At fourteen years of age, Oberst became singer and guitarist of Commander Venus, an indie rock band. The former members of Commander Venus, Tim Kasher of Cursive, Robb Nansel (who now runs Saddle Creek), and Todd Fink of The Faint, would later go on to feature in many Saddle Creek recording groups. Conor was also a member of the band Park Ave, which he joined after terminating the difficult relationship he had with Megan Saienni, due to an affair with Maria Pantin.
Oberst was also guitarist and singer for the band Desaparecidos. The music and lyrics of Desaparecidos differ greatly from Bright Eyes, having more in common with punk rock than folk. The lyrics are generally social and political commentary on the state of affairs in America, the pitfalls of the suburban lifestyle, and America's love of capitalism as opposed to the more introspective lyrics of Bright Eyes.
Oberst is one of the founding members of the independent record label Saddle Creek Records, which hosts and has hosted bands including Cursive, Desaparecidos, The Faint, Rilo Kiley (who left to start their own label Brute/Beaute Records), Bright Eyes, Son Ambulance, Azure Ray, The Good Life, and Sorry About Dresden, among others.
Oberst is currently involved in a boycott of Clear Channel Communications. His broadcast television performances include a spot on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in March 2005, which sparked controversy with his performance of the incendiary "When the President Talks to God", The Late Show with David Letterman, on which he performed "The Trees Get Wheeled Away", and his guitar-smashing performance of "Road to Joy" on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Oberst was a member of the Vote for Change tour in 2004 with Bruce Springsteen and REM. He has recently started his own label, Team Love, which is currently hosting bands such as Tilly and the Wall, M. Ward, Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins, A Weather, Capgun Coup, and David Dondero.
Bands:
Commander Venus from 1995-97
The Magnetas in 1996
Park Ave. from 1996-98
Desaparecidos from 2001-2
Bright Eyes since 1995
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band since New Year's Weekend 2007
Monsters of Folk since 2009
Better Oblivion Community Center since 2019
Get-Well-Cards
Conor Oberst Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They look good to a fault
And the Gulf water's warm like a bathtub
Full of lavender and Epsom salt
See a bleach blond boy put his long board down
Help his girl get her sunscreen on
I thought about you in your little house
I wanna be your bootlegger
Wanna mix you up something strange
Braid your hair like a sister
Maim you like a hurricane
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a letter to deliver, but I can't stay mad, oh
Right there, that's the postman asleep in the sand
He's got a get-well-card to deliver
He's gonna do it by hand, he's gonna do it by hand
Now they drive the cars up and down the beach
It's ridiculous and everybody knows
Hear the Mustangs rev at the four way stop
You get ghosted when the light says go
But in a town like this, in the checkered flag dawn
It's so empty you could make somebody dream
So maybe it's you, in your four-post bed
Fell asleep with still the blood in your teeth and,
I wanna be your happiness
I wanna be your common sense pain
Wrap your head in a picket fence
Rebuild after the hurricane
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got my letters to deliver, but I'm still not mad
Right there, that's the postman asleep in the sand
He's got a get-well-card to deliver
He's gonna do it by hand
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it, by hand
Oh
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a letter to deliver, but I can't stay mad, oh
Right there, that's the postman asleep in the sand
He's got a head stack now to deliver
He's wants to do it by hand
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it, by hand
The song "Get-Well-Cards" by Conor Oberst paints a vivid picture of a coastal town, its inhabitants, and its visitors. The lyrics are full of imagery and metaphor, conveying a sense of longing, loneliness, and yearning. The peacock people mentioned in the first line are likely beachgoers with their colorful and flashy attire. The Gulf water's warmth and therapeutic properties are likened to a bathtub with Epsom salt and lavender, creating a soothing oasis amidst the vastness of the sea. The bleach blond boy and his girlfriend are enjoying the sun and the beach, and the singer thinks about someone else who might be feeling lonely in their little house. The singer then expresses their desire to be someone's bootlegger, to mix them up something strange, braid their hair like a sister, and maim them like a hurricane. This suggests a mix of fondness and violence, a desire to be close to someone but also to exert control over them.
