It is not entirely clear when Songs: Ohia became Magnolia Electric Co. In interviews, Jason Molina has claimed that he considered the tenure of Songs: Ohia over after Didn't It Rain, which would make Magnolia Electric Co. the eponymous debut album of the new band. In fact the name Songs: Ohia appears nowhere on the artwork of the album and only a promotional sticker on the cellophane wrapping connects it with the prior band name. Nevertheless, Secretly Canadian still promotes the album under the Songs: Ohia moniker. On the other hand, the Magnolia Electric Co. live album Trials and Errors was recorded on April 16, 2003 at the Ancienne Belgique club in Brussels, at a time when the band was still touring under the Songs: Ohia name. Pitchfork Media later reported that name change would be made official after the Spain tour in October 2003, although by now it seems the label espouses a name change around July 2003.
On January 13, 2006, Molina told a Chicago newspaper that he had recorded three records which were to be released within a few months. A solo record, titled Let Me Go, was recorded February 2005 in Indiana and features a return to the voice/piano/guitar style that Pyramid Electric Co. was recorded in. A Magnolia Electric Co. album, Nashville Moon, was recorded during July 2005 with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago. Molina stated that there was a heavy atmosphere in the studio, due to the fact that three of Albini's close friends had died in a car crash. The third record to be released is a full length collaboration with Camper Van Beethoven front man David Lowery, tentatively named The Black Ram. During the sessions for the album, Molina's mother suffered a stroke, went into a coma and has been on life support since then.
In the article, Molina also commented on his determined work ethic: "Every New Year I throw out songs. I just threw out probably 20 tapes full of demos and I didn't even listen to them... Getting rid of all that old stuff really forces you to write new material."
Though officially Songs: Ohia no longer records or performs, and projects have been either marketed as Magnolia Electric Co. or Jason Molina's solo work, most fans still use the name Songs: Ohia to refer to all projects collectively.
Jason Molina stopped touring and recording in 2009 in order to enter rehab and fight his alcoholism. An EP called Autumn Bird Songs was released in 2012 under Molina's own name, although it consisted of songs recorded before Molina had entered rehab. He died on March 16th, 2013 of organ failure.
Hope Dies Last
Magnolia Electric Co. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Child I hunt what will not stand.
I bring home the Northern Lights
The ocean and the twisting sand
I’ve seen the arrow, climb, climb, climb
I know it finds my heart every time.
You’re taking it too hard
Remember the night
There’s no miles in the city now
Promises, I’ve made no promises
There’s just the grey and the emptiness as it is
As it is – I make no small plans, my love
But I know hope dies last of all
Hope dies last of all (x2)
I have mapped my falling sky,
Harper’s Ferry to the Gauley Bridge,
Wichita to Omaha and Indianapolis
But I’ve made it too hard
By forgetting the night
That the fire didn’t answer to the flame (x2)
Josephine (x8)
The opening line, "What are you hunting here?" sets the tone for Magnolia Electric Co.'s song "Hope Dies Last". It sounds like the singer is having a conversation with someone asking, what is the purpose or goal of their mission. The response is, "Child I hunt what will not stand." It seems like the singer is searching for something that won't last, possibly something unattainable. The next line, "I bring home the Northern Lights, The ocean and the twisting sand" gives the impression that the singer has been on a journey, perhaps a physical one, to bring back relics of beauty and wonder.
The lines, "You’re taking it too hard, Remember the night, When the fire didn’t answer to the flame," is a moment of reflection. The singer is acknowledging a time when things didn't go as planned. This moment seems to have affected the singer deeply, and they are telling their companion not to take things too hard, to remember that setbacks happen. The song then turns more introspective with the line, "There’s just the grey and the emptiness as it is, As it is – I make no small plans, my love" suggesting the singer is making peace with reality, where sometimes things don't go according to plan. The last lines, "But I know hope dies last of all, Hope dies last of all," is a message of optimism. The singer is saying although life can be difficult and plans can fail, there is always hope.
Line by Line Meaning
What are you hunting here?
What is your pursuit?
Child I hunt what will not stand.
I pursue what cannot be destroyed.
I bring home the Northern Lights
The ocean and the twisting sand
I capture the beauty of nature and bring it back with me.
I’ve seen the arrow, climb, climb, climb
I know it finds my heart every time.
I've witnessed the pain of loss, but I still allow myself to love.
You’re taking it too hard
Remember the night
When the fire didn’t answer to the flame (x2)
You're dwelling too much on the past, remember that even fire can fail.
There’s no miles in the city now
Promises, I’ve made no promises
There’s just the grey and the emptiness as it is
As it is – I make no small plans, my love
But I know hope dies last of all
Hope dies last of all (x2)
The city is stagnant, I have not promised anything, and it is bleak. However, I am not one to make small goals. Despite challenges and setbacks, I hold onto hope until the end.
I have mapped my falling sky,
Harper’s Ferry to the Gauley Bridge,
Wichita to Omaha and Indianapolis
But I’ve made it too hard
By forgetting the night
That the fire didn’t answer to the flame (x2)
I've charted my own course and journeyed far, but I've made it harder on myself by forgetting a time when the impossible occurred.
Josephine (x8)
Repetition of a name, possibly a reference to a person who holds significance or comfort.
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.