His music is often placed (perhaps inappropriately) under the genre of "alternative country". Oldham was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He briefly attended Brown University, and now calls Baltimore, Maryland home.
Disorder
Palace Music Lyrics
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Which is probably pretty or something the same
With her I spoke under, and lived under fed
Without her I hang now, without her instead
We die many times, and each new infancy
Is a surprise ; that I have the tendencey
To look over when it suits me, and decry when not
Where this vision of death comes, she always leaves
And I bury my head in my billowy sleeves
To marvel at how I must face my own fate
Or deny it, more likely, until it's too late
When I could have kept on at her, with her, inside of her
Instead of letting her weakness successfully hide her
Her weakness and mine, the death of us both
I was more violent, and she was more loath
To see in me a promise of what I could give
And I to see in her a reason to live
Which was past just a symbol of woman and luck
That I would never be lacking for something to fuck
And one to fuck over when things would decide
That it was once again time to go for a ride
We felt we must seize the weather, and never the whim
To be led by the other and not the within
The lyrics of “Disorder” by Palace Music explore the complexities of relationships and the fear of mortality. The song is filled with vivid imagery and introspective reflections on what it means to truly live. The song opens with the singer speaking about a mysterious woman named Lisa or Laura who he once knew. He knows nothing about her except that he misses her deeply. He reflects on the fact that without her, he feels lost and empty.
The song then shifts to musings about life and death. The singer speaks about how we all die many times throughout our lives. Each new beginning is a surprise, and the tendency to look over what is happening and only focus on it when it suits us is a common human trait. The woman he left behind understood this about him, and he is left to wonder if he could have kept her if he had tried harder.
The chorus of the song is particularly haunting. The singer speaks about burying his head in his billowy sleeves and marveling at how he must face his own fate. The fear of death is palpable in his words. Overall, “Disorder” is a powerful meditation on love, loss, and human mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
It's Lisa, or Laura, I know not her real name
I am not sure of her actual name, it might be Lisa or Laura
Which is probably pretty or something the same
Her name is possibly beautiful, or similar to something else
With her I spoke under, and lived under fed
I had a subservient relationship with her, where I only spoke when spoken to, and she provided for my needs
Without her I hang now, without her instead
Now that she is gone, I am lost and lacking without her presence
We die many times, and each new infancy
We experience numerous deaths and rebirths throughout life
Is a surprise ; that I have the tendencey
Even though I know this, I still have a habit of overlooking it
To look over when it suits me, and decry when not
I tend to ignore this reality when it benefits me, but complain when it doesn't
When I am sailing, or when things go well
I often forget about this truth when I am happy or successful
Where this vision of death comes, she always leaves
When I am confronted with thoughts of mortality, she always disappears
And I bury my head in my billowy sleeves
I hide from these thoughts by covering my face with my clothes
To marvel at how I must face my own fate
I contemplate how I will confront my own mortality
Or deny it, more likely, until it's too late
I am more inclined to refuse to acknowledge death until it is too late
When I could have kept on at her, with her, inside of her
I could have continued to be with her, within her life and emotions
Instead of letting her weakness successfully hide her
However, I allowed her weaknesses to conceal her true nature
Her weakness and mine, the death of us both
Our mutual shortcomings led to the destruction of our relationship
I was more violent, and she was more loath
I was more aggressive, while she was more hesitant
To see in me a promise of what I could give
She saw in me the potential of what I could offer
And I to see in her a reason to live
I saw in her a purpose for my life
Which was past just a symbol of woman and luck
Our relationship was more than just a superficial connection based on gender and fortune
That I would never be lacking for something to fuck
I felt that I would never be without a sexual companion
And one to fuck over when things would decide
I would also mistreat this companion whenever circumstances dictated
That it was once again time to go for a ride
Whenever it was convenient for me to leave
We felt we must seize the weather, and never the whim
We believed we must control the environment, rather than being controlled by it
To be led by the other and not the within
We wanted to be guided by each other, instead of listening to our own inner voices
Contributed by Kennedy H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@timrochford7905
V good ! guitar has good bright tone !
@misnomerica
well done. excellent song choice. I hadn't heard it before.
@CPSWEDEN
Very good!