Cold Spring
Cymbals Eat Guitars Lyrics

We drove a hundred miles that day
We traveled quite a distance that day, covering up to a hundred miles.

To see a Halloween parade
The purpose of our trip was to attend a procession that marked Halloween celebrations.

Skeletal autumn in Cold Spring
It was a skeletal autumn in Cold Spring, signifying that the season was bleak and scarce.

Parents holding hands with Pale Death's infants
The parents were taking care of infants and seemed to be walking hand in hand with Pale Death; something that indicates the likelihood of impending suffering and death.

Shivering on the courthouse steps in polyester robes
The people seemed to be shaking while standing on the steps of the courthouse while covered in robes made of polyester, often considered to be a cheap and chilly material.

And exposed bone thermals
In addition to the robes, there were exposed bone thermals that were inadequate in keeping the individuals sufficiently warm and comfortable.

March them down to riverside square
The procession was then led to the riverside square, probably for some ritual purposes.

Your teeth gnash together as you chew an Excedrin
While chewing an Excedrin - a type of painkiller - you could hear your teeth grinding against each other, suggesting the presence of tension and discomfort.

On the way home
While returning from the Halloween parade.

The empty parkway wound its way back through charred black pine
The journey home was on an empty parkway that ambled through a forest filled with the remains of dead or dying black pine trees.

Just like a wormhole
The journey home was as if traveling through a wormhole - a hypothetical passage through space and time - as they passed through the forest and the empty parkway.

Hickory death rattles into stagnant tracts of sky
The eerie silence of the scene was broken by the sound of hickory wood that came from the trees that seemed to be dying or inanimate, and the sky seemed to depict the stagnancy of life in the environment.

Like warnings whispered
The rattling of hickory wood produced a whisper that was indicative of impending danger or the direct consequences of human actions or inactions.

Antiphonal stridency that slept for half a century
There was a sharp contrast in the harmonies or the difference in modes of sound production, often indicating the existence of conflict or struggle, which had been dormant for an extended period.

And where are you
At this point, the question is asked about the whereabouts of an individual or individuals.

As lives are punctuated by moons
The changes in phases of the moon are comparable to the transitions, transformations, or experiences that we encounter or live through daily.

I've never loved you more than when you said
At a particular time, this declaration was made, and it resulted in the artist experiencing profound and unique feelings of love.

"I'm so scared of all the things I risk with kids I never knew existed"
A statement that reveals the fear that one experiences concerning the unknown dangers, risks, or challenges that they face when dealing with other unfamiliar people.

Time machine rotors ripping holes over Freehold
Something metaphorical is happening with an imaginary machine that rips holes through Freehold, New Jersey, which is often tied to the guitarist and songwriter's personal history - this line could carry a personal connotation that is not easily understood.

Constellations rearrange and orbit 'round the steeple of First Presbyterian Church
The stars and other heavenly bodies seem to be restructuring and moving around the steeple of First Presbyterian Church, which is an organization founded by religious affiliations.

I am Bear Mountain
The artist believes that they are like a mountain comprising of bears or takes on the characteristics of a bear mountain and everything it represents.

I am entering orbit oh
The act of entering orbit or a described space.

I am Bear Mountain
The singer further asserts their assertion by repeating the identity of the bear mountain.

I am entering orbit
Again, describing how the artist is coming near something or entering a particular space or part of the universe.

On the way home
The return journey begins.

The empty parkway wound its way back through charred black pine
The description repeats, indicating that the scene hasn't changed since they last passed by it.

Just like a wormhole
Another repetition of the earlier simile, emphasizing the otherworldly nature of the environment.

A bridge becomes an island when the ends are disconnected
A metaphorical statement that means once communication breaks down between two or multiple people, the things they would have formerly shared and experienced appear to be distant or not possible to achieve.

Wind is feedback
Wind is a reverberation or loud noise that is generated during sound amplification, which could mean that the artist is coming to understand the role they play and the noise they generate in life.

Antiphonal stridency that slept for half a century
This statement is repeated, indicating that it is an important theme, that is, the conflicts that have been dormant for a while, and the emergence or resurfacing of toxic interactions or events.

And where are you
And they still haven't found out where the other individual or individuals are.