Despondency
OH!hello Lyrics

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i'm waking up it's 3pm
i was up late last night again
what the hell is time and space
i'm trapped inside my coffin cave
red hair slumber, black fur stay awake
by the time you close your eyes
i'm killing all my insides
sleepy with all my dead friends listening

sleepy love to hate me when i'm feeling
sleepy with all my dead friends listening
sleepy as i sink into despondency
my burning brain under the dim lampshade
i'm not a dreamer just a nervous list-maker
i'm not a story teller i mostly won't stop talking to her
sleepy with all my dead friends listening
sleepy love to hate me when i'm feeling
sleepy with all my dead friends listening
sleepy as i sink into despondency
brother wolf i killed you
don't miss you no
crooked and broken
your limbs are driftwood
i'm in the birch tree forest
forget i exist the leaves have covered me
brother i'm gone
don't remember my name
despondency is killing me
my eyes don't get wet
but it feels like i'm sinking
deeper and deeper
my keeper's asleep so

i guess i'll just follow
myself into the sleepy sea

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to OH!hello's song Despondency reflect a person who is dealing with depression and existential questions related to time, space, and his own mortality. The singer is waking up at 3 pm after spending another night up late, and feeling trapped inside his own mind. He describes his mental state as feeling like he is inside a coffin cave and struggling to keep himself awake with black fur, despite his red hair slumber. The singer is constantly feeling sleepy, even when he is surrounded by dead friends who are listening to and hating him at the same time.

In the second verse, the singer describes himself as a list-maker who is always talking to someone but doesn't consider himself a story-teller. He is never able to sleep, yet he is even less able to face the world when he is awake. He can't escape the forest of his own mind, even as he tries to hide in the leaves of a birch tree. The singer's feelings of despondency are taking over his life, and he feels like he is sinking deeper and deeper into the "sleepy sea" that threatens to consume him. The chorus repeats the same lines, emphasizing the exhausting hold that his depression has on him.

Overall, the lyrics to Despondency describe the feeling of being trapped inside one's own mind and struggling with depression, while also exploring the darker implications of mortal fear and existential angst.

Line by Line Meaning

i'm waking up it's 3pm
I am finally waking up in the afternoon after staying up late at night.

i was up late last night again
I stayed awake late at night once again.

what the hell is time and space
I am feeling lost and confused about the concept of time and space.

i'm trapped inside my coffin cave
I feel like I am stuck and cannot escape from my own thoughts and feelings, which are like a dark cave.

red hair slumber, black fur stay awake
My thoughts and emotions are like a red-haired person sleeping and a black-furred animal staying awake, constantly battling each other.

by the time you close your eyes
When others go to sleep, I am still consumed by my thoughts and emotions.

i'm killing all my insides
My negative thoughts and emotions are slowly destroying me from the inside out.

sleepy with all my dead friends listening
I am drowsy and tired while feeling like the spirits of my deceased friends are watching and listening.

sleepy love to hate me when i'm feeling
When I am in a negative emotional state, I tend to be self-destructive and others may dislike me for it.

my burning brain under the dim lampshade
My mind is on fire and feels overwhelming, causing me to feel mentally exhausted and drained.

i'm not a dreamer just a nervous list-maker
I am not someone who dreams and has aspirations, but rather someone who constantly worries and makes lists of things to do or avoid.

i'm not a story teller i mostly won't stop talking to her
I have trouble expressing myself through storytelling, but I tend to constantly talk to a certain person.

brother wolf i killed you don't miss you no crooked and broken your limbs are driftwood
In my mind, I have destroyed someone close to me and they are now unable to hurt me, but they are still a haunting memory.

i'm in the birch tree forest forget i exist the leaves have covered me brother i'm gone don't remember my name
In my mind, I am lost and forgotten in a forest, and I want to be completely erased from memory.

despondency is killing me my eyes don't get wet but it feels like i'm sinking deeper and deeper
My own sadness and hopelessness are suffocating me and I feel like I am drowning in it.

my keeper's asleep so i guess i'll just follow myself into the sleepy sea
Nobody is watching over me, so I am left to follow my own negative thoughts and emotions as they take me deeper into despair.

Contributed by Nolan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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