Halo Of Ashes
Screaming Trees Lyrics


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She wears a halo of ashes
Specter on the wind
Waits on me so patiently
I no longer can pretend

Sky lies a thousand mile below
Stars shine and the moon is clear
With nothing I can only warn
Won't you be left near here

I been a long long time away
With one foot in the grave
Glorified in the dying of the sun

My angel pulls me closer
As my poison she crawls through
Walks with me so silently
I no longer can refuse

Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
Star shine and the moon below
Wake me where you find me
Pretend you don't know

I been a long long time away
I been a long long time away

She wears a halo of ashes
Specter on the wind
Waits on me so patiently
I no longer can pretend

Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
Face painted in the moon below
Wake me where you find me
Pretend you don't know




I been a long long time away
I been a long long time away

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Screaming Trees' "Halo Of Ashes" are mysterious and open to interpretation. The song begins with the haunting image of a woman wearing a halo of ashes, representing her perhaps being covered in the remains of something burnt to the ground. The singer describes her as a specter on the wind, waiting for him patiently, but he can no longer pretend he doesn't feel her presence. The imagery used here is of a ghostly figure that is never fully described, leaving the listener to imagine their own meaning behind it.


The following verse has the singer describing the vastness of the sky, with the stars and moon shining bright. However, he feels warn and unable to move on from where he is. The sense of being stuck is repeated in the chorus, as the woman with the halo of ashes waits patiently for him. The second verse continues with the use of vivid imagery, this time describing the presence of an angel that pulls the singer closer as his poison crawls through him. The presence of the angel can be interpreted in several ways, representing a divine presence, or perhaps a metaphor for a drug addiction.


The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, with the singer acknowledging that he has been away for a long time, with a thousand miles behind him. He does not know where he is going, but he cannot pretend that the woman with the halo of ashes is not waiting for him. The lyrics create an eerie atmosphere, contrasting the beauty of the stars and moon with the despair of feeling trapped and unable to move forward.


Line by Line Meaning

She wears a halo of ashes
She carries the remnants of her past on her head, as a symbol of her struggles and scars.


Specter on the wind
She appears as a ghostly, subtle presence around me.


Waits on me so patiently
She waits for me with a steadfast dedication and loyalty.


I no longer can pretend
I am brutally honest with myself, and can't deceive myself anymore.


Sky lies a thousand mile below
The vast expanse of the sky is beneath me, and I am alone and isolated from the world.


Stars shine and the moon is clear
The celestial bodies illuminate the emptiness and provide some solace in the darkness.


With nothing I can only warn
In my state of emptiness and isolation, my warnings and advice will not have much impact.


Won't you be left near here
Will you stay with me and not leave me alone in this desolate place?


I been a long long time away
I have been away from the world and the people I love for a very long time.


With one foot in the grave
I feel like I am close to death, and that my life has been draining away from me.


Glorified in the dying of the sun
At the end of my life, I am trying to find some sense of peace and meaning, like a sunset.


My angel pulls me closer
The person who is close to me and who I depend on, guides me towards them.


As my poison she crawls through
Despite being someone who helps me, she carries her own destructive and harmful ideas and behaviors.


Walks with me so silently
She accompanies me without judgement or criticism, even though she knows everything about me.


Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
In the future, I hope to forget about the loneliness and isolation that is behind me now.


Star shine and the moon below
The celestial bodies still impart a sense of beauty and solace to me.


Wake me where you find me
Bring me back to reality and make me face the truth of the situation I am in.


Pretend you don't know
Act like everything is okay, and don't acknowledge the pain and sadness that we both feel.


I been a long long time away
I have been lost and adrift for a very long time, with doubts and fears that need to be addressed.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRETT MARTIN, GARY CONNER, MARK LANEGAN, VAN CONNER

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

@stevenleematz

She wears a halo of ashes
Specter on the wind
Waits on me so patiently
I no longer can pretend

Sky lies a thousand mile below
Stars shine and the moon is clear
With nothing I can only warn
Won't you be left near here

I been a long long time away
With one foot in the grave
Glorified in the dying of the sun

My angel pulls me closer
As my poison she crawls through
Walks with me so silently
I no longer can refuse

Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
Star shine and the moon below
Wake me where you find me
Pretend you don't know

I been a long long time away
I been a long long time away

She wears a halo of ashes
Specter on the wind
Waits on me so patiently
I no longer can pretend

Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
Face painted in the moon below
Wake me where you find me
Pretend you don't know
I been a long long time away
I been a long long time away



@franzpjosefn1600

Never forget that moment! School is done. Now aim for big stuff.
Time passes to fast, people come and go. Stay true to yourself and stay positive my dude.
Love your wife, your future kids, what you do and especially, - yourself!





Greets and best of luck for the future, you, 2 years later! :) <3



All comments from YouTube:

@antonmoric1469

This band is awesome. One of the best ever, to my ear. Funny that they are so underrated. Is their music too psychedelic? Too thoughtful? Too euphonious? I don't get it.

@kylewallace1420

Mark Lanegan said he didn't understand why the guitar playrr wanted to make psychedelic music because he use to sell Acid and the guitarist never took any lol

@hijodejorgehevia4162

@@kylewallace1420
Drugs are overrated, music is the important thing

@srujan00

@@hijodejorgehevia4162 Kurt Cobain/Nirvana is overrated

@hijodejorgehevia4162

@@srujan00 no

@picknick21

I guess because in the end it is a business. And only a few get promoted heavily by the companies. I'm only discovering this band now ^^ But that's cool!

5 More Replies...

@robertstrupz5502

Every song by this band and Mark Lanegan makes me weep for pasts that never happened...that is the only way I can describe the effect their music has on me.....

@curly_wyn

R.I.P. Mark Lanegan!!! 🥺🖤

@stevenleematz

She wears a halo of ashes
Specter on the wind
Waits on me so patiently
I no longer can pretend

Sky lies a thousand mile below
Stars shine and the moon is clear
With nothing I can only warn
Won't you be left near here

I been a long long time away
With one foot in the grave
Glorified in the dying of the sun

My angel pulls me closer
As my poison she crawls through
Walks with me so silently
I no longer can refuse

Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
Star shine and the moon below
Wake me where you find me
Pretend you don't know

I been a long long time away
I been a long long time away

She wears a halo of ashes
Specter on the wind
Waits on me so patiently
I no longer can pretend

Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
Face painted in the moon below
Wake me where you find me
Pretend you don't know
I been a long long time away
I been a long long time away

@dougsmith7083

The Screaming Trees were an amazing band from the first second of "Orange Airplane" from CLAIRVOYANCE until the last second of "Gospel Plow" found here, on DUST.

They showed a mastery and, understanding of a variety of different eras/genres/bands/sounds and, showed an evolution in their songwriting and, their musical dexterity. As powerful and classic as this album (their crowning creation IMO) they still, musically, painted from a palate of infinite musical colours...the psychedelia of CLAIRVOYANCE, EVEN IF AND, ESPECIALLY WHEN and, INVISIBLE LANTERN is all over this beast of a swansong.

Similarly to Soundgarden...they each boasted exceptional lead vocalists (although Lanegan had to work on perfecting his best voice over time). The each also boasted outstanding lead guitar players who were both influenced by a wildly diverse selection of artists and genres and, who were daring and, creative and, trippy and, experimental and who were equally impacted by bands from DEVO and, The 13th Floor Elevators...to Pere Ubu, The Dead Kennedys, The Beatles, The MC5, The Who, Small Faces, The Damned and, The Velvet Underground

And...it shows. And...it is brilliant

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