[Untitled]
David Byrne Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is not a David Byrne song,
it is a Captain Beefheart song titled 'Well'.

David Byrne had performed it live




Light floats down day river on uh red raft o' blood

Night blocks out d' heaven like uh big black shiny bug

Its hard soft shell shinin' white in one spot well

It's hard place dat I'm livin' but I'm doin' well well

The white ice horse melted like uh spot uh silver well

Its mane went last then disappeared the tail

My life ran thru my veins

Whistlin' hollow well

I froze in solid motion well well

I heard the ocean swarmin' body well well

I heard the beetle clickin' well

I sensed the thickest silence scream

Then I begin t' dream

My mind cracked like custard

Ran red until it sealed

Turn t' wooden 'n rolled like uh wheel well well

Thick black felt birds uh flyin'

With capes of solid chrome

With feathers of solid chrome

'n beaks of solid bone

'n bleach the air around them

White 'n cold well well

Till it showed in pain

The hollow cane clicked like ever after

Its shadow vanished shinin' silence





Well well

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Captain Beefheart's song 'Well', which David Byrne covered in his live performances, are cryptic and poetic. The imagery created in the verses is surreal and dreamlike, with the singer describing their surroundings in a way that is both beautiful and unsettling. The first verse sets the tone with its dark, ominous imagery of night blocking out the sky like a "big black shiny bug". The second verse describes the singer's surroundings more specifically, with references to a "white ice horse" and a "whistlin' hollow well", which sound almost otherworldly. The third verse takes a turn towards the surreal, with references to a mind cracking like custard and birds with capes of solid chrome. The final verse brings the poem to a close with a description of a cane clicking and a shadow disappearing, leaving the singer with a sense of "shinin' silence".


The overall meaning of the song is difficult to parse, as the imagery is so dense and the references so cryptic. However, the tone of the poem suggests a feeling of being trapped or stuck in a difficult situation, with no clear way forward. The singer seems to be both fascinated and repelled by their surroundings, which are alternately beautiful and horrifying. The final lines suggest a moment of transcendence or release, as the shadow vanishes and the singer is left with a sense of peace and stillness.


Line by Line Meaning

Light floats down day river on uh red raft o' blood
The river seems to be flowing with blood, as indicated by the imagery of the red raft floating down the river.


Night blocks out d' heaven like uh big black shiny bug
The night sky appears like a big black bug that's blocking out the stars and the entire universe.


Its hard soft shell shinin' white in one spot well
The bug seems to have a hard and soft shell with a white spot that seems to be shining brightly.


It's hard place dat I'm livin' but I'm doin' well well
The artist is living in a difficult place, but somehow appears to be doing well despite it.


The white ice horse melted like uh spot uh silver well
The ice horse that was white, melted and had a silver spot that shone brightly.


Its mane went last then disappeared the tail
The horse's mane disappeared first followed by the tail.


My life ran thru my veins
The singer's life force is running through their veins.


Whistlin' hollow well
There's a hollow whistling sound that can be heard all around.


I froze in solid motion well well
The artist is frozen in one spot, unable to move or do anything.


I heard the ocean swarmin' body well well
The artist hears the sound of the ocean all around them, almost as if it's enveloping them.


I heard the beetle clickin' well
The sound of the beetle clicking can be heard all around.


I sensed the thickest silence scream
There's an eerie silence that's become so thick that it feels like it's screaming all around.


Then I begin t' dream
The singer falls asleep and enters into a dreamlike state.


My mind cracked like custard
The singer's mind suddenly splits open like a dessert item such as custard.


Ran red until it sealed
Blood begins to flow down as the singer's mind splits open, but eventually it seals back up.


Turn t' wooden 'n rolled like uh wheel well well
The artist's body becomes rigid like wood and rolls around like a wheel.


Thick black felt birds uh flyin'
Massive black birds that look and feel like thick felt material begin to fly around.


With capes of solid chrome
The birds seem to have capes made of solid chrome.


With feathers of solid chrome
The birds seem to have feathers made of solid chrome.


n beaks of solid bone
The birds seem to have beaks made of solid bone.


n bleach the air around them
The birds seem to be causing the air around them to appear white and cold, almost like it's been bleached.


White 'n cold well well
The overall vibe of this scene is that everything around the artist is white and cold.


Till it showed in pain
Eventually, this scene becomes unbearable and morphs into a painful experience.


The hollow cane clicked like ever after
The sound of the cane is hollow and clicking incessantly like it'll never stop.


Its shadow vanished shinin' silence
The shadow of the cane that seems to be shining and silent disappears.


Well well
The expression 'well, well' seems to be used as an interjection throughout the song, representing a change or further intensification of the imagery being described.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Spirited Woman

David still sounds good with his powerful voice and theatrics. And we have to love his truthful lyrics telling us that we're in for nasty weather, thanks for the warning David. Many songs and music videos from the 80s tell truth only we don't get it until its pointed out. Kate Bush "Experiment IV." is a good one as well.
Watch out you might get what you're after
Boom babies strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house

Hold tight wait till the party's over
Hold tight We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house

Here's your ticket pack your bag
Time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far,
Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire

All wet! Hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown! Dreams walking in broad daylight
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
Burning down the house

It was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myself
Gonna come in first place
People on their way to work and baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flame

My house! Is out of the ordinary
That's right! Don't wanna hurt nobody
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house

No visible means of support and you have not seen nothin' yet
Everything's stuck together
And I don't know what you expect starring into the TV set
Fighting fire with fire



All comments from YouTube:

Rose

I saw the musical in Broadway two weeks ago and I still can't get over it 😃 It's so perfect. I left the theatre loving him even more ❤️

Spirited Woman

David still sounds good with his powerful voice and theatrics. And we have to love his truthful lyrics telling us that we're in for nasty weather, thanks for the warning David. Many songs and music videos from the 80s tell truth only we don't get it until its pointed out. Kate Bush "Experiment IV." is a good one as well.
Watch out you might get what you're after
Boom babies strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house

Hold tight wait till the party's over
Hold tight We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house

Here's your ticket pack your bag
Time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far,
Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire

All wet! Hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown! Dreams walking in broad daylight
Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees
Burning down the house

It was once upon a place sometimes I listen to myself
Gonna come in first place
People on their way to work and baby what did you except
Gonna burst into flame

My house! Is out of the ordinary
That's right! Don't wanna hurt nobody
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house

No visible means of support and you have not seen nothin' yet
Everything's stuck together
And I don't know what you expect starring into the TV set
Fighting fire with fire

Bob Johnson

i love this film and concert it is brilliant

Donna Dynes

David Byrne sounds phenomenal!!!

Mark High

DB is a genius

Daniel Doré

Brilliant, innovative!

baZANNN

@Kevin Hollerbach I just learned of this show and came randomly across this comment, lol. My understanding is this was a pretty massive technological challenge pulling off a "marching band" with a bunch of electric instruments. They used quite a bit of RF transmitters and other tricks to pull off the music sounding so good despite having no cables on stage. It seems pretty impressive/innovative to me anyways.

Kevin Hollerbach

How is this innovative? Can you please explain? All I see is people standing around playing a song like a normal matching band.

Gus Milazzo

genio de la musica. feliciaciones , sigue adelante con ese espitritu!!!

Marek Waligora

Kapitalny koncert

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