McMorrow's second album, Post-Tropical, was released in January 2014. It was noted for its distinct shift in style from the nu-folk of his first album, leaning more towards electronica and ambient sounds. Two singles were released from the album - "Cavalier" and "Red Dust." The album reached the top 30 in the UK and the Netherlands; as well as peaking at number 2 on the Irish album charts.
We Don't Eat
James Vincent McMorrow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's nothing to mention, and nothing has changed
Still I'd rather be working at something, than praying for the rain
So I wander on, till someone else is saved
I moved to the coast, under a mountain
Swam in the ocean, slept on my own
At dawn I would watch the sun cut ribbons through the bay
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Two thousand years, I've been in that water
Two thousand years, sunk like a stone
Desperately reaching for nets
That the fishermen have thrown
Trying to find, a little bit of hope
Me I was holding, all of my secrets soft and hid
Pages were folded, then there was nothing at all
So if in the future I might need myself a savior
I'll remember what was written on that wall
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Am I an honest man and true
Have I been good to you at all
Oh I'm so tired of playing these games
We'd just be running down
The same old lines, the same old stories of
Breathless trains and, worn down glories
Houses burning, worlds that turn on their own
So we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you my friend, I'd learn to have just a little bit of trust
The lyrics of James Vincent McMorrow's "We Don't Eat" explore themes of redemption, trust, and the search for hope in a seemingly bleak world. The first verse highlights the sense of hopelessness felt by the singer, despite the idea of redemption being present. He believes that nothing has changed and that there is nothing to mention. However, he prefers working towards something than waiting for something to happen. He continues to wander around, hoping that someone else will be able to find salvation as he does not feel capable of finding it himself.
The song's chorus features a repeating phrase in which the singer is recalling words his mother wrote about waiting for someone's father to be at the table before eating and waiting for the devil to turn to dust before drinking. This signifies the importance of order and discipline in his life. Moreover, the singer has never experienced true love at hand, hence advices on having a little trust.
The second verse of the song describes the singer's actions upon moving to the coast. Here, he explores new things, including swimming in the ocean and watching the sunrise. His mother's words still continue to haunt him, as he remembers what she wrote while witnessing the beauty of nature. However, this has a minor impact on him, and he continues searching for something more throughout the song.
In the final verse, the singer is beginning to question himself. He wonders if he has been an honest and good person throughout his life. He is tired of playing mind games and wishes to escape from the same monotonous routine that has held him down. In the end, he reiterates the importance of trust, suggesting to his friend that they too should learn to have faith in others.
Line by Line Meaning
If this is redemption, why do I bother at all
I don't see the point in trying to redeem myself because nothing has changed.
There's nothing to mention, and nothing has changed
Things are still the same, and there's nothing new to report.
Still I'd rather be working at something, than praying for the rain
I'd rather be doing something productive than waiting for something to happen.
So I wander on, till someone else is saved
I'll keep moving forward until someone else is saved, and then maybe I'll find redemption.
I moved to the coast, under a mountain
I moved to the coast, near a mountain.
Swam in the ocean, slept on my own
I went swimming in the ocean and slept alone.
At dawn I would watch the sun cut ribbons through the bay
At dawn, I would watch the sun's rays cut through the bay like ribbons.
I'd remember all the things my mother wrote
I remember all the things my mother wrote to me.
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't eat until our father is at the table.
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
We don't drink until the devil is no more.
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
I've never met a man who was capable of loving.
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
If I were you, I would trust a little more.
Two thousand years, I've been in that water
I've been in that water for two thousand years.
Two thousand years, sunk like a stone
I've been sunk like a stone for two thousand years.
Desperately reaching for nets that the fishermen have thrown
I'm desperately trying to catch the nets that the fishermen have thrown.
Trying to find, a little bit of hope
I'm trying to find a little bit of hope in my situation.
Me I was holding, all of my secrets soft and hid
I was holding onto my secrets tightly and keeping them hidden.
Pages were folded, then there was nothing at all
I folded the pages, and then there was nothing left.
So if in the future I might need myself a savior
If I ever need a savior in the future,
I'll remember what was written on that wall
I'll remember what was written on the wall.
Am I an honest man and true
Am I honest and true?
Have I been good to you at all
Have I been good to you?
Oh I'm so tired of playing these games
I'm tired of playing games.
We'd just be running down the same old lines
We would just be repeating the same old things.
The same old stories of breathless trains and worn down glories
The same old stories of trains and worn-out glories.
Houses burning, worlds that turn on their own
Houses burning, worlds that turn on their own.
So we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't eat until our father is at the table.
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
We don't drink until the devil is no more.
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
I've never met a man who was capable of loving.
