Heart of the Continent
John K. Samson Lyrics
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The fence around a lot full of debris
N ear the corner of Memorial and Me
Where resurrected brick and drywall lean back into place
There's a terrified reflection of my face
All alone at the gleaming knife display
In the army surplus sales.
Ghost-filled discount parkas, sleeping bags
Peer at me from the crumpled dark.
Inky bruises punched into the sky by bolts of light
And then leak across the body of tonight.
While rain and thunder drop and roll,
Then stop short of a storm
Leave the air stuck with this waiting to be born.
As I stand before an unresponsive automatic door,
Just another door that won't open for me anymore'
The exit red gets brighter then blinks off,
Presses me into
The crumpled dark.
There's a billboard by the highway
That says 'Welcome to'
'Bienvenue'
But no sign to show you when you go away.
And our demolitions punctuate
All we mean to say, then leave too late.
So I'll make my shaky exclamation mark
With a hand full of
The crumpled dark.
John K. Samson's song Heart of the Continent reflects on the emptiness and despair that arise from economic decline and urban decay. The lyrics describe a desolate street corner in an impoverished neighborhood, where a fence surrounding a lot full of debris sinks due to a harsh north wind. The singer stands alone by a gleaming knife display in an army surplus store, reflecting on his life and failing inspiration. Ghost-filled discount parkas and sleeping bags peer at the lone figure from the shadows, while inky bruises punched into the sky by bolts of light spread across the night. Rain and thunder promise a storm that never comes, leaving the air heavy with the sense of something waiting to be born but never quite materializing.
As the singer stands before an unresponsive automatic door, he realizes that it is just another door that won't open for him anymore. He sees a billboard by the highway that welcomes him to the neighborhood, but there is no sign to show him when he can leave. The demolitions of abandoned buildings symbolize the decline and decay of the people and the community, leaving the singer with nothing but the darkness to hold on to.
Overall, the song speaks to a sense of abandonment and hopelessness that can arise in places that are left behind by progress and prosperity, and emphasizes the human cost of urban decay.
Line by Line Meaning
North wind sinks
The chilly wind intensifies
The fence around a lot full of debris
There is a fence surrounding an area with a lot of rubble
Near the corner of Memorial and Me
The location is Memorial and Me
Where resurrected brick and drywall lean back into place
The debris includes pieces of brick and drywall which seems to be returning to its original state
There's a terrified reflection of my face
The artist sees their scared reflection
All alone at the gleaming knife display
The singer is by themselves looking at knife display
In the army surplus sales.
The singer is in an army surplus store
As the dusk descends and my inspiration fails.
It's getting darker and the artist is losing their motivation
Ghost-filled discount parkas, sleeping bags
The artist sees cheap jackets and sleeping bags that seem eerie
Peer at me from the crumpled dark.
The artist is being watched by the darkness
Inky bruises punched into the sky by bolts of light
The lightning strikes in the dark sky create dark bruises
And then leak across the body of tonight.
The bruises spread across the whole night sky
While rain and thunder drop and roll,
The rain and thunder begin to intensify
Then stop short of a storm
The rain and thunder aren't enough for a full-blown storm
Leave the air stuck with this waiting to be born.
The atmosphere is building up anticipation for something to happen
As I stand before an unresponsive automatic door,
The artist is in front of a door that won't open
Just another door that won't open for me anymore'
This is one of many doors that won't open for the artist
The exit red gets brighter then blinks off,
The exit sign gets brighter and then turns off
Presses me into
The situation makes the singer feel trapped
The crumpled dark.
The darkness surrounds and weighs down on the artist
There's a billboard by the highway
There's a large advertisement sign by the road
That says 'Welcome to'
The sign greets the travelers
'Bienvenue'
The sign says 'welcome' in French
But no sign to show you when you go away.
There's no sign to bid farewell when someone leaves
And our demolitions punctuate
The destruction highlights
All we mean to say, then leave too late.
We often realize what we should have said only after it's too late
So I'll make my shaky exclamation mark
The singer will try to make their mark, even if it's not perfect
With a hand full of
The artist will create their mark using
The crumpled dark.
The dark sky around them
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jime Poncho
The north wind sinks the fence around a lot full of debris
Near the corner of Memorial and me
Where resurrected brick and drywall lead back into place
There's a terrified reflection on my face
All alone at the gleaming knife display at the army surplus sales
As the dusk descends and my inspiration fails
Ghost-filled discount parkas, sleeping bags
Peer at me from the crumpled dark
Inky bruises punched into the sky by bolts of light
And then leak across the body of tonight
While rain and thunder drop and roll then stop short of a storm
Leave the air stuck with this waiting to be born
As I stand before an unresponsive automatic door
Just another door that won't open for me anymore
The exit red gets brighter then blinks off
Presses me into the crumpled dark
There's a billboard by the highway
That says welcome to
(Bienvenue à)
But no sign to show you when you go away
And our demolitions punctuate
All we mean to save then leave too late
So I make my shaky exclamation mark
With a hand full of
The crumpled dark
Jime Poncho
The north wind sinks the fence around a lot full of debris
Near the corner of Memorial and me
Where resurrected brick and drywall lead back into place
There's a terrified reflection on my face
All alone at the gleaming knife display at the army surplus sales
As the dusk descends and my inspiration fails
Ghost-filled discount parkas, sleeping bags
Peer at me from the crumpled dark
Inky bruises punched into the sky by bolts of light
And then leak across the body of tonight
While rain and thunder drop and roll then stop short of a storm
Leave the air stuck with this waiting to be born
As I stand before an unresponsive automatic door
Just another door that won't open for me anymore
The exit red gets brighter then blinks off
Presses me into the crumpled dark
There's a billboard by the highway
That says welcome to
(Bienvenue à)
But no sign to show you when you go away
And our demolitions punctuate
All we mean to save then leave too late
So I make my shaky exclamation mark
With a hand full of
The crumpled dark
justinerrrr
I saw him sing this song live, a-m-a-z-i-n-g!
JenLei t
10 to 6 and 9 to five, trying, dying to survive, never knowing what survival means
Lk3152
leave the apartment to by alcohol...
Avishek Acharya
The beginning sounds like One great City
John Brownlee
It's kind of a spiritual sequel. All the songs about lost buildings and the north end seem musically connected.
Tobias
John says the reason he wrote this song was that Winnipeg changed their slogan from "One Great City!" to "Heart of the Continent", so he took the picking pattern from One Great City and modified it a bit to create Heart of the Continent
James Boyd
+Avishek Acharya it's really simmer in the picking pattern, the capo is up higher though
CLT Cyclist
Also, the game.
Claire
Damn.