Mark Linkous.
Piano Fire
Sparklehorse Lyrics
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Circus people with hairy little hands
Come on boys strike up the army band
I got sunburnt waiting for the jets
How do you feel?
How do you feel?
I can't seem to see through solid marble eyes
Fiery pianos wash up on a foggy coast
Squeaky old organs have given up the ghost
Fire them up and kill the pianos
There's creaky old organs burning on the coast
How do you feel?
How do you feel?
I can't seem to breath with a rusted metal heart
I can't seem to see through solid marble eyes
The lyrics to Sparklehorse's song "Piano Fire" are, on the surface, rather fragmented and nonsensical. However, upon closer inspection, the meaning of the song becomes a bit clearer. The opening lines describe waiting for jets to land, but being left with a sunburn instead. This seems to be a metaphor for waiting and hoping for something important, only to be let down and left with pain. The mention of "circus people" with "hairy little hands" adds to the sense of surrealism, perhaps suggesting that the thing being waited for is not of this world.
The chorus, with its repeated question "How do you feel?" seems to be directed at the person who is waiting, implying that they are not feeling good. The line "I can't seem to see through solid marble eyes" suggests a feeling of being stuck or trapped, unable to see a way out of the situation at hand. The second verse takes the surrealism to new heights, with fiery pianos washing up on a coast and creaky old organs burning. This could represent a sort of artistic destruction, with older ways of making music being replaced by new and more dangerous ones. The final line, "I can't seem to breathe with a rusted metal heart," drives home the sense of despair and isolation that runs through the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I got sunburnt waiting for the jets to land
The singer waited eagerly for planes to arrive and got a sunburn in the process
Circus people with hairy little hands
Strange people with hairy hands were also waiting for the planes
Come on boys strike up the army band
The singer urged someone to start playing music
I got sunburnt waiting for the jets
The artist repeats their sunburn as a result of waiting for the planes
How do you feel?
The artist asks someone how they're feeling
How do you feel?
The singer repeats their question about how the person is feeling
I can't seem to see through solid marble eyes
The singer can't see well and feels like their eyes are made of unyielding marble
Fiery pianos wash up on a foggy coast
Burning pianos appear mysteriously on a foggy shoreline
Squeaky old organs have given up the ghost
Old organs that were once noisy have died or stopped working
Fire them up and kill the pianos
Someone suggests starting a fire to get rid of the pianos
There's creaky old organs burning on the coast
The old organs are now burning alongside the pianos
How do you feel?
The artist again asks how someone is feeling
How do you feel?
The singer once again repeats the question about how the person is feeling
I can't seem to breath with a rusted metal heart
The singer feels like their heart is a rusty piece of metal and can't breathe well
I can't seem to see through solid marble eyes
The singer repeats their previous line about not being able to see well
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARK LINKOUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind