and decay is a fundamental part of the human experience and cannot be ignored.

Contributed by Eliana R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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