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Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes


Background information
Origin Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Genre(s) Indie Folk
Indie Rock
Alternative Country
Years active 1995—present
Label(s) Polydor
Saddle Creek Records
Associated acts Monsters of Folk
Desaparecidos
Commander Venus
The Faint
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Website Website
Members
Conor Oberst
Mike Mogis
Nate Walcott



Music World  →  Lyrics  →  B  →  Bright Eyes  →  Albums  →  A Collection Of Songs: Recorded 1995-1997

Bright Eyes Album


A Collection Of Songs: Recorded 1995-1997 (1998)
1998
1.
The Invisible Gardener
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Driving Fast Through A Big City At Night
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
. . .

The Invisible Gardener

[No lyrics]

. . .



The heat comes in distant shifts to fill up my room
It spills out of these ancient vents to meet the new cold
And I lay in my twisted sheets, and stare out at the snow
Thinking of the next few months, my cold and lifeless eyes
No, I've never felt so separate
Then there's you, but that's so obvious
It's hopeless and I know this, that's why I can't dream
No desire or circumstance keeps it from me

One by one, to department stores, we walk through the aisles
In a forest of designer clothes, you touch me and smile
And know for a moment, I could want nothing
Your bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
We stand as the shoppers pass us
And for once I can feel a touch complete

I need to just be near you and fill these empty eyes
You start turning as resistance pulls you from my cold and boring life
Let's make this easy and let time pass, as devotion dies
The list goes on and on

. . .



Virginia is almost sleeping, that night is getting older
There is static on the TV, and she's lying on the sofa
The cats crawl over her
Jenny is in the garage, she's got