Their live performances, generally at smaller venues, showcase their use of three-part harmony and southern rock feel, and are admired for being intense, energetic, and soulful. The Avetts have been picking up steam opening for Dave Matthews Band and playing SXSW and Newport Folk Festival.
Closing Night
The Avett Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It never was before but this ain't the same
So try to imagine a time and a place
Where the enemy won and the hero was slain
And poetic justice burns in the minds
Of five diying soldiers on the front lines
With nobody's singing in nobody's ears
I know a lady, promise her name
The price of her visit suffering and pain
And we gladly waited and we gladly paid
We watched the sun rise, she never came
An electric current moves us around
We sank to our knees to worship the sound
But nobody told us that we'd rise again
Imagine a hero unable to win
Imagine a hero unable to win
The Avett Brothers' song "Closing Night" is a reflective exploration of the themes of defeat, loss, and regret. The opening lines suggest finality, as if the show has concluded, and everything that has occurred during its run is now just a memory. However, "this ain't the same" indicates that there is something different about this particular iteration, a sense of loss that is palpable. The lyrics draw from the trope of a tragic hero, where the enemy has won, and the singer has died. The image of "poetic justice" burning in the minds of the five dying soldiers on the front lines highlights the cost of war and the futility of violence. No one is left to hear their story, to acknowledge their sacrifice.
Line by Line Meaning
The show was over it's all in the name
The performance is over and its reputation is set
It never was before but this ain't the same
There is something different about this time
So try to imagine a time and a place
This calls for some imagination
Where the enemy won and the hero was slain
Visualize a situation where the villain emerged victorious and the artist was vanquished
And poetic justice burns in the minds
The concept of 'just deserts' is gnawing away in the consciousness
Of five dying soldiers on the front lines
There are five brave soldiers sacrificing their lives in combat
With nobody's singing in nobody's ears
No songs of victory are being chanted and no one is there to hear it
No one's disappointed, nobody hears
No one is disappointed or saddened by the lack of recognition or fanfare
I know a lady, promise her name
There is a woman whose name was given as assurance
The price of her visit suffering and pain
Her arrival came at the cost of great affliction and agony
And we gladly waited and we gladly paid
Despite the price, they cheerfully waited and paid
We watched the sun rise, she never came
They observed the sunrise, but the lady never showed up
An electric current moves us around
The alluring power of music mobilizes and energizes us
We sank to our knees to worship the sound
The music was so captivating that they genuflected in adoration
But nobody told us that we'd rise again
No one warned them that they would recover from their subjugation
Imagine a hero unable to win
Try to envision a heroic figure who is incapable of triumphing
Contributed by Blake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.