The Gaslight Anthem’s music embraces many elements of blues, classic rock, and punk rock. The band has described their sound as “Bruce Springsteen singing for a Cure cover band, with a tinge more aggression.” The group’s fondness for Springsteen, a significant influence on their music, is celebrated by fans and critics alike. Representative of such views, one critic wrote, “The Gaslight Anthem are like something out of speculative fiction: this is what pop music would be if Springsteen hadn’t listened to his producer, let the Ramones record ‘Hungry Heart,’ and launched the C.B.G.B.’ers into megastardom.”
The band released its first LP, Sink or Swim, in 2007 through XOXO Records, and toured with many reputable bands, including Against Me!, The Draft, Dead to Me, and Fake Problems.
The Gaslight Anthem’s second release, a 4-song EP entitled Señor and the Queen, was released on January 29th, 2008 by Sabot Productions.
Their second full-length, The ‘59 Sound, was released on August 19, 2008 on Side One Dummy Records. The album debuted at #70 on the Billboard top 200. It was produced by Ted Hutt, who has produced albums for The Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, and MxPx.
On August 6, 2008 they became the first band to ever appear on the cover of Kerrang! magazine without the publication having previously written a single word about them.
In Fall 2008, the band toured with Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and Thrice.
On December 9, 2008, the Gaslight Anthem made their television debut on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, performing the song the “The ‘59 Sound.” On January 30, 2009, they appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, again playing “The ‘59 Sound.”
Their third full-length, American Slang, was released on June 15, 2010, on Side One Dummy Records. The Bring It On Songfacts reports that it finds the band moving away from the fictional lyrics and '50s-inspired sound of their previous records.
In 2010 they appeared on the main stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK along with Arcade Fire, The Libertines and Modest Mouse.
Their fourth full-length, Handwritten was released on July 23, 2012 in the UK, and on July 24 in the US. The lead single, "45", was aired for the first time worldwide as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record in the World on April 30, 2012 on BBC Radio 1 and was released on iTunes on May 8, 2012. Handwritten was called by The Rolling Stone their "biggest sounding, most straightforward album"
Changing
The Gaslight Anthem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sixteen banners united over the field
Where the good shepherd grieves.
Desperate men, desperate women divided,
Spreading their wings 'neath the falling leaves.
Fortune calls.
I stepped forth from the shadows, to the marketplace,
She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born,
On midsummer's eve, near the tower.
The cold-blooded moon.
The captain waits above the celebration
Sending his thoughts to a beloved maid
Whose ebony face is beyond communication.
The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid.
They shaved her head.
She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo.
A messenger arrived with a black nightingale.
I seen her on the stairs and I couldn't help but follow,
Follow her down past the fountain where they lifted her veil.
I stumbled to my feet.
I rode past destruction in the ditches
With the stitches still mending 'neath a heart-shaped tattoo.
Renegade priests and treacherous young witches
Were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you.
The palace of mirrors
Where dog soldiers are reflected,
The endless road and the wailing of chimes,
The empty rooms where her memory is protected,
Where the angels' voices whisper to the souls of previous times.
She wakes him up
Forty-eight hours later, the sun is breaking
Near broken chains, mountain laurel and rolling rocks.
She's begging to know what measures he now will be taking.
He's pulling her down and she's clutching on to his long golden locks.
Gentlemen, he said,
I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes,
I've moved your mountains and marked your cards
But Eden is burning, either brace yourself for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.
Peace will come
With tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire
But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall
And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
Between the King and the Queen of Swords.
The Gaslight Anthem's "Changing of the Guards" is a lyrically dense song that weaves together themes of power, love, and death. The opening verse sets the stage with images of division and desperation among the people, contrasted with a good shepherd who grieves for them. The singer steps forward from the shadows to the marketplace, where he finds merchants and thieves hungry for power. Here, he recalls a past deal gone sour and describes the woman he loves as smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born. The cold-blooded moon and the captain waiting above the celebration add a sense of danger and foreboding.
The next verse introduces more cryptic images as the singer follows the woman he loves down past a fountain where they shaved her head. She is torn between Jupiter and Apollo, and a messenger arrives with a black nightingale. The singer recalls riding past destruction in the ditches with the stitches of a heart-shaped tattoo still mending. The imagery of renegade priests and treacherous young witches handing out flowers adds to the sense of danger and unrest.
The final verse has the singer waking up 48 hours later with the sun breaking and a woman begging to know what measures he will take. He pulls her down and she clutches onto his hair as he declares that he doesn't need anyone's organization, having already shined their shoes and moved their mountains. But he warns of the coming changing of the guards, where peace will come with tranquility and splendor, but no reward when false idols fall and death surrenders. The song ends with an enigmatic reference to the King and Queen of Swords, leaving the listener with a sense of mystery and ambiguity.
Line by Line Meaning
Sixteen years,
It has been sixteen years since a significant event has occurred
Sixteen banners united over the field
Where the good shepherd grieves.
There is a sense of unity among the people, but there is still sadness and suffering present
Desperate men, desperate women divided,
Spreading their wings 'neath the falling leaves.
In times of desperation, people become divided and seek to flee from their problems
Fortune calls.
Opportunities have arisen
I stepped forth from the shadows, to the marketplace,
Merchants and thieves, hungry for power, my last deal gone down.
The artist has emerged from hiding and is now in a place where those seeking power gather. The artist has been unsuccessful in previous dealings
She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born,
On midsummer's eve, near the tower.
