Damien Jurado (born 12 November 1972) is an American singer in the indie-ro… Read Full Bio ↴Damien Jurado (born 12 November 1972) is an American singer in the indie-rock tradition of Seattle, Washington. His music is regarded as being heavily influenced by folk music. Over the years he has released albums on many labels; today his primary label is Secretly Canadian. He was once in the band, Coolidge, with Seattle's David Bazan.

Jurado's solo career began during the mid-1990s, releasing lo-fi folk based recordings on his own cassette-only label, Casa Recordings, beginning in 1995.

Jurado often makes use of found-sound and field-recording techniques, and has experimented with different forms of tape recordings. In 2000 he released Postcards and Audio Letters, a collection of found audio letters and fragments that he had found from sources such as thrift store tape players and answering machines. Also released in 2000 was Ghost of David,, Jurado's bleakest and most personal sounding record to date. I Break Chairs, (2002) was produced by long time friend, David Bazan. It was his last album for Sub Pop, and was a much rockier, electric affair. After signing for the Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian, Damien Jurado reverted to his trademark folk ballad-based style, releasing six more albums: Where Shall You Take Me? (2003), On My Way To Absence (2005), And Now That I'm In Your Shadow (2006), Caught in the Trees (2008), Saint Bartlett (2010) and Maraqopa (2012).

Official blog: iamcaughtinthetrees.blogspot.com

Life Away from the Garden
Damien Jurado Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There was a time
When we were golden
Like the sun
We were lights in the world
Then we strayed
Away from the garden
Oh, oh

There was a time
When I believed you
When in doubt
I put my hand in your side
Broken bells
I don't hear you ringing
Oh, oh

All of us light, all of us free
All of us light, all of us free

All of us light, all of us free
All of us light, all of us free

Overall Meaning

The song "Life Away from the Garden" by Damien Jurado speaks to the human condition, particularly to our propensity to become lost and misguided in our lives. The lyrics mention a time when we were "golden," representing a state of innocence and purity. However, the reference to "straying away from the garden" suggests that we have lost our way and have been exiled from a state of paradise. This concept of straying from the garden also carries biblical symbolism, representing the fall of humanity and the potential for redemption.

The subsequent references to broken bells and doubts in the second verse suggest a sense of disillusionment or loss of faith that may have contributed to our separation from the garden. However, the repeated refrain of "all of us light, all of us free" speaks to a sense of hope or potential for redemption, with the repetition emphasizing the idea of unity and shared experience.

Overall, the lyrics of "Life Away from the Garden" convey a poignant message about our shared human experience, one marked by both beauty and pain, innocence and disillusionment, but ultimately offering hope for the possibility of redemption and the restoration of a lost paradise.

Line by Line Meaning

There was a time
Once upon a time, in the past

When we were golden
When we were perfect and shining

Like the sun
Just like the bright sun

We were lights in the world
We were shining and illuminating the world

Then we strayed
But unfortunately we went astray

Away from the garden
Away from the perfect and pure place, an allusion to Garden of Eden

Oh, oh
Some cry of despair, in this case meaning we can't return to that time

When I believed you
In another time, when I had faith on you

When in doubt
Whenever I wasn't sure

I put my hand in your side
I relied on you, as if you were an anchor

Broken bells
The things that we counted on are broken