Shiva
The Antlers (Indie Rock) Lyrics
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And the monitors beeped the last time
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
And all of them empty but mine
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air
Completely unable to move
The bed was misshaped, and awkward and tall
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed
And tore that old band off your wrist
But you came back to see me for a minute or less
And left me your ring in my fist
My hair started growing, my face became yours
My femur was breaking in half
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream
So instead, I just started to laugh
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
And the monitors beeped the last time
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
And all of them empty but mine
The Antlers' song "Shiva" is a haunting, surreal reflection on a devastating experience of body and identity loss. The first verse sets the tone for the song's detached yet vivid imagery, describing a hospital with empty beds, buzzing machines, and monotonous beeping sounds. The second verse shifts to a first-person perspective, as the singer lies helpless and immobile in a bed meant for someone else. The singer's physical state is accompanied by a profound and unsettling transformation of their sense of self, marked by the nightmarish image of their hair growing and their face turning into someone else's. When every machine suddenly stops and the monitors beep for the last time, it is unclear whether the singer has died or whether this is a symbolic representation of an irreversible transformation.
The tone of the song is eerie, evoking a sense of unease and discomfort that lingers even after the song is over. The lyrics themselves are rich with symbolism and visceral images that invite multiple interpretations: the empty hospital beds might represent a pandemic or some other kind of widespread tragedy, while the singer's physical and identity loss could be interpreted as a metaphor for the breakdown of the self or the dehumanizing effects of illness. The song's title, "Shiva," is the name of the Hindu god of destruction and creation, further adding to the sense of ambiguity and mystery that surrounds the narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
All the machines in the hospital stopped functioning at the same time and without warning.
And the monitors beeped the last time
The last remaining sounds of the monitors in the hospital were heard before they stopped functioning as well.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
There were numerous hospital beds present in the hospital.
And all of them empty but mine
All the hospital beds were empty except for the bed occupied by the artist.
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air
The artist of the song was lying down on a bed facing upwards with their feet elevated.
Completely unable to move
The singer was paralyzed and could not move their body.
The bed was misshaped, and awkward and tall
The bed in which the singer was lying down had an odd shape and was inconveniently tall.
And clearly intended for you
The bed was meant for someone else, presumably the person who abandoned the artist there.
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed
The person who put the artist to bed had already completed their stay at the hospital and left.
And tore that old band off your wrist
The person who left the artist had removed a wristband, probably indicating their stay at the hospital has ended.
But you came back to see me for a minute or less
The person later returned for a brief moment to visit the singer.
And left me your ring in my fist
Before leaving, the person left their ring in the artist's hand.
My hair started growing, my face became yours
The singer's appearance started to change and became similar to that of the person who left them behind.
My femur was breaking in half
The singer felt an excruciating pain, as if their leg bone had snapped in half.
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream
The pain was so intense that the singer couldn't even scream, and the sensation felt like someone was cutting them with scissors.
So instead, I just started to laugh
The artist, in a state of shock, began laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
The machines in the hospital once again stopped functioning simultaneously.
And the monitors beeped the last time
The monitors gave their final warning before shutting down permanently.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
There were still numerous hospital beds in the vicinity.
And all of them empty but mine
Despite the presence of many empty hospital beds, only the artist's bed was occupied.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@snehamaal
Lyrics:
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air,
completely unable to move.
The bed was misshapen, and awkward and tall,
and clearly intended for you.
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed,
and tore that old band off your wrist.
But you came back to see me for a minute or less,
and left me your ring in my fist.
My hair started growing, my face became yours,
my femur was breaking in half.
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream,
so instead, I just started to laugh.
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
@nc7182
shiva comes from the hebrew word for seven. shiva is the first seven days of mourning. in the jewish tradition, you pray, abstain from work and school and cooking and bathing. it's a time for being with your community and celebrating the person's life all together.
@kay9111
Is it bad that it’s been 4 years since my uncle died and I’m still in the first day of mourning with severe nightmares, hallucinations and ptsd?
@Marina-to4rh
@@kay9111 Grief moves at different rates. That said, you should seek counseling, that seems pretty bad
@kristopherchinander3461
Shiva also helped me win many fights in FFVII.
@maxstraight8240
Yes
@snehamaal
Lyrics:
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air,
completely unable to move.
The bed was misshapen, and awkward and tall,
and clearly intended for you.
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed,
and tore that old band off your wrist.
But you came back to see me for a minute or less,
and left me your ring in my fist.
My hair started growing, my face became yours,
my femur was breaking in half.
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream,
so instead, I just started to laugh.
Suddenly every machine stopped at once,
and the monitors beeped the last time.
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds,
and all of them empty but mine.
@IgnusIncubus
@Aye Baseballl the way i see it is about a genetic disease. One that passed trough the mother, that died, to the child, that now is close to dying
@dumbmusorowan
for some reason i always presumed the title referred to the hindu god shiva. but now i'm learning about judaism and hopefully starting my conversion process i've realised this is about shiva, the week after a loved one dies. i love this song sm and now i'm connected to it even more.
@djailsonfelipe84
The title could indeed be related to Shiva, god of destruction. In the album's timeline this song represents finally the arrival of death. Shiva arrives and the ill patient finally passes away with the shutting down of the machines, the end of the relationship.
@leomorris7573
honestly i feel like it works as both, and im not sure how intentional that is on the part of whoever named it but i like to view it that way. loss and grief as destruction just works so well, especially since by this point in the album the patient has destroyed everything else in the worker's life