He was a major contributor to the string quartet music, performed by Kronos Quartet, in the film Requiem for a Dream (2000). In 1999 he collaborated with composers Julia Wolfe and Michael Gordon, and librettist/illustrator Ben Katchor, in the the "comic strip opera" The Carbon Copy Building. The production won an Obie Award for Best New American Production. In 2008 Lang won the Pulitzer Prize for music for his Little Match Girl Passion. Based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson and taking its structure from the passions of Bach, the piece was written for Theatre of Voices and Paul Hillier.
"David Lang" is also the name of a character in a commonly cited vanishing hoax. In this story, first printed in Fate Magazine in 1953 by journalist Stuart Palmer, a man named "David Lang" was walking across a field on September 23, 1880 when he vanished mid-step and in full view of others. The article was later determined be a hoax inspired by a short story published in 1909 by Ambrose Bierce. In 1999, the composer David Lang based his opera "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field" on this Bierce story . [1]
Lang holds degrees from Stanford University, the University of Iowa, and Yale University (DMA, 1989). His teachers have included Richard Hervig, Jacob Druckman, Hans Werner Henze, and Martin Bresnick.
Lang's music has been released on the Argo/Decca, BMG, Cantaloupe Music, Chandos, CRI, Point, and Sony Classical labels. His scores are published by Red Poppy Music (available from G. Schirmer, Inc.)
His notable students include Kevin Puts.
I lie
David Lang Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un lesh mir oys dos fayer
Kumen vet er haynt tsu mir
Der vos iz mire tayer
Banen loyfn tsvey a tog
Eyne kumt in ovnt
KhÕher dos klingen Ð glin glin glon
Yo, er iz shoyn noent
Eyns der tsveyter triber
Eyne iz a fraye nor
Ven es kumt mayn liber Ikh her men geyt, men klapt in tir,
Men ruft mikh on baym nomen Ikh loyf arop a borvese
Yo! er iz gekumen!
The lyrics are in Yiddish and they roughly translate to:
"I lay in bed and light the fire,
He who's dear to me will come today.
Two trains are running for two days,
One arrives in the evening.
I hear the sound "glin glin glon",
Yes, he's here already.
The night passed slowly,
One temptation after the other.
One is a free man,
When my love comes, I hear someone knocking,
They call my name, I run to the door,
Yes! he has come!"
At its core, the song is about the anticipation of a lover's arrival. The singer lies in bed and lights the fire, waiting for their beloved's arrival. The mention of two trains running for two days implies that the lover has been traveling a great distance to get to the singer, which only adds to the excitement and anticipation. The line "one arrives in the evening" suggests that the lover has a specific arrival time, furthering the anticipation. The line "I hear the sound 'glin glin glon'" seems to be a personal reference or inside joke between the singer and their lover, adding a sense of intimacy to the lyrics.
As the night goes on, the singer is tormented by various temptations, but they remain faithful to their love. They mention that "one is a free man", hinting at a potential love triangle or other complications, but ultimately they wait for their true love. When their lover finally arrives, the singer hears their name called and rushes to the door. The final line "yes, he has come!" is a sigh of relief and joy.
Overall, the lyrics convey the excitement, anticipation, and sometimes torment that can come with waiting for a lover's arrival.
Line by Line Meaning
Leyg ikh mir in bet arayn
As I lie in my bed, ready to sleep
Un lesh mir oys dos fayer
I put out the fire
Kumen vet er haynt tsu mir
He will come to me today
Der vos iz mire tayer
The one who is dear to me
Banen loyfn tsvey a tog
Two trains run a day
Eyne kumt in ovnt
One comes in the evening
KhÕher dos klingen Ð glin glin glon
Hear the sound - glin glin glon
Yo, er iz shoyn noent
Yes, he is near
Shtundn hot di nakht gor fil
The night has lasted too long
Eyns der tsveyter triber
One is persecuted by the other
Eyne iz a fraye nor
One is a free bird
Ven es kumt mayn liber
When my beloved comes
Ikh her men geyt, men klapt in tir,
I hear footsteps, someone knocks on the door
Men ruft mikh on baym nomen
They call me by name
Ikh loyf arop a borvese
I run to the market
Yo! er iz gekumen!
Yes! He has come!
Contributed by Lauren F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@oneoregon
Translation (below in English)
I lay myself down in bed
And put out the flame;
He will come to me today,
The one who is dear to me.
Trains run twice a day;
One comes in the evening.
I hear the bell ring – ding ding dong
Yes, he is already near.
The night has a great many hours:
Each drearier than the last.
One only is a cheerful one:
When my beloved comes.
I hear someone come, someone knocks on the door,
Someone calls me by name.
I run downstairs barefoot—
Yes! He has come!
@AntoNio-rz1kw
Heard the first time in La Grande Bellezza. I think, this is the perfect song for this fantastic movie. If you haven't seen it - do it, watch it. You will love it.......
@renepierrebedecarrax6592
Arvo ou Veljo ne sont pas loin ! ! ! Très très beau ! ! !
@MarkusFrei2
makes me cry. great!!!
@johnwickson3412
The night is full of hours, each one sadder than the last.
@xDidonax
How come ?
@oneoregon
Translation (below in English)
I lay myself down in bed
And put out the flame;
He will come to me today,
The one who is dear to me.
Trains run twice a day;
One comes in the evening.
I hear the bell ring – ding ding dong
Yes, he is already near.
The night has a great many hours:
Each drearier than the last.
One only is a cheerful one:
When my beloved comes.
I hear someone come, someone knocks on the door,
Someone calls me by name.
I run downstairs barefoot—
Yes! He has come!
@YinghuaZhou-pi1lu
Thank you for sharing the lyrics. I have something to share with you. We need to know we have the Gifted Psychics behind all of us which government people don’t want us to know and hear about. There is no God or Devil in our planet. All the god stories and devil stories were created by the bloody feudal rulers (including brutal religious dictators) all around the world. They‘ve been connected from centuries ago. Each one of us has different personality trait of our own destiny. And according to it, the Gifted Psychics behind all of us continually show us the TRUTH of our World and our Planet for each and everyone. Once he（or she）whispers（reminds us of important things which related to the TRUTH of our real world by a synthesis of our specific memories and NOW. i.e., like Airdrop…）to us directly, we‘ll understand what is real horror movie and why we should fight for all the children and people in the world. We Are Not Alone Anymore!! We (countless generations ) have been cheated and murdered the past and the future… ⚡️⚡️🎗️⌛️♻️🌍🕊️ #JailAllTheWarCriminals ‼️#将所有战犯们伏法入刑 ‼️#SaveAllTheChildren ‼️#救所有孩子 ‼️#WeAreAssange 🎗️#我们就是阿桑奇 🎗️ #Movie #电影 #Live #活 #人生电影 🧩
@drystr3764
Bu şarkıyı bulana kadar göbeğim çatladı body cam filminde duymuştum bence tam bir klasik harika 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 bu arada bulanlara türkiyeden selamlar🇹🇷🇹🇷
@katharinawiesner4279
Ich liebe es ❤️❤️👌👌👌❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@milano_mirabilia
Un brano bellissimo!