Elegy
Youngblood Brass Band Lyrics


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"I'm sorry" is easy to say when you've got arms to find solace in and lips to get drunk on
I remain ink-stained, disdained, ingrained
Are you feeling entertained?
I used to wonder what the pain was like when my father's heart exploded
Common art sold it but this won't settle for silence
Now I'm volatile with self-violence
Trust me, even patience wouldn't try this venerable eye-sense
Since I found a beat left dying on the street
And took her home to pen-stitch the bleeding rhythm
She'd been selling ism
And we shared stories of correlating detonated coronaries
It's beyond scary
But fear is the little death and I'm no muad'dib
You colonized my Arrakis
Helpless melange addict with the right tactic and the wrong practice
Faulty emotional stillsuit left me dehydrated and rapless
Let the desert have me
I didn't know it was the last kiss
You never told me it was the last kiss
You never told me shit

So now you're gone
I'll play the solo solar soldier that's eternally ignited
So now where's your coal
(Gone) to hell in an old soul
It cannot burn like this
Trial by nostalgia
Like it's all love, all over, all just
I guess I'm all folding because God knows I can't deal holding sole trust
Thought I was quicksilver but its gold rush
Beat my cold crush into the promised land
I took a last stand before that promise banned

I tried to show promise jazz but it wandered past my thumb
And I hitched a ride alone to strife's home
A microphone, a pen, and bad company to keep
Some things seem to seep out your pores
Embedded too deep to be indebted to speak
I'll be better next week
In the bed where you freak
I'm dead as text
Believe me it's not the sex
No pity please
No patronizing subtlety suffering me
No laughing irony publicly comedy tragically badgering my process of not mastering loss yet
(This) game set (to) match (light)
At least give me enough cash to get back... right?
Airport sadness, indeed
Cause I train MC's in ways of emitting verbal rays
But this shit's got me busted
Like mass transience... or transcendence
We all gotta transcend
Gotta transcend
Gotta transcend

Better a brother or father?
At least you kept it in the family
And I shouldn't have assumed
That, as moons rise, only astute eyes see
My mindscape's tenements bathed in light
Project-laden fright
See, night is the time I place self-wrought wooden dowels
Between street signs so as to build thought-ladders
The rungs, my lungs, exhale into you
Admittedly codependent
What makes it worse are the love-locks I built in front of the gateway
With each day I add a level
But your skeleton key sees through it all with those three words
So why keep building?
If distance is the answer I can fake it
And call it ascension
A.K.A. not giving attention to how I really feel
And I don't even know what that rung is
My greatest regret was not making this ladder/letter for two
I am what I write, and I wrote this all about you
I'm all about you




I'm all about you
I'm all about... you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Elegy" by Youngblood Brass Band have a very personal and introspective tone, describing feelings of loss, regret, and self-deprecation. The singer appears to be addressing a former lover or friend who has left, expressing his regret for not having expressed his feelings more clearly and openly while they were together. The opening lines, "I'm sorry is easy to say when you've got arms to find solace in and lips to get drunk on," suggest that the singer did not fully appreciate the person he was with until they were gone. He describes himself as "ink-stained, disdained, ingrained," and "volatile with self-violence," indicating a deep sense of self-hatred and insecurity. The line "this won't settle for silence" seems to suggest that the singer feels compelled to express his feelings in some way, either through the music he creates or through the lyrics he writes.


The imagery in the song is rich and varied, mixing references to science fiction (the name "muad'dib" is a reference to Frank Herbert's "Dune" series) with more personal and abstract concepts like the "beat left dying on the street" and the "embedding too deep to be indebted to speak." The overall effect is one of emotional turmoil and confusion, with the singer struggling to come to terms with his own feelings and the loss of the person he cared for. The final lines of the song, "I am what I write, and I wrote this all about you / I'm all about you / I'm all about you / I'm all about... you," express a sense of longing and obsession, as though the singer can't escape the memory of the person he has lost.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm sorry" is easy to say when you've got arms to find solace in and lips to get drunk on
It's easy to say "I'm sorry" when you have someone to physically comfort you and distract you from your pain.


I remain ink-stained, disdained, ingrained
I am marked by my experiences, rejected by others, and deeply rooted in who I am.


Are you feeling entertained?
Do my struggles and pain entertain you?


I used to wonder what the pain was like when my father's heart exploded
I used to imagine the pain my father experienced when he died from a heart attack.


Common art sold it but this won't settle for silence
Most art doesn't do justice for expressing the intensity of my pain and I won't be silent about it.


Now I'm volatile with self-violence
I am feeling intense emotional pain and am harming myself because of it.


Trust me, even patience wouldn't try this venerable eye-sense
It's difficult to handle the pain I am feeling, even if someone had the patience to try.


Since I found a beat left dying on the street
Since I discovered a rhythm that was abandoned and forgotten on the streets.


And took her home to pen-stitch the bleeding rhythm
I brought the rhythm home and developed it into something beautiful and meaningful.


She'd been selling ism
The rhythm had been used and exploited for unhealthy purposes before I found it.


And we shared stories of correlating detonated coronaries
The rhythm and I shared stories of similar emotional breakdowns.


It's beyond scary
It's terrifying and overwhelming.