Later in the song, the singer observes the absurdity of cars driving up and down the beach and Mustangs revving at a four-way stop, disrupting the tranquility of the town. They also note the emptiness of the place and the potential for dreaming, perhaps hinting at the solitude and introspection that can come with being in a peaceful place. The singer then shifts their focus back to the person they were thinking about earlier, expressing their desire to be that person's happiness, their common sense pain, and to rebuild their life after a hurricane. This speaks to the need for companionship, support, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Overall, "Get-Well-Cards" captures the mood and atmosphere of a coastal town with its contradictions and complexities. The singer longs for connection and intimacy but also acknowledges the potential for violence and destruction. The postman sleeping in the sand is a symbol of both the impermanence and the endurance of human connections, as he dutifully delivers letters and cards by hand, perhaps bridging the gap between people who are physically far apart.
Line by Line Meaning
All the peacock people left the plumes in a pile
The flashy and showy individuals abandoned their ostentatious displays
They look good to a fault
Their appearances are impressive, but excessive and flawed
And the Gulf water's warm like a bathtub
The water of the Gulf is comfortably warm
Full of lavender and Epsom salt
It is imbued with the calming aromas of lavender and the healing powers of Epsom salt
See a bleach blond boy put his long board down
Observing a blond surfer boy lay down his surfboard
Help his girl get her sunscreen on
Assisting his companion in applying sunscreen
I thought about you in your little house
I pondered on your humble abode
Think you're lonely but I could be wrong and...
Speculating that you may be alone, but acknowledging that I could be mistaken
I wanna be your bootlegger
Expressing desire to be the provider of illicit pleasures
Wanna mix you up something strange
Willingness to create a unique and curious concoction for you
Braid your hair like a sister
Suggesting to style your hair like a sibling would
Maim you like a hurricane
Metaphorically causing chaos and destruction in your life
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
Identifying the postal worker who is napping on the beach
He's got a letter to deliver, but I can't stay mad, oh
Acknowledging that the postman has an important delivery to make, but not bearing any resentment
He's got the get-well-card to deliver
Highlighting the postman's specific task of delivering a card to someone who is ill
He's gonna do it by hand, he's gonna do it by hand
Affirming the postman's dedication to carry out his delivery manually
Now they drive the cars up and down the beach
Cars are being driven back and forth along the shoreline
It's ridiculous and everybody knows
The act is absurd and generally understood as such
Hear the Mustangs rev at the four way stop
Auditory observation of the revving engines of Mustang cars at the four-way intersection
You get ghosted when the light says go
Being left behind when the traffic light turns green
But in a town like this, in the checkered flag dawn
However, in a town characterized by car culture, at the start of a new day
It's so empty you could make somebody dream
Its emptiness creates an environment for dreaming and imagination to thrive
So maybe it's you, in your four-post bed
Hypothesizing that the person being thought of could be asleep in their poster bed
Fell asleep with still the blood in your teeth and,
Sleeping while still dealing with recent emotional or physical trauma
I wanna be your happiness
Expressing desire to bring joy to the person being referred to
I wanna be your common sense pain
Willingness to be practical and honest, possibly through constructive criticism or unpleasant truths
Wrap your head in a picket fence
Covering one's mind with a seemingly pleasant, but ultimately restrictive barrier
Rebuild after the hurricane
Engaging in the lengthy process of recovery and restoration after enduring life-changing events
He's got my letters to deliver, but I'm still not mad
Reinforcing that the postman is carrying out his duty to deliver letters, while reasserting lack of anger
He's got a head stack now to deliver
The postman has another parcel to deliver, though the identity of the recipient is unclear
He's wants to do it by hand
The postman is committed to manually delivering the parcel
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it
Affirmation of the postman's consistently reliable service
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it
Further emphasis on the postman's dependability
He's gonna do it, he's gonna do it, by hand
Final confirmation of the postman's effort to manually deliver the package
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CONOR OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Emma
I forgot how much I loved this song
pyronite59
He's gonna do it! He's gonna do it! He's gonna do it by hand!
waakkeuppp
Lyrical genius
stepjen Doyle
Nice little van morrison 'and it stoned me ' steal for the melody ✌
weaverjane43
Killer song
maddie burrows
why
Tommy Coyle
maim ya like a hurricane!!!!!!!!!!
chelsea stone
yup
fullmetal78745
ya!
Megan Orr
Allison Shambro