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.
Old Jerusalem
Palace Music Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With trinkets all surrounding
Yet lone it rests, so dry it sets
With souls aside abiding
There moves legs warm and close inside
No, no leg braces a hello
And pictures on walls where paint is lame
Where sinks are friendly running
Reflect, reflect metal cast
My toe has long been swollen
My knees are blue, my eyes are too
My love has not forgotten
Will come, will come, o he will come
And make me have a baby
Then I foresee we all, us three, will ride and all together
The hills have eyes, their trees have lives
Disjointed like a hero
No saga told, no things unfold
To make the ride much finer
The length is fine, his hand in mine
Does someone hear our chatter
A lover's laugh, a bleeding calf
A dog out in the harbor
The lyrics of Palace Music's song "Old Jerusalem" depict a desolate and lonely room, occupied only by its owner's thoughts and treasures. The first verse describes a bed adorned with trinkets but devoid of companionship, with the suggestion that the occupant of the room is paralyzed and confined to it. The second verse portrays a longing for a lover's return, and a hope to start a family. The final lines of the song offer an atmospheric view of the surrounding landscape, with hills and trees that bear witness to a potentially tragic love story.
Interpreting the song, it suggests themes of loneliness, hope, and connection to the natural world. The imagery of a desolate room and disjoined trees create a melancholic atmosphere, whilst the references to the lover returning and hope for creating a family provide a sense of optimism. The final verse includes references to both laughter and a bleeding calf, which suggest a sense of danger and vulnerability amongst the beauty of the natural world. Overall the interpretation of the lyrics of "Old Jerusalem" resemble emotive and atmospheric storytelling, blending the themes of hope and sadness effortlessly.
Line by Line Meaning
In a small far room the bed is set
The bed is in a distant, cramped room
With trinkets all surrounding
The small room is filled with various objects
Yet lone it rests, so dry it sets
The room and bed are inactive and empty
With souls aside abiding
The people who use the room are away
There moves legs warm and close inside
Someone is inside the bed, moving their legs
No, no leg braces a hello
The person inside is not wearing leg braces
And pictures on walls where paint is lame
The walls have poorly painted pictures
Where sinks are friendly running
Water runs smoothly from the sink
Reflect, reflect metal cast
I see my reflection in the metal
My toe has long been swollen
My toe has been swollen for a while
My knees are blue, my eyes are too
My knees and eyes are bruised
My love has not forgotten
My loved one has not forgotten about me
Will come, will come, o he will come
My loved one will come to me
And make me have a baby
My loved one will impregnate me
Then I foresee we all, us three, will ride and all together
I imagine that once the baby is born, we will all ride together
The hills have eyes, their trees have lives
The scenery has a certain liveliness to it
Disjointed like a hero
The scenery is oddly put together, like a hero in a story
No saga told, no things unfold
There is no story being told, nothing is changing or happening
To make the ride much finer
There is nothing to enhance the experience
The length is fine, his hand in mine
The journey is going smoothly, I am holding my loved one's hand
Does someone hear our chatter
I wonder if someone is listening to us talk
A lover's laugh, a bleeding calf
We are laughing and enjoying ourselves, while a calf is bleeding
A dog out in the harbor
A dog can be heard barking in the distance
Contributed by Caroline O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
darktowersl
wow after 17 years, i love how his voice still sounds the same.
laser beam
One of the best videos I've ever seen. Chloë Sevigny rules... with Will.
millvad
Obviously, there is no world in which that is Chloë Sevigny. And I love this song.
hstickhstick
One of my favorites
Stephen Rennicks
Haven't seen this in a long long time, was played on Irish TV prog called No Disco at the time. great video. ,
paullybizzle
i live in ky, next door neighbors with will, we share tea every morning
Nicholas
Is there a reason why there is virtually no live footage of Will oldham's output before 2000? Similiar artists like smog have an abundance
sharpvon l
he's never had too much of a significant following, especially before i see a darkness.
Christopher Hadin
He has hair!
Homelandhome
it's chloe for sure.