But fear is the little death and I'm no muad'dib
Fear can be paralyzing but I won't let it consume me.


You colonized my Arrakis
You took over and dominated my emotional landscape.


Helpless melange addict with the right tactic and the wrong practice
I am powerless against the emotional pain and am attempting to cope, but not in a healthy way.


Faulty emotional stillsuit left me dehydrated and rapless
My attempt to protect myself emotionally was not effective and left me feeling empty and without direction.


Let the desert have me
Let the emotional emptiness consume and destroy me.


I didn't know it was the last kiss
I didn't realize that the last time we kissed would be the final time.


You never told me it was the last kiss
You didn't warn me that our kiss would be the last.


You never told me shit
You didn't communicate with me about our relationship ending.


So now you're gone
Now that you've left me.


I'll play the solo solar soldier that's eternally ignited
I'll continue on my own, as a solitary musician, always burning with passion.


So now where's your coal
Where is your passion and motivation now that you've left?


(Gone) to hell in an old soul
Is your spirit gone and sent to hell?


It cannot burn like this
Without passion and inspiration, life cannot continue in the same way.


Trial by nostalgia
I am facing a painful test of memory.


Like it's all love, all over, all just
Like it's all just a distant memory of love that is now over.


I guess I'm all folding because God knows I can't deal holding sole trust
I'm folding under the pressure of dealing with trust only on my own.


Thought I was quicksilver but its gold rush
I thought I was quick and agile, but now realize I'm overwhelmed and searching for something more valuable.


Beat my cold crush into the promised land
I've overcome my emotional coldness and am working towards achieving my goals.


I took a last stand before that promise banned
I fought hard before losing hope and being let down by broken promises.


I tried to show promise jazz but it wandered past my thumb
I tried to succeed in music, but it slipped away from my grasp.


And I hitched a ride alone to strife's home
I traveled alone to the place of struggle and conflict.


A microphone, a pen, and bad company to keep
All I have left is my music and writing, and some less-than-ideal friends.


Some things seem to seep out your pores
Some emotions are impossible to hide and come out naturally.


Embedded too deep to be indebted to speak
The emotions are so deeply rooted that they cannot be easily talked about.


I'll be better next week
I hope to feel better emotionally soon.


In the bed where you freak
In the place where you were intimate with me.


I'm dead as text
I am emotionally numb and feel as flat as words on a page.


Believe me it's not the sex
My pain is not just about sex, it goes much deeper.


No pity please
I don't want sympathy.


No patronizing subtlety suffering me
Don't try to empathize in a condescending or subtle way.


No laughing irony publicly comedy tragically badgering my process of not mastering loss yet
Don't make fun of me, it's too soon for me to have moved past my pain.


At least give me enough cash to get back... right?
Can you at least help me with the basic needs to move on from this emotionally?


Airport sadness, indeed
I am feeling intense sadness at this airport.


Cause I train MC's in ways of emitting verbal rays
I teach others how to create powerful and emotional music.


But this shit's got me busted
But my own emotional pain is overwhelming me.


Like mass transience... or transcendence
Like the fleeting nature of a mass movement or a spiritual experience.


We all gotta transcend
We all need to move beyond our current struggles and pain.


Better a brother or father?
Would it have been better for you to be my brother or father?


At least you kept it in the family
At least our relationship stayed within the same family.


And I shouldn't have assumed
I was wrong to assume something about our relationship.


That, as moons rise, only astute eyes see
That only the wisest and most observant people are able to understand using indirect signs.


My mindscape's tenements bathed in light
The architecture of my mind is illuminated.


Project-laden fright
I am filled with fear for my projects and creations.


See, night is the time I place self-wrought wooden dowels
At night, I build makeshift solutions for myself.


Between street signs so as to build thought-ladders
I build the thought-ladders between the street signs to help me climb out of my pain and despair.


The rungs, my lungs, exhale into you
The rungs represent my breath and my expression of love towards you.


Admittedly codependent
I recognize that I am dependent on you emotionally.


What makes it worse are the love-locks I built in front of the gateway
It's made worse by my emotional attachment to the idea of us being together.


With each day I add a level
Every day, I dig myself deeper into my own pain and grief.


But your skeleton key sees through it all with those three words
You are able to see through my emotional facade with those three words.


So why keep building?
Why continue to dig myself deeper into my emotional pain?


If distance is the answer I can fake it
If separating from you is what I need to do to move on, I can pretend it doesn't bother me.


And call it ascension
And frame it as a positive thing, like transcending to a higher state of being.


A.K.A. not giving attention to how I really feel
Or, in other words, ignoring my true emotions for the sake of appearing emotionally strong.


And I don't even know what that rung is
I'm not sure what I need to do next to move past my pain.


My greatest regret was not making this ladder/letter for two
My biggest regret is not making this emotional journey together with you.


I am what I write, and I wrote this all about you
The emotions I express in my writing are a reflection of my true self, and this piece is about you and what you mean to me.


I'm all about you
My emotional attachment is entirely focused on you.


I'm all about you
My emotional attachment is entirely focused on you.


I'm all about...
I am completely fixated and consumed by my emotions towards you.




Writer(s): Jean Berger

Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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