Swing Low
The Bacon Brothers Lyrics
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You get out of the devil's running through your head
Crosstown traffic threaten world
Later life from the bathroom door and laundry list
Promises to Keep
That is why I opened dream of sleep
Raccoon with teeming masses
Beehive your by of wine glasses
In stools and distant cries and the angry clock
Make your making clouds
Full on Feel
The Channel lay you bury down
Swing Low
Sweet sharing some with you
Whatever in take you
Will you hack? When's you go!
Swing Low
You're done sorrow
Get your wish back tomorrow
Tonight
Swing Low.
What a tangled web weave
We put our hearts first to on a sleeve
Big a wood, it's embrace
The Mass of the mad face
That Days End
I Get to Keep
Set a Heat
Brings no sleep
Swing Low
Sweet sharing some with you
Whatever in take you
Will you hack? When's you go!
Swing Low
You're done sorrow
Get your wish back tomorrow
Tonight
Swing Low.
Read Me you go about that now
A me liven not stock, I'm not strange
Your Home!
Swing Low
Sweet sharing some with you (hyy, hyy)
Yeah, Whatever in take you
Will you hack? When's you go!
Swing Low
You're done sorrow (hyy, hyy)
Get your wish back tomorrow
Tonight
Swing Low
(Swing Low)
Sweet sharing some with you (hyy, hyy)
Yeah, Whatever in take you
Will you hack? When's you go!
Swing Low
You're done sorrow (hyy, hyy)
Get your wish back tomorrow
Tonight
Swing Low.
The lyrics to the Bacon Brothers' song "Swing Low" are somewhat hard to interpret at a cursory glance, but closer inspection suggests that the words have a stream-of-consciousness quality. The song begins with a reference to a liar that we can or should avoid, before moving on to something about the devil running through someone's head. The concept of crosstown traffic threatening the world is somewhat ambiguous—an allusion perhaps to the chaos and noise of modern life. Laundry lists and bathroom doors are lyrically woven into the next line, suggesting the mundanity of everyday existence, including routine chores and fixtures of a modern home. There is, however, a brighter side. The singer extols the virtues of keeping promises and having sweet dreams, at the same time acknowledging the teeming masses and offering the metaphor of beehives and wine glasses. In other words, amid the chaos of our modern world, there is still a beauty and a cohesiveness that can be found.
The chorus of the song, "Swing Low," which repeats throughout, is probably the most memorable part, as it has a nostalgic, wistful quality to it. The meaning of the phrase is open to interpretation, but it possibly refers to a person, thing, or concept that has been lost. There is a hopefulness, though, as the song affirms that we can get our wish back tomorrow. The line "A me liven not stock, I'm not strange / Your home" reinforces this sense of hope and belonging—a recognition that despite the difficulties of life, we all have a place where we belong. Overall, the song paints a picture of a world that is confusing and messy, but also full of beauty and hope. It encourages us to keep dreaming, stay true to our promises and not get lost in the chaos around us.
Line by Line Meaning
The Liar we can low live batch
We can live in lowliness with the liar.
You get out of the devil's running through your head
Get the devil out of your head.
Crosstown traffic threaten world
The world is threatened by crosstown traffic.
Later life from the bathroom door and laundry list
Life later comes from the bathroom door and laundry list.
Promises to Keep
We must keep our promises.
That is why I opened dream of sleep
I opened the dream of sleep for that reason.
Raccoon with teeming masses
Teeming masses of raccoons.
Beehive your by of wine glasses
Your beehive by your wine glasses.
Crimson Club around you rise
You rise amidst the Crimson Club.
In stools and distant cries and the angry clock
The angry clock accompanies distant cries and stools.
Make your making clouds
Create clouds as you make things.
Full on Feel
Feel fully alive.
The Channel lay you bury down
Lay down in the Channel and bury yourself.
Swing Low
Swing low.
Sweet sharing some with you
Sharing something sweet with you.
Whatever in take you
Take whatever you want.
Will you hack? When's you go!
Can you handle it? When will you leave?
You're done sorrow
You're done feeling sad.
Get your wish back tomorrow
Tomorrow you can make your wish again.
Tonight
Tonight.
What a tangled web weave
Creating complex webs.
We put our hearts first to on a sleeve
We wear our hearts on our sleeves.
Big a wood, it's embrace
Embrace the big woods.
The Mass of the mad face
The mass of angry faces.
That Days End
At the end of the day.
I Get to Keep
I get to keep it.
Set a Heat
Create heat.
Brings no sleep
It doesn't bring sleep.
Read Me you go about that now
Read about me now.
A me liven not stock, I'm not strange
I'm not strange, I don't live in a stockade.
Your Home!
This is your home.
Sweet sharing some with you (hyy, hyy)
Sharing something sweet with you.
You're done sorrow (hyy, hyy)
You're done feeling sad.
Swing Low (Swing Low)
Swing low.
Get your wish back tomorrow
Tomorrow you can make your wish again.
Tonight
Tonight.
Contributed by Hannah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.