Philharmonics
Obel Agnes Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Guess who died, last night
In grey stockings, in all might
It was no loss
The only God of mine

He fell down, just to drown
In a sea of delight
To tame champagne
And creatures of the night

As the water took him over
Filled his lungs inside out
I sold his gold
For flowers and rice

Speaking fire, he would hire
Pawns and peasants just like me




To feed upon the conquered ones
But now we are free

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Agnes Obel's song Philharmonics describe the death of a figure that was once worshipped like a god by the singer of the song. The identity of the deceased is not revealed, but the singer seems to have a lack of sadness or mourning about the death. The first two lines suggest that the person may have been powerful and influential, with the grey stockings potentially indicating a uniform of some sort. However, the singer declares that it was no loss and that this person was the only god of theirs, implying that the death was a welcome occurrence.


The song goes on to describe how the person died, drowning in a sea of delight. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for indulging in pleasure to the point of self-destruction, with the following lines suggesting that the person enjoyed drinking champagne and spending time with "creatures of the night". The image of the water filling the person's lungs is repeated throughout the song, implying that the person went willingly towards their own death. The line "I sold his gold for flowers and rice" suggests that the singer may have profited from the person's death.


The final verse suggests that the deceased was a tyrant who used their power to exploit others. The line "Speaking fire, he would hire pawns and peasants just like me" implies that the singer was one of the many people the deceased used for their own purposes. However, the final line "But now we are free" suggests that the tyrant's death has allowed the singer and others like them to escape from the grip of the tyrant and live their own lives without fear.


Line by Line Meaning

Guess who died, last night
Someone has died, and the singer is questioning their audience about their knowledge of the death.


In grey stockings, in all might
The deceased was wearing grey stockings, perhaps suggesting their vulnerability. However, they were also powerful ('in all might').


It was no loss
The singer believes that the deceased's death was not a loss, implying that they were not a good person.


The only God of mine
Despite the artist's negative view of the deceased, they still held a prominent position in the artist's life ('the only God of mine'). This could be interpreted as sarcasm or a genuine belief.


He fell down, just to drown
The deceased fell down and drowned--whether this was intentional or not is unclear.


In a sea of delight
The 'sea of delight' could refer to the luxurious and hedonistic lifestyle that the deceased lived.


To tame champagne
The deceased drank champagne, perhaps excessively ('to tame champagne').


And creatures of the night
The deceased associated with 'creatures of the night', which could be interpreted as literal vampires or symbolic of unsavory people.


As the water took him over
The deceased drowned as water took over him. This line serves to reinforce the imagery of the previous lines.


Filled his lungs inside out
The person drowned and had water fill his lungs, causing them to become full 'inside out'.


I sold his gold
The singer sold the deceased's possessions for money.


For flowers and rice
The money the artist received from selling the deceased's possessions was used to buy flowers and rice.


Speaking fire, he would hire
The deceased was charismatic and hired people ('speaking fire').


Pawns and peasants just like me
The singer was one of the people the deceased hired, and they felt like a 'pawn' or 'peasant'--in other words, disposable.


To feed upon the conquered ones
The deceased tasked the people he hired with taking advantage of those he had conquered, or those who were weaker than him.


But now we are free
The artist and people like them are now free from the deceased's control, and therefore they can speak ill of him without fear of repercussion.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AGNES CAROLINE THAARUP OBEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

χλόη/vana

Philharmonics"

Guess who died, 
last night
In grey stockings, 
in all might
It was no loss
The only God of mine

He fell down, 
just to drown
In a sea 
of delight
To tame champagne
And creatures of the night

As the water, 
took him over
Filled his lungs, 
inside out
I sold his gold
For flowers and rice

Speaking fire, 
he would hire
Pawns and peasants 
just like me
To feed upon the conquered ones
But now we are free



All comments from YouTube:

Bones Globe

Loin des plages ensoleillées j'ai su trouver sommeil.
Le coeur sur une plaque allumé j'écoute Agnès Obel.

IPSΣIDIΘN

🖖🏻

L R

What?

Rual

@Martin Lemetais laisse le rêver

Martin Lemetais

@Matlow c'est une référence à damso 😅

Matlow

C'est magnifique... Agnès Obel me fait rêver et me fait vivre des sensations étrange indescriptible , comme de la Nostalgie je la suis depuis ses débuts...

2 More Replies...

χλόη/vana

Philharmonics"

Guess who died, 
last night
In grey stockings, 
in all might
It was no loss
The only God of mine

He fell down, 
just to drown
In a sea 
of delight
To tame champagne
And creatures of the night

As the water, 
took him over
Filled his lungs, 
inside out
I sold his gold
For flowers and rice

Speaking fire, 
he would hire
Pawns and peasants 
just like me
To feed upon the conquered ones
But now we are free

Duan Torruellas

Thank you for the lyrics, and what lyrics they are.

the sinnerman

thank's

1 More Replies...

Mbaye Alé

"Le coeur sur une plaque allumée j'écoute Agnes Obel"

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