A woman has entered the scene and she has a sweet fragrance that reminds the singer of a summer night near a tower
The cold-blooded moon.
The moon is present, but the singer may view it as an unfeeling, ominous presence
The captain waits above the celebration
Sending his thoughts to a beloved maid
Whose ebony face is beyond communication.
The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid.
A captain is present at the gathering and he is thinking about a woman he loves. He cannot communicate with her due to their differences, but he still hopes for a future with her
They shaved her head.
The woman of interest has had her head shaved, possibly as an act of punishment or as a symbol of a dramatic change in her life
She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo.
A messenger arrived with a black nightingale.
I seen her on the stairs and I couldn't help but follow,
Follow her down past the fountain where they lifted her veil.
The woman is uncertain and caught between two different paths, represented by Jupiter and Apollo. A messenger brings a symbol of bad omens. The artist follows the woman and witnesses a revealing moment at a fountain
I stumbled to my feet.
I rode past destruction in the ditches
With the stitches still mending 'neath a heart-shaped tattoo.
Renegade priests and treacherous young witches
Were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you.
The singer is struggling but able to stand. They pass by evidence of destruction while still emotionally mending from a past relationship. Those handing out flowers may represent those trying to atone for past actions
The palace of mirrors
Where dog soldiers are reflected,
The endless road and the wailing of chimes,
The empty rooms where her memory is protected,
Where the angels' voices whisper to the souls of previous times.
Visual imagery of a palace of mirrors is described, potentially representing a place of illusion where soldiers are unaware of their own reflection. The memory of the woman is present in the empty rooms, and there are spiritual whispers from the past
She wakes him up
Forty-eight hours later, the sun is breaking
Near broken chains, mountain laurel and rolling rocks.
She's begging to know what measures he now will be taking.
He's pulling her down and she's clutching on to his long golden locks.
The described man and woman wake up after 48 hours, and they are in a location with broken chains and mountain laurels. The woman is asking about the man's plans. They engage in physical intimacy
Gentlemen, he said,
I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes,
I've moved your mountains and marked your cards
But Eden is burning, either brace yourself for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.
The singer addresses a group of men and claims to have accomplished great things without their help. Despite this, the singer warns of a coming destruction and a need for courage to face it
Peace will come
With tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire
But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall
And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
Between the King and the Queen of Swords.
The singer looks forward to peace, but notes that it will not bring reward. Rather, it will only come after idols have fallen and death has retreated. These events are symbolized by the King and Queen of Swords
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUDIAM, INC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vanessa Beecroft
Sixteen years,
Sixteen banners united over the field
Where the good shepherd grieves.
Desperate men, desperate women divided,
Spreading their wings 'neath the falling leaves.
Fortune calls.
I stepped forth from the shadows, to the marketplace,
Merchants and thieves, hungry for power, my last deal gone down.
She's smelling sweet like the meadows where she was born,
On midsummer's eve, near the tower.
The cold-blooded moon.
The captain waits above the celebration
Sending his thoughts to a beloved maid
Whose ebony face is beyond communication.
The captain is down but still believing that his love will be repaid.
They shaved her head.
She was torn between Jupiter and Apollo.
A messenger arrived with a black nightingale.
I seen her on the stairs and I couldn't help but follow,
Follow her down past the fountain where they lifted her veil.
I stumbled to my feet.
I rode past destruction in the ditches
With the stitches still mending 'neath a heart-shaped tattoo.
Renegade priests and treacherous young witches
Were handing out the flowers that I'd given to you.
The palace of mirrors
Where dog soldiers are reflected,
The endless road and the wailing of chimes,
The empty rooms where her memory is protected,
Where the angels' voices whisper to the souls of previous times.
She wakes him up
Forty-eight hours later, the sun is breaking
Near broken chains, mountain laurel and rolling rocks.
She's begging to know what measures he now will be taking.
He's pulling her down and she's clutching on to his long golden locks.
Gentlemen, he said,
I don't need your organization, I've shined your shoes,
I've moved your mountains and marked your cards
But Eden is burning, either brace yourself for elimination
Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards.
Peace will come
With tranquility and splendor on the wheels of fire
But will bring us no reward when her false idols fall
And cruel death surrenders with its pale ghost retreating
Between the King and the Queen of Swords.
James Alexander Perks
It is very rare that I prefer a cover to the original. But this is another level. Brian can cover anything and make it gold
letsgoas75
Brian Fallon is ungodly talented. to take an under-appreciated song by the greatest troubadour/songwriter since...ever? and make it both his own and true to the original is something that not many - if any - people could do. if i heard this song on a Gaslight Anthem album, i'd think it was theirs. this is just an incredible version of an incredible song. There is no one on Brian's level in rock music today.
David Southwick
I love The Gaslight Anthem & their debut album will live in my heart forever. However, Patti Smith's version of The Bard's masterpiece is as equally brilliant.
Luis Gustavo Coutinho
Genius!
John Obrien
The lyrics could change your life only a true magical god knows what is going on in the change ov the gardes
Russell Diamond-Webb
That's their point TheBubitzza.
Amit Naamani
you are so right....
anthony iacobello
This is a very very difficult song to sing. Every verse is like a single thread following a separate entry and exit. If you miss it, the whole fabric of the song falls apart. This guy doesn't miss a stitch. Very Impressive.
Pineappolis
@Rip Roaring Both you and the OP are 100% correct. This song's an absolute trainwreck whenever I sing it (despite theoretically being right in my wheelhouse) but, my God, is it ever a joy to try.
Nigel Kennedy
As a song writer I concur!!