Ghosts
David Thomas and Two Pale Boys Lyrics

The air is heavy,
The atmosphere is thick and oppressive.

And the lights lead somewhere far away.
The lights suggest a distant place or future, not accessible in the present moment.

And the night is, uh... powdered!
The night feels as if it is covered in a layer of dust or powder, suggesting a sense of distance or surrealness.

And I'm headed into another black coffee dawn.
The artist is moving towards another early morning, symbolized by black coffee, potentially implying a sense of weariness or repetition.

Nights like this I feel the weight of history,
In moments like these, the artist is acutely aware of the heaviness of the past and its impact on the present moment.

And I hear somebody explaining it in my ear up close -
The singer can almost hear a voice explaining the weight of history to them, emphasizing its close proximity to their thoughts.

All these obligations.
The singer feels burdened by obligations, possibly related to the weight of the past.

The coffee cup -
The artist's thoughts are drawn to a particular coffee cup.

That one with the lipstick stain -
The coffee cup in question has a specific distinguishing feature, a lipstick stain.

Is on my mind.
The coffee cup occupies the artist's thoughts, suggesting a preoccupation with small details rather than the larger issues at hand.

A dried coffee ring, a ring around the moon,
The singer's thoughts continue to be preoccupied with coffee, particularly its physical traces, like a coffee ring or a halo around the moon.

And neon in a haze.
The artist observes neon lights through a haze or fog, perhaps suggesting a sense of disorientation or confusion.

I figured that tears is nothing,
The singer has realized that tears are meaningless, possibly implying a sense of resignation or acceptance.

When I see a floodplain stretch out harsh in the moonlight -
When the singer observes a floodplain in the moonlight, it appears harsh or severe, suggesting a sense of difficulty or struggle.

And the river of blood that flows thru it.
The singer observes a river of blood flowing through the floodplain, potentially symbolizing violence or conflict.

They tore down the Wilson-Shute last year and built up a new one,
A specific location in the artist's environment underwent transformation, with a new structure built to replace an old one.

But I will not cross that bridge.
The artist refuses to cross a particular bridge, potentially related to the location that was recently changed.

I know why.
The singer has a clear reason for refusing to cross the bridge, which is left unsaid.

And I don't know.
The singer is uncertain about something else, which is also unspecified.

I know.
Despite being uncertain about something, the artist is sure about their decision to avoid the bridge.

And I don't know.
The artist is still unsure about an unspecified matter.

In a way it had to end.
Something had to come to an end, potentially related to the artist's environment or experience.

There comes a time when people don't understand,
There are moments when other people do not comprehend the significance of a particular issue or experience.

When the stones will speak in a strange language.
At a certain point, people and objects may communicate in a way that feels unfamiliar or difficult to interpret.

And all those dreams,
The singer thinks about dreams in relation to the previous lines, which emphasized lack of understanding and difficulty communicating.

All those fears and hopes,
The dreams in question involve significant emotions, whether positive or negative.

Won't make any sense any more.
Despite their significance, the emotions related to dreams and hopes may eventually stop making sense or lose their significance.

Something tired,
The artist observes something that feels exhausted or worn out.

Something weary,
The same object or entities is also tired or fatigued.

Something hurt hangs in the air -
The atmosphere contains a sense of sadness or pain.

Fearsome,
This sadness or pain feels fearsome or unsettling.

Terrible!
The severity of the aforementioned emotions is emphasized with an exclamation point.

And they leave the lights on in this town all night,
The town has a practice of not turning off its lights at night, which is later explained to be due to fear of darkness.

For fear of the darkness.
The practice of leaving lights on at night is specifically to avoid darkness, which the townspeople fear.

When you're young you learn to love the thing that is despised,
During youth, people may learn to love things that others reject or belittle.

That is unloved itself,
The object of love is typically something that does not have other admirers or believers.

And unwanted.
The same object is also unwanted or rejected by others.

And you may come to dream a dream,
Despite this, the singer suggests that a person may still believe in a dream or vision for the future.

And see a vision of a future that will never be.
However, that dream or vision may ultimately prove to be unattainable or impossible to realize.

But what if the vision is too strong,
The idea of a compelling vision or dream is further explored with a rhetorical question.

And the vision comes at an age that's too young?
The impact of this vision may be particularly strong if experienced at a young age, potentially implying that it will affect the rest of one's life.

So what does happen to the dream deferred?
The singer shifts to a broader consideration of dreams that are delayed or unfulfilled.

Does it shrivel like a raisin in the sun?
The singer proposes a metaphorical image of a dream shriveling, which is further emphasized with the comparison to a raisin in the sun.

I know.
The artist has a clear answer to the question of what happens to deferred dreams.

And I don't know.
At the same time, the artist is also uncertain about a different issue or question.

We all live in ghost towns one way or the other.
A thematic conclusion is reached, suggesting that all people are influenced by the past and its legacy, and experience a sense of haunting or remnant experiences in daily life.

Each of us lives in a ghost town.
The singer emphasizes the universality of this idea, suggesting that it applies to every individual.

And they leave the lights on in this town all night,
The repeated mention of leaving lights on at night is further underscored as a symbol of fear and avoidance of the unknown.

For fear of the darkness.
This final line repeats the explanation that the town leaves lights on at night due to its fear of the darkness.

And a radio is playing all night,
Another detail of the townscape is revealed, with the sound of a radio playing constantly at night.

For the fear of silence -
The continued sound of the radio may be a way to avoid the silence that would otherwise be present at night.

The silence of someone's thoughts.
The implied reason for avoiding silence is that it may lead to reflection or introspection, something the town and its inhabitants appear to be avoiding.