So if I were you my friend, I'd learn to have just a little bit of trust
If I were you, my friend, I would learn to trust a little bit more.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES MCMORROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pleuh420
If this is redemption, why do I bother at all
There's nothing to mention, and nothing has changed
Still I'd rather be working at something, than praying for the rain
So I wander on, till someone else is saved
I moved to the coast, under a mountain
Swam in the ocean, slept on my own
At dawn I would watch the sun cut ribbons through the bay
I'd remember all the things my mother wrote
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Two thousand years, I've been in that water
Two thousand years, sunk like a stone
Desperately reaching for nets
That the fishermen have thrown
Trying to find, a little bit of hope
Me I was holding, all of my secrets soft and hid
Pages were folded, then there was nothing at all
So if in the future I might need myself a savior
I'll remember what was written on that wall
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Am I an honest man and true
Have I been good to you at all
Oh I'm so tired of playing these games
We'd just be running down
The same old lines, the same old stories of
Breathless trains and, worn down glories
Houses burning, worlds that turn on their own
So we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you my friend, I'd learn to have just a little bit of trust
Terrance Hill
Dovetail heart Cadillac by Terrance HillSo you’re in your world and you see the sky, and a smile comes over you, and I
know what’s coming...Shooter’s got story, of big golden rings, time warps, and ruby red wines in pastel
CadillacsJust outside the limits, into the midnight breezes blowing away everything, in the
fast lane…You’ve got your limits, and I’ve got mine, and we all like a little kindness, and we
say we’re just fine…
There are mansions of stone, a fortress of
snow; in an Icelandic fable…perhaps you’re not ready to hold us. All?we were pilgrims, out in front of the typhoons…Guitars and sweet bars, all lyrical suspensions visible to sweet clarion callingWhat we have here is mingling and intellectual suicide Come what may, we’ll all jump into laughter
Calling out an ancient theme as we fade away past the edges…Do not fear failing, or falling, its all just a notion of people we don’t know….How far are we from oblivion, it’s a guess as far as I can tellA song wrapped in oiled sapelle and walnut strung guitars someone forgot to play in our last concert...
Kindred Spirit
If this is redemption, why do I bother at all
There's nothing to mention, and nothing has changed
Still I'd rather be working at something, than praying for the rain
So I wander on, till someone else is saved
I moved to the coast, under a mountain
Swam in the ocean, slept on my own
At dawn I would watch the sun cut ribbons through the bay
I'd remember all the things my mother wrote
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Two thousand years, I've been in that water
Two thousand years, sunk like a stone
Desperately reaching for nets
That the fishermen have thrown
Trying to find, a little bit of hope
Me I was holding, all of my secrets soft and hid
Pages were folded, then there was nothing at all
So if in the future I might need myself a savior
I'll remember what was written on that wall
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Am I an honest man and true
Have I been good to you at all
Oh I'm so tired of playing these games
We'd just be running down
The same old lines, the same old stories of
Breathless trains and, worn down glories
Houses burning, worlds that turn on their own
So we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you my friend, I'd learn to have just a little bit of trust
Songwriters: James Mcmorrow
We Don't Eat lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
bicooo1
I love this song so much. I can just close my eyes and it makes me feel things.
Loi Salanoa
Normally don't listen to this type of music, but the words "We don't eat until your father's at the table" were words I grew up with. Love the song and will listen more to this artists music.
Donough Ryan
Thank you, brother.
Pleuh420
If this is redemption, why do I bother at all
There's nothing to mention, and nothing has changed
Still I'd rather be working at something, than praying for the rain
So I wander on, till someone else is saved
I moved to the coast, under a mountain
Swam in the ocean, slept on my own
At dawn I would watch the sun cut ribbons through the bay
I'd remember all the things my mother wrote
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Two thousand years, I've been in that water
Two thousand years, sunk like a stone
Desperately reaching for nets
That the fishermen have thrown
Trying to find, a little bit of hope
Me I was holding, all of my secrets soft and hid
Pages were folded, then there was nothing at all
So if in the future I might need myself a savior
I'll remember what was written on that wall
That we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you, I'd have a little trust
Am I an honest man and true
Have I been good to you at all
Oh I'm so tired of playing these games
We'd just be running down
The same old lines, the same old stories of
Breathless trains and, worn down glories
Houses burning, worlds that turn on their own
So we don't eat until your father's at the table
We don't drink until the devil's turned to dust
Never once has any man I've met been able to love
So if I were you my friend, I'd learn to have just a little bit of trust
Dalai Mama
so nostalgic. this song makes me weep everytime.
Zoe P
Awesome! Its nice to actually see someone who can sing live! :)
Yesenia Dominguez
his voice is sooo beautiful!!
Daniel Viviers
What a voice, awesome
rain74925
New to him and his music. "Hannigram" brought me here just mere 30 minutes ago, and I've fallen in love with his music already.
wafflesandslagroom
This is just so beautiful. When I hear him singing I wonder how people have the audacity to call pop crap music...