Their debut EP draws inspiration from traditional Irish folk songs in both its sound and its message, from the foot-stomping rhythms of Lay Me Down and Trees to the quiet introspection of Cold Is the Night. The EP begins by confronting the difficulties of love and freedom and ends by embracing them.
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Listen to Tyler Heath's solo album: tylerheath.net
I Was Wrong
The Oh Hello's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And i was torn from the start
I was torn between my god and my father
I was born at the dawn of our folly
And i was young, and stubborn to the bone
As i took from the tree that was rotting
The weight of the world was crippling
Now i'll hide my shame with woven leaves
I was wrong
And i'm so, so sorry
I knew you'd never forgive me
But i was wrong
And i'm so, so sorry
The Oh Hello's's song "I Was Wrong" is an introspective and emotional look at one's relationship with God and a recognition of the mistakes made along the way. The lyrics start with the singer acknowledging the fact that they were born into the hands of the potter, suggesting that one was created with a particular purpose in mind. However, the singer has been torn since the start, struggling to reconcile a relationship with their God and their father. The deep-seated conflict between generational traditions and beliefs has caused a rift in the singer's spirit, leading them down a path of self-destruction.
The lyrics continue with a reference to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where the singer compares themselves to Eve taking a bite from the forbidden tree. The weight of this action is significant, and the guilt and shame are immense. The singer then hides their feelings with woven leaves, a metaphor for covering up their wrongdoings. The second half of the song is an apology to God, acknowledging that forgiveness may never be granted but asking for it regardless.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born at the hands of the potter
I was created by someone greater than myself
And i was torn from the start
But I was also imperfect from the very beginning
I was torn between my god and my father
I struggled to reconcile my religious beliefs with my earthly family
I was born at the dawn of our folly
I came into existence during a time of great mistake and error
And i was young, and stubborn to the bone
I was inexperienced and foolish, unwilling to be moved from my ways
As i took from the tree that was rotting
I made a bad decision, choosing to take something that would ultimately harm me
I took my chance and bit down deep
I knowingly embraced the wrong path, even though it would lead to ruin
The weight of the world was crippling
The consequences of my actions were severe and difficult to bear
Now i'll hide my shame with woven leaves
In my shame and guilt, I will try to cover up my wrongdoing
I was wrong
I admit to my mistake and take responsibility for it
And i'm so, so sorry
I am genuinely remorseful for the harm that I caused
I knew you'd never forgive me
I understand that my actions have caused lasting damage to my relationships
But i was wrong
I acknowledge my error, even though it may be too late for amends
And i'm so, so sorry
I sincerely regret the choices that I made
Contributed by Joseph B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sleepyplanetts
I was born, I was born
I was born at the hands of the potter
And I was torn from the start
I was torn between my God and my Father
I was born, I was born
I was born at the dawn of our folly
And I was young, and stubborn to the bone
As I took from the tree that was rotting
I took my chance and bit down deep
The weight of the world was crippling
Now I'll hide my shame with woven leaves
I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong
And I'm so so, and I'm so so sorry
I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong
And I'm so so, and I'm so so sorry
I knew you'd never forgive me
I was wrong, I was wrong
And I'm so so, and I'm so so
I am sorry
Benny Big Iron
Your music is just the most beautiful poetry I’ve ever heard. It means so much to me to hear the thoughts I constantly ponder as a Catholic sung aloud with such vigor and poise. This song of course alluding to the lesson of Adam and Eve, the immature mistake of eating of what is forbidden, the maturity of being able to see that, and accept the fault, and most importantly the realization that forgiveness is never out of reach. I say this with the utmost conviction; I truly love this band.
Audrey the cat nerd
So the line “I was torn between my god and my father” always threw me off, because the “father” in this case, is God, right? But I looked up the chords to play it and that line is written as “my god and my Father” implying that I was right in assuming the “Father” is God, but the god referred to later is more in the sense of something that is followed or worshipped in place of God, so in this case, sin and the devil. Man these guys are lyrical geniuses.
Alien Howard
Yeah it's meant in a sense of his idols rather than God. I didn't realize that before.
Ferni's Forest
this comment and these replies are very helpful, thank you ^^
PatrickTalksALot
Wow! I was about to comment and say that I wish "God" was capitalized, but now that you pointed that out, I see they did that on purpose! Thanks for the amazing insight.
HopeIsWhereTheHomeIs
When I was growing up, God sometimes seemed to be like two beings to me: The great, all powerful creator, and the loving divine parent. It took a bit to reconcile the two. That has sorta informed how I read those lines now.
double_a_battery
Im athiest but dam is their music powerful
VeryPeeved
it's always struck me as being more about using religious themes as metaphors for the hardships and lessons and triumphs of life. which is really the heart of the bible: metaphors and allegory for various aspects of life. when you strip away the pretense of divine precept, and take it as the work of mortal people of the time, you can derive quite a lot of fascinating stuff from it. many other religious texts as well, but the bible is easily one of the best examples of this.
Ashling Cashling
@double_a_battery That's actually one of the reasons I love Soldier, Poet, King so much. It's incredibly poetic.
double_a_battery
@Ashling Cashling i only got the religious aspect of their music from “like the dawn” and “soldier poet king”