Oh No
Hem Lyrics

Mean are the winds that tear at the palms
The winds are harsh and violent, causing damage to the palm trees.

A tiny baby is crying then calms
The baby goes through intense moments of distress and then relief.

And curses ring out instead of the psalms
Instead of singing or praying, people are cursing and expressing their anger.

I don't know
The singer is uncertain about the situation.

And black are the sounds dragged from the trains
The sounds of the trains are ominous and unsettling.

They leave a trail of rust in the rains
The trains leave marks of decay and destruction in their wake.

Great lakes are spilling across the great plains
The overflowing lakes are causing flooding and destruction across the plains.

They swallow up everything
The floods cause irreparable damage and loss.

Oh no, oh no
The singer exclaims in distress and despair.

Board up the windows and shoot at the crows
The situation is so dire that even the birds are a threat and need to be dealt with.

And lay every might thing low
All major things need to be destroyed or reduced to nothing in order to confront the disaster.

Well, I didn't know that day that I fell
Something unexpected happened that threw the singer off balance.

In terre haute at the paris hotel
The setting of the event that caused the singer's distress and confusion.

Where I lost something that I'd never sell
The event caused the singer to lose something extremely valuable to them.

I let go
The singer had to come to terms with the loss and accept it.

Now all that I see keeps me afraid
The singer is haunted by their experience and everything they perceive reminds them of it.

I count the years by the marks that they made
The experience left a deep scar on the singer's psyche and sense of time.

And watch the sun from a circle of shade
The singer is stuck in a state of darkness and despair even when they see the light of day.

That swallows up everything
The darkness and despair the singer is experiencing is all-consuming.