After breaking up with his girlfriend, moving out of his house, and joining a 12-step program for addiction, Ebert began work on a story about a messianic figure named Edward Sharpe. According to Ebert, Sharpe "was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind ... but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love." Ebert later met singer Jade Castrinos in Los Angeles, California, United States. In the summer of 2009, as Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Ebert and Castrinos toured the country with a group of fellow musicians in a big white school bus.
Its song "Home" was voted number 15 on the Australian Triple J Hottest 100's 2009 countdown, the largest music poll in the world.
Members:
Alex Ebert – vocals, guitar, percussion, piano
Jade Castrinos – vocals, guitar (Past member 2009-2013)
Nico Aglietti – guitar, synthesizer, keyboards, vocals
Stewart Cole – trumpet, percussion, keyboards, tenor ukulele, vocals
Tay Strathairn – piano, vocals
Aaron Older – bass, vocals, banjo, percussion
Josh Collazo – drums, percussion, vocals
Orpheo McCord – percussion, vocals
Nora Kirkpatrick – accordion, vocals
Christian Letts – guitar, vocals
Additional personnel:
Chris Richard – vocals, percussion
Anna Bulbrook – violin, vocals
Aaron Embry – keyboards, piano, vocals
Tyler James – piano, vocals
Ryan Richter – guitar, lap steel, vocals
Michael Farfel – announcer, management
This Life
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That death is my friend
Oh, this life
Yes, this life ain't for me now
I've been lying to myself
Not to nobody else
Oh, this life
No
Liar
I'm telling the truth to y'all
Higher
Gonna give a little proof to y'all
Higher
I'm gonna jump in the fire
Well I walked into black
Said I weren't coming back
Saw my angel in blue
She tell me "This life ain't for you"
Oh, this life
Tell it to me this life, ain't for me now
I woke up feeling new
'Cause now I know this life is for you
Yes, this life
Oh, this life ain't for me now
It's for you!
Liar
I'm telling the truth to y'all
Higher
I'm gonna give a little proof to y'all
I'm gonna jump to the fire!
In the song "This Life" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, the lyrics express the internal struggle of the singer who is trying to come to terms with the idea of death. The lyrics "I've been trying to pretend that death is my friend" reveal the singer's state of mind, where they are trying to accept death as a part of life. However, the singer realizes that they are lying to themselves ("I've been lying to myself, not to nobody else") and this life is not for them ("Oh, this life, yes, this life ain't for me now").
In the second verse, the singer talks about how they walked into darkness and how they saw an angel in blue, who told them that this life is not for them. The singer wakes up feeling renewed, realizing that this life is for someone else ("'Cause now, I know this life is for you"). The lyrics "Liar, I'm telling the truth to y'all, Higher, I'm gonna give a little proof to y'all, I'm gonna jump to the fire" can be interpreted as the singer acknowledging their past lies but now being truthful, and they will do whatever it takes to prove that this life is not for them.
Overall, the lyrics of "This Life" convey a deep internal struggle of accepting the inevitability of death and realizing that this life is not meant for everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been trying to pretend
I've been putting on a facade
That death is my friend
That I'm comfortable with the idea of dying
Oh, this life
Referring to the current existence
Yes, this life ain't for me now
I'm not content with my current state of being
I've been lying to myself
I've been deceiving even myself
Not to nobody else
Not anyone else is aware of this
Liar
Calling himself out for lying
I'm telling the truth to y'all
Now trying to be honest
Higher
Referring to spiritual elevation
Gonna give a little proof to y'all
Planning to show proof of his spiritual growth
I'm gonna jump in the fire
Ready to face challenges head-on, without fear
Well I walked into black
Going through a dark time
Said I weren't coming back
Thought he wasn't going to make it through
Saw my angel in blue
Encountered someone divine, in the form of an angel
She tell me "This life ain't for you"
The angel warned him about his current path not being right for him
Tell it to me this life, ain't for me now
Reflecting on the angel's message
I woke up feeling new
Having a transformative experience
'Cause now I know this life is for you
Realizing that this life is meant for someone else
It's for you!
Emphasizing that the message is for someone else, not for himself
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALEX EBERT, NICOLO JOSEPH AGLIETTI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@silviup
I've been trying to pretend
That death is my friend
Oh, this life
Yes, this life ain't for me now
I've been lying to myself
Not to nobody else
Oh, this life
Yes, this life ain't for me now
No
Liar
I'm telling the truth to y'all
Higher
Gonna give a little proof to y'all
Higher
I'm gonna jump in the fire
Well I walked into black
Said I weren't coming back
Saw my angel in blue
She tell me "This life ain't for you"
Oh, this life
Tell it to me this life, ain't for me now
I woke up feeling new
'Cause now I know this life is for you
Yes, this life
Oh, this life ain't for me now
It's for you!
Liar
I'm telling the truth to y'all
Higher
I'm gonna give a little proof to y'all
I'm gonna jump to the fire!
Songwriters: Alex Ebert / Nicolo Joseph Aglietti
@edwardsharpethemagneticzer3195
We debated about this video for a while. Its message at the end is absolutely disturbing. We would never support a "no way out" situation. In the end… We decided that it was really well done and perhaps might have an adverse effect on someone contemplating suicide by making it real rather then showing a happy ending - There are no happy endings when someone takes their own life. - Our message remains positive and full of love and creativity. Thank you
@jrgibbs545
I am glad you did. Ignoring anything never makes it go away. There is nothing wrong with discussing this subject. This just might save a wonderful life.
@68liayn
Well, it was risky, I'll give you that. See my other response. I'm not sure it was a good idea at all, but it does invite discussion. The problem is that for those already at the bottom of their own personal pit, there is no hope in this vid, just his despair reaching it's horrible, irredeemable conclusion. Tell me, if you would, what preparation, if any, did you do on the subject of depression and suicide? Or did the preparation just consist of the cinematic type as with any video?
@omgaify
Maybe you could link to some Suicide Prevention sources in the description :)
@leisatough
This is a beautiful painful song and those suffering from despair I hope it offers fellow feleling .. we all feel like this at times.
But.. but.. as the victim of a mother's suicide I would agree with the previous comment. In Australia beyondblue and lifeline are wonderful. Please please get in touch with them if you need help.
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/national-help-lines-and-websites
@whocares1409
Hello ESMZ's I just have to say that I love your music, keep up the good work. I should let you know though there there is a You Tuber making claims of plagiarism and rip offing on more than one of your videos. Watch out for someone called poeticalish, he has made derogatory comments regarding your material being both plagiarized and ripped off from other artists. Some of these comments are higher up on this video upload. All The Best.
@RJeempy
Hi, I am the actor playing the part in this musicvideo. At first, I protested about the ending but went along with the directors choice for one reason: his enthousiasm for doing it this way. It is a way to look at things and be honest, this video influences us as art is supposed to do.
Look at the 96 reactions underneath. There is a handful very sophisticated reactions which I fully support; don't fight the images but embrace them for the art it provides.
We enjoyed making this by the way. A lot. :)
robert jan, amsterdam, the netherlands, europe.
@goygoyim6443
Great work. Great video. Thanks amigo!
@liammurphy2725
I told myself that life would get better. It didn't. I told myself what use was I. I had no answer. My four sisters died , my wife and child left with no forwarding address. The only thing that held me back from suicide was still wanting to know more. To see more and to be more. Look at me now. Learning to love again. To think that I nearly wore the same face as you when you lit the match. Thank you for your skills.
@RJeempy
@@liammurphy2725 thank you for sharing this beautiful experience and especially your resilience. This is what life is all about. To listen to our hearts and... love again.
This life - our life - is all about love. Or the disturbing lack of it. So we better find the love in ourselves.
I never get tired of my life as I turned into a spectator. That was also George Carlin's advice, by the way, allthough I invented it on my own, walking a different path. It was my path to look further, keep searching until finding, and reinvent my life, past all the barriers put in front (and all around) of me... and writing about it. My first book (do you feel it too? - in Dutch: Voel jij het ook?) to provide a different perspective (as a daily dose of life-encouragement) was published last month and the second one (how to continu? - in Dutch: Hoe verder?) is coming along in a couple of months.