Danny Callahan
Conor Oberst Lyrics

Green world, love the chloroform.
The singer enjoys the natural world and its intoxicating effect on the senses.

Front porch in the thunderstorm.
The singer enjoys experiencing the beauty and power of a storm from a safe and comfortable place.

Controlled chaos, confused energy.
The singer sees beauty in the tension between order and disorder.

So stop reading the weather charts.
The artist suggests that it is better to experience and appreciate the world rather than trying to predict or control it.

Stop counting the playing cards.
The artist suggests that life is not a game of chance or skill, but rather a series of experiences that cannot be controlled or predicted.

There's no system, there's no guarantee That the love you feel and carry inside can be passed.
The singer suggests that there is no surefire way to transfer one's emotions or experiences to others, even those we care about deeply.

But you try, I know you do you still talk To your plans. Ask how are you getting on alone?
Despite this lack of guarantee, the singer acknowledges that humans still try to connect with others and check up on their well-being.

Some wander the wilderness, Some drink cosmopolitans.
Different people pursue happiness in different ways, whether that be through nature or luxury.

Some cold science, some glean astro-planes.
People seek knowledge and understanding of the world in different ways.

I can't tell where the canvas stops, Homesick as an astronaut.
The artist feels a sense of displacement and unfamiliarity, like an astronaut homesick for Earth.

Just keep drifting, but still can't explain.
The singer continues to experience the world without understanding or explaining it.

How the love we feel we carry inside can be passed.
The artist returns to the idea that it is difficult or impossible to share one's emotions or experiences with others in a meaningful way.

See a brother in the gutter you reach out your hand.
Despite this difficulty, the singer suggests that it is still important to show compassion and empathy for those in need.

Ask how are you getting on alone?
The singer encourages communication and checking up on the well-being of others.

What gauge measures miracles?
The singer questions the existence and measurability of miracles, which defy explanation or understanding.

And whose heartbeat's electrical?
The artist suggests that even the most mysterious or inexplicable parts of life are still driven by biological or physical processes.

We feign sickness with our modern joy.
The artist suggests that modern society sometimes lacks authenticity or truthfulness in its pursuit of happiness.

But even Western medicine, It couldn't save Danny Callahan.
The singer gives an example of how even advanced medical technology cannot cure all ailments or save all people.

Bad bone marrow, a bald little boy.
The singer describes the cause and appearance of Danny Callahan's illness.

But the love he feels he carries inside can be passed.
Despite his illness, Danny and others continue to feel and try to share love and compassion with others.

He lay still, His mother kissed him goodbye, said 'comeback.'
The artist describes the poignant moment of Danny's death and his mother's farewell.

Where are you going to alone?
The artist closes with an existential question, wondering where we are all headed and whether we are ever truly alone.

Where are you going all alone?
The singer emphasizes the sense of aloneness and uncertainty that pervades the human experience.