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
Uncomfortable
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What y'all call freedom just a word, yeah
What y'all call freedom looked like guns to me
Your guns look like fear to me
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
If I can't breathe I can't call no
What y'all call terror I do call, but
Too many people know, I must call us
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
What y'all call Christians I can't call, no
Christ knows I can't call, no
What y'all call look like slaves to me
too much truth on my mind, yeah
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
What y'all call beauty I can't call, no
What y'all call beauty just a show, yeah
What y'all call ugly I call real, yeah
What y'all call ugly I call real, yeah
And real I can trust, trust I call beauty, yeah
Rust I call beauty, yeah
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
Uncomfortable, you got to get uncomfortable
The lyrics of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros's song "Uncomfortable" express a deep dissatisfaction with the status quo and a call for change. The song challenges conventional notions of freedom, justice, Christianity, and beauty, highlighting how they can be distorted or even oppressive. The singer rejects the mainstream definitions of these concepts and advocates for discomfort as a catalyst for growth and transformation.
In the first verse, the lyrics challenge the idea of freedom, suggesting that what is commonly understood as freedom is merely a word that holds no real meaning. This is followed by the line "Your guns look like fear to me," which implies that the use of force and violence, often associated with the defense of freedom, actually instill fear rather than true liberation.
The second verse takes on the concept of justice and underscores the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement. It questions the existence of justice when individuals are denied the basic right to breathe, suggesting that true justice cannot be achieved until everyone feels safe and equal.
The third verse challenges the interpretation of Christianity. The singer cannot align with the mainstream understanding of Christianity, seeing it as reminiscent of a time when slaves were subjected to oppressive conditions. The line "too much truth on my mind" implies that the singer's discomfort is driven by a profound awareness of the injustices and hypocrisies in society.
The final verse disrupts the societal standards of beauty. The lyrics reject the shallow and artificial notion of beauty, emphasizing instead the value of authenticity and realness. It suggests that trust and beauty can be found in things that are imperfect, represented by the wordplay of calling rust "beauty."
Line by Line Meaning
What y'all call freedom I can't call, no
The concept of freedom that others perceive, I cannot perceive it in the same way.
What y'all call freedom just a word, yeah
The idea of freedom is merely a word to describe something intangible.
What y'all call freedom looked like guns to me
The expression of freedom that you refer to appeared to me as a display of power through weapons.
Your guns look like fear to me
The sight of your guns instills fear within me.
What y'all call justice I can't call no
The notion of justice that you label as such, I cannot see it as justice.
If I can't breathe I can't call no
If I cannot breathe, I cannot even express or recognize justice.
What y'all call terror I do call, but
The terror that you perceive as such, I also perceive it as terror, however...
Too many people know, I must call us
Considering the number of individuals who are aware of this situation, I feel obliged to label it as something that affects all of us.
What y'all call Christians I can't call, no
The individuals you label as Christians, I cannot identify them as such.
Christ knows I can't call, no
Even Christ himself knows that I cannot recognize them as Christians.
What y'all call look like slaves to me
The way you appear and behave resembles that of individuals in bondage, from my perspective.
Too much truth on my mind, yeah
I am burdened with an overwhelming amount of truth in my thoughts.
What y'all call beauty I can't call, no
The things you consider beautiful, I do not perceive them as such.
What y'all call beauty just a show, yeah
The beauty you reference is merely an act or facade, in my understanding.
What y'all call ugly I call real, yeah
What you label as ugly, I identify as genuine or authentic.
What y'all call ugly I call real, yeah
The same things that you consider ugly, I still see them as genuine or authentic.
And real I can trust, trust I call beauty, yeah
I have confidence in what is real, and I equate trust with beauty.
Rust I call beauty, yeah
Even decay or corrosion, I perceive it as something beautiful.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alex M T Ebert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind