Like many before him, Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) was a frustrated colle… Read Full Bio ↴Like many before him, Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) was a frustrated college student before he was an acclaimed songwriter. While majoring in English, with an emphasis on creative writing at the University of Montana, he also played in an alternative-countryish band called Tarkio from 1996 - 1999. Members included Colin Meloy, Gibson Hartwell, Louis Stein, and Brian Collins. In 2006, Kill Rock Stars released a 2-cd discography of Tarkio's material entitled "Omnibus".

Weight of the World
Tarkio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Monday fell hard like the weight the world,
Weighing down my shoulders
Tuesday why do you stay so late this I can't abide

So I stand in line so I wait in line
Everyone must honor their own anodyne
So I hang around
So I hang around

And now we hear the homeless philharmonic singin'
All of Charlie's Angels to their heavenly convergence in the sky

You and me come on let's hitch a ride

Paint me confused on a carnival cruise
This tortured ambulance chaser

But I'm cured
I got two feet on the floor
I guess that's all I need

So I stand in line so I wait in line
Everyone must honor their own anodyne
So I hang around
So I hang around
And now we hear the homeless philharmonic singin'
All of Charlie's Angels to their heavenly convergence in the sky

I must confide (I must confide)
I'm fit to be homeward rolling
A tune, beneath the wayward moon
Singin' me to sleep

And as the weekend's ending
With the weekdays pending
Having trouble comprehending...
how I'll make it through

So I stand in line so I wait in line
Everyone must honor their own anodyne
So I hang around
So I hang around
And now we hear the homeless philharmonic singin'
All of Charlie's Angels to their heavenly convergence in the sky

Suck it down we're all gonna hitch a ride

Monday fell hard like the weight of the world
Weighing down my shoulders....

Overall Meaning

The song "Weight of the World" by Tarkio is about the struggles and difficulties of everyday life. The lyrics describe the heavy burden of responsibility that comes with being an adult in a world where there are numerous expectations and pressures. The opening line, "Monday fell hard like the weight of the world, weighing down my shoulders," indicates that the singer is already overwhelmed at the start of the week, and the subsequent line "Tuesday why do you stay so late this I can't abide" further emphasizes the feelings of exhaustion and frustration.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the need to persevere and stay strong despite the difficulties of life. The lines, "So I stand in line so I wait in line, Everyone must honor their own anodyne, So I hang around, so I hang around," suggest that the singer is waiting for his turn to overcome his challenges, and everyone has to find their own way to deal with their problems. The mention of the "homeless philharmonic" singing "all of Charlie's Angels to their heavenly convergence in the sky" is a reference to finding peace and solace in music, even amidst the chaos of the world.

The final verse describes the struggle of trying to make it through the week and the need to find comfort and peace in order to carry on. The last line, "Suck it down, we're all gonna hitch a ride," is a reminder to persevere, even when it feels like everything is weighing us down.

Line by Line Meaning

Monday fell hard like the weight the world,
Monday hit hard like the burden of the entire world

Weighing down my shoulders
Making me feel weighed down and helpless

Tuesday why do you stay so late this I can't abide
Tuesday, why do you linger so long? I can't stand it

So I stand in line so I wait in line
I have no choice but to wait in line

Everyone must honor their own anodyne
Everyone has their own way of coping with pain

So I hang around
I wait patiently

And now we hear the homeless philharmonic singin'
Now we listen to the homeless orchestra playing music

All of Charlie's Angels to their heavenly convergence in the sky
All the good people have gone to heaven

You and me come on let's hitch a ride
Let's go on a journey together

Paint me confused on a carnival cruise
My emotions are like a rollercoaster on a fun carnival ride

This tortured ambulance chaser
Someone who relentlessly pursues something they desire

But I'm cured
But now I'm better

I got two feet on the floor
I'm standing on my own two feet

I guess that's all I need
That's enough for me

I must confide (I must confide)
I need to tell someone

I'm fit to be homeward rolling
I'm ready to go home

A tune, beneath the wayward moon
A melody, under the wandering moon

Singin' me to sleep
Lulling me to sleep with its song

And as the weekend's ending
As the weekend comes to a close

With the weekdays pending
With the workdays ahead

Having trouble comprehending...
Struggling to understand

how I'll make it through
How I'll manage to get through it all

Suck it down we're all gonna hitch a ride
Just accept it, we're all in this together

Monday fell hard like the weight of the world
Monday was overwhelming

Weighing down my shoulders...
Making me feel beaten down and exhausted

Contributed by Zachary S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Justine Kesich

11y↑2

Yay 90's guitars. Colin Meloy, you've definitely come far, love you then and now!

tonkagarfield

12y

So odd to hear Colin Meloy's voice like this. It's so smooth and whimsy! I'm so use to that refined rough like voice of his now and I never knew that he trained it like that.