Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car
Iron & Wine(아이언 & 와인) Lyrics
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In a frozen copse of trees
A bone cold and older than our bodies
Slowly floating in the sea
Every morning there were planes
The shiny blades of pagan angels in our father's sky
Every evening I would watch her hold the pillow
I was still a beggar shaking out my stolen coat
Among the angry cemetery leaves
When they caught the king beneath the borrowed car
Righteous, drunk and fumbling for the royal keys
Love was a father's flag and sung like a shank
In a cake on our leather boots
A beautiful feather floating down
To where the birds had shit on empty chapel pews
Every morning we found one more machine
To mock our ever waning patience at the well
Every evening she'd descend the mountain stealing socks
And singing something good where all the horses fell
Like a snake within the wilted garden wall
I'd hint to her every possibility
While with his gun the pagan angel rose to say
My love is one made to break every bended knee
The lyrics to Iron & Wine's song Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car are loosely narrative and highly impressionistic, evoking a series of fragments and images that suggest deeper themes of love, loss, and mortality. The opening lines - "Love was a promise made of smoke / In a frozen copse of trees" - suggest a kind of ephemeral, intangible quality to love, one that is fragile and fleeting like smoke. The idea of a frozen copse adds another layer of meaning, hinting at the idea that love can be both beautiful and dangerous, like a snow-covered forest.
The next few lines shift to a more concrete image of "planes" and "shiny blades of pagan angels" in the sky, juxtaposed with the singer's lover holding a pillow "tight against her hollows," suggesting perhaps a sense of fear or insecurity or even physical pain. The use of the phrase "pagan angels" is interesting, as it suggests a kind of religious and secular hybridity, one that is both holy and profane.
The middle section of the song shifts to an even more concrete image of a "borrowed car" and a "king" fumbling for keys, perhaps a nod to the idea of power and privilege being unstable and tenuous, liable to be taken away or lost. The final section of the song returns to more impressionistic imagery of "leather boots" and "beautiful feathers" floating down, suggesting once again the idea of beauty and fragility being intertwined. The use of the phrase "my love is one made to break every bended knee" is also interesting, suggesting perhaps a kind of destructive force to love itself.
Line by Line Meaning
Love was a promise made of smoke
Love was ephemeral and intangible.
In a frozen copse of trees
The setting was dark and cold.
A bone cold and older than our bodies
The feeling of the place was ancient and eerie.
Slowly floating in the sea
Emotions were free-floating and undefined.
Every morning there were planes
Days were marked by routine and monotony.
The shiny blades of pagan angels in our father's skies
The planes were a symbol of industrialization.
Every evening I would watch her hold the pillow
He spent time observing his lover.
Tight against her hollows, her unholy child
She held the pillow like a mother, yet they do not have any children.
I was still a beggar shaking out my stolen coat
The artist felt inferior and was plagued by insecurity.
Among the angry cemetery leaves
The environment was melancholic and desolate.
When they caught the king beneath the borrowed car
The story of a king frozen in time.
Righteous, drunk, and fumbling for the royal keys
The king was confused and incapable.
Love was a father's flag and sung like a shank
Love was a declaration of power and masculinity.
In a cake on our leather boots
The celebration was commonplace and unremarkable.
A beautiful feather floating down
Something aesthetically pleasing caught his attention.
To where the birds had shit on empty chapel pews
Religious institutions are abandoned.
Every morning we found one more machine
The artist’s days remained repetitive and boring.
To mock our ever waning patience at the well
Their rituals turned into acts of rebellion.
Every evening she'd descend the mountain stealing socks
The lover was a thief and adventurous.
And singing something good where all the horses fell
She brings joy to a dark environment.
Like a snake within the wilted garden wall
The artist is trapped.
I'd hint to her every possibility
The artist is imaginative.
While with his gun the pagan angel rose to say,
The Industrial Revolution was a source of danger.
"My love is one made to break every bended knee"
The industrial machine destroys everything in its path.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Samuel Ervin Beam
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@awdxsad2279
Love was a promise made of smoke
In a frozen copse of trees
A bone cold and older than our bodies
Slowly floating in the sea
Every morning there were planes
The shiny blades of pagan angels in our father's skies
Every evening I would watch her hold the pillow
Tight against her hollows, her unholy child
I was still a beggar shaking out my stolen coat
Among the angry cemetery leaves
When they caught the king beneath the borrowed car
Righteous, drunk, and fumbling for the royal keys
Love was a father's flag and sung like a shank
In a cake on our leather boots
A beautiful feather floating down
To where the birds had shit on empty chapel pews
Every morning we found one more machine
To mock our ever waning patience at the well
Every evening she'd descend the mountain stealing socks
And singing something good where all the horses fell
Like a snake within the wilted garden wall
I'd hint to her every possibility
While with his gun the pagan angel rose to say,
"My love is one made to break every bended knee"
@JaneDoe-zc2zn
I don't believe in you or what you do.
I don't value you.
All you care about is rape, sex, and abuse.
You target minors, too.
Babies and children.
And elderly.
Everyone.
Including me.
You owe me all of your money and assets. Go to prison.
Who all was involved in starting World War 3, trying to keep it from the general public's knowledge, nuclear disasters, many forms of global terrorism and warcrimes? Not warfare, warcrimes.
Serial killing, serial raping, serial abusing, serial stalking, serial disfiguring, through the internet and offline means.
@FenrirAbuno1
We played this at our wedding 12 years ago and it made the evening so magical and beautiful
@JDoradoTube
This song always reminds me of the start of fall season
@eveblackmore7458
Heck, I adore this and can't stop playing it
@awdxsad2279
Love was a promise made of smoke
In a frozen copse of trees
A bone cold and older than our bodies
Slowly floating in the sea
Every morning there were planes
The shiny blades of pagan angels in our father's skies
Every evening I would watch her hold the pillow
Tight against her hollows, her unholy child
I was still a beggar shaking out my stolen coat
Among the angry cemetery leaves
When they caught the king beneath the borrowed car
Righteous, drunk, and fumbling for the royal keys
Love was a father's flag and sung like a shank
In a cake on our leather boots
A beautiful feather floating down
To where the birds had shit on empty chapel pews
Every morning we found one more machine
To mock our ever waning patience at the well
Every evening she'd descend the mountain stealing socks
And singing something good where all the horses fell
Like a snake within the wilted garden wall
I'd hint to her every possibility
While with his gun the pagan angel rose to say,
"My love is one made to break every bended knee"
@frankshailes3205
These lyrics make little sense but make the voice a proper instrument. Like Syd Barrett's
@mysticalmania
LOVE your talent and art! Thanks for the tunes!❤️
@bigdaddypiggy
This song sounds like it could’ve been on the “Into the Wild” soundtrack .....just a beautiful piece of music...I saw these guys open for Old Crow Medicine Show & Levon Helm back in the day at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Maryland ....such a great night 🥺long gone are those days,time catches up to all sooner or later I’m afraid
@dannywhittingham1270
I had never heard if these at all until tonight when a vid if them covering The Bunnymens, Bring on the Dancing Horses appeared on my feed.....brilliant.....social media mostly suxks but YouTube truly can inform....
@tannedbrunette1
I heard this on The Outlaws on Amazon prime.
@kjmmxii123
Just finished that episode, came straight here.