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.
Shiloh
Magnolia Electric Co. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two hundred from ever going home
A man can be so easy lost
When he's on the mountain road, oh Shiloh
Is it only the temple that falls
Is it only the temple that falls
It's pain and then it's pain then is it pain
And then it's pain that never comes
Oh Shiloh, do you hear the night bird call
Because the night bird calls
My ghost in flames on the desert road
Horizon to horizon, oh woe
I weep for it all and I weep for nothing at all
Oh Shiloh, it's not that falls
It's not only the temple that falls
The lyrics of Magnolia Electric Co.'s song "Shiloh" seem to be about a man who is lost and disconnected from his home and his past. He is two hundred miles away from the point of no return, and yet two hundred miles away from ever reaching his home. It is in this state of disorientation and despair that he reflects on the transience of life and the inevitability of pain. He asks if it is only the temple that falls, implying that even the most sacred and steadfast beliefs can crumble and become meaningless in the face of suffering.
The line "The only bridge I haven't burned is the one I'm standing on" adds another layer to the theme of disconnection and isolation. It suggests that the man has burnt all his bridges in life and is left with nothing but his present moment, which may also slip away from him at any moment. The night bird's call as well as the reference to a ghost on the desert road evoke a sense of haunting and the possibility of the unknown. The man has lost his sense of direction and purpose in life, and he weeps for everything and nothing at all.
The repetition of "Oh Shiloh" throughout the song seems to refer to a location or a person, possibly the man's hometown or a place that holds special significance to him. Overall, the lyrics of "Shiloh" portray a person in a state of limbo, disconnected from his roots and searching for meaning in life even in the face of pain and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Two hundred miles from turning back
The distance is too far for me to return back from where I am currently.
Two hundred from ever going home
The distance left for me to reach my home is two hundred miles.
A man can be so easy lost
A person can quickly get lost in this vast place.
When he's on the mountain road, oh Shiloh
I am currently on the mountain road, oh Shiloh.
Is it only the temple that falls
Is there only the temple that is falling apart?
Is it only the temple that falls
Is there only the temple that is falling apart?
It's pain and then it's pain then is it pain
It's agony and agony over and over again; is it still agony?
And then it's pain that never comes
And after that, there's no agony.
The only bridge I haven't burned is the one I'm standing on
This is the only option that I haven't destroyed yet.
Oh Shiloh, do you hear the night bird call
Oh Shiloh, are you listening to the night bird chirping?
Because the night bird calls
Because the night bird is singing.
My ghost in flames on the desert road
My soul is burning in flames on the deserted pathway.
Horizon to horizon, oh woe
There's despair as far as my sight goes, from one horizon to the other.
I weep for it all and I weep for nothing at all
I cry for everything, yet I don't shed tears for anything.
Oh Shiloh, it's not that falls
Oh Shiloh, it isn't just that crumbling.
It's not only the temple that falls
It's not only the temple that is falling apart.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Jason Molina
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind