Dear Ephesus was a band from Orlando, Florida. Their music aligned with th… Read Full Bio ↴Dear Ephesus was a band from Orlando, Florida. Their music aligned with the 90s emo style, popularized by the likes of Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate.

They released some EPs and two full-lengths - The Consolation of Pianissimo and The Absent Sounds of Me - before calling it quits.

They have set up a posthumous MySpace page, which features four tracks from The Absent Sounds of Me for download.

The Drifter
Dear Ephesus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

He came from a settlement some miles away
They looked at him oddly
Strange the things he would say
So sharp so hard
Amused by his words
He walked on in search of a bride to call his own

I'll dine with you at the wedding feast

A drifter to most folks
But some could see that he was wise
No beggar was this man
He said he came to give life
Oh in a circus show they might have let it slide
But now they give him threats
They say he'll have to die
Oh this traveling ma all he ever wanted was a bride

I'll dine with you at the wedding feast

I cried when he died
It seemed to make no sense
To kill a man for loving you is to kill yourself instead
I wish i knew but i can't explain when i hear the drifter say

You can't kill a dead man
He's alive just the same

Overall Meaning

The song "The Drifter" by Dear Ephesus is all about an individual who is an outsider in a community where they are not welcome. This individual comes from a neighboring settlement, and from the moment they begin to speak, they are met with odd looks from the people around them. Despite this, the individual continues to walk on, searching for someone to call their own. As they wander, some people begin to see that the individual is wise and not a beggar as they once thought. However, other individuals view them as a threat, stating that they must die. Through all of this, the individual's only desire was to find a bride and dine with them at a wedding feast. In the end, the individual is killed, and the singer of the song expresses their confusion and sadness at the senseless loss of life.

The lyrics of "The Drifter" can be interpreted in many different ways. Some may see the drifter as a representation of Christ - a wise and loving individual who is ultimately betrayed and killed for their beliefs. Alternatively, the song could be seen as a metaphor for anyone who feels like an outsider in their community. The message of the song seems to be that people should be more accepting of those who are different from them and that love and acceptance are more important than fitting into society's expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

He came from a settlement some miles away
He arrived from a distant town

They looked at him oddly
The locals found him strange

Strange the things he would say
His speech was unconventional

So sharp so hard
His words were piercing and harsh

Amused by his words
However, some found his words funny

He walked on in search of a bride to call his own
He journeyed on looking for a lifetime partner

I'll dine with you at the wedding feast
He promised to attend the feast after finding his bride

A drifter to most folks
To many, he was just a wandering unknown

But some could see that he was wise
A few saw past that and recognized his wisdom

No beggar was this man
He was not a beggar, but proceeded to give freely

He said he came to give life
He declared his purpose was to bestow life