The Bloomington, IN, group Early Day Miners is a self-described "musical co… Read Full Bio ↴The Bloomington, IN, group Early Day Miners is a self-described "musical cooperative." The group's core members are Daniel Burton, Rory Leitch (both formerly of Ativin), and Joseph Brumley, but the trio enlists a revolving cast of friends for recordings and live performances. Early Day Miners spin American rural music into richly cinematic, experimental textures that contain a prominent streak of melancholy (and some slowcore tendencies). The combo's first release was the seven-song, 49-minute Placer Found, which emerged in 2000 on Western Vinyl. The 2002 LP Let Us Garlands Bring, on Secretly Canadian Records, boasted richer and more fleshed-out landscapes to underpin the vocals of key member Burton. Early Day Miners continued on with 2003's Jefferson at Rest and 2005's All Harm Ends Here out on Secretly Canadian. The next year, the six-song Offshore, which was originally conceived to be a part of Let Us Garlands Bring and featured the production work of Tortoise's John McEntire, was released.

Official website: http://www.earlydayminers.com/

Comfort/Guilt
Early Day Miners Lyrics

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You lay me back into the chair
The porcelain caught on my neck
The smell of perfume and cigarettes
Your skin touching my face

Comfort and guilt
Comfort and guilt

All of my life
My face staring back at me
I never believed age-ist defeat

Finding the comfort to close my eyes
Water lulls me to sleep
Silly for thinking that this is wrong
Guilty for thinking at all

Comfort and guilt
Comfort and guilt

Your arms hold fate

Will you be trustworthy?
I never believed in age-ist defeat

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Early Day Miners' "Comfort/Guilt" capture a moment of both intimacy and uncertainty. The singer is being laid back into a chair by someone, their neck resting against the cool porcelain of the chair. The smell of perfume and cigarettes fills the air but is overridden by the sensation of skin touching their face. The title of the song, "Comfort/Guilt", encapsulates the two emotions at play here, as the singer finds themselves feeling both at the same time.

The second verse seems to take a more introspective turn, with the singer reflecting on their own life and the image staring back at them in the mirror. They mention "never believing in age-ist defeat", which could be interpreted a few different ways - perhaps this is the belief that one's age should not define or limit them, or that they refuse to feel defeated by the inevitable march of time.

The final lines of the song add another layer of complexity, as the singer questions whether the person holding them will be trustworthy, and how they may be affected by the passage of time. This could represent a fear of vulnerability or aging, or simply the uncertainty inherent in any new connection.

Overall, "Comfort/Guilt" is a rich and evocative song that captures a specific moment of emotion and vulnerability. The title is particularly resonant, as it reflects the often-contradictory nature of our emotions and experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

You lay me back into the chair
You put me in a relaxed position on the seat

The porcelain caught on my neck
The hard material touched my skin on the neck

The smell of perfume and cigarettes
The aroma of fragrance and tobacco filled the air

Your skin touching my face
Your flesh making contact with my facial skin

Comfort and guilt
Feeling at ease and remorseful simultaneously

Comfort and guilt
Experiencing relaxation and shame at the same time

All of my life
Throughout my entire existence

My face staring back at me
My own countenance reflecting in front of me

I never believed age-ist defeat
I never adhered to the notion of losing to old age

Finding the comfort to close my eyes
Discovering the ease of shutting my eyelids

Water lulls me to sleep
The liquid puts me in a peaceful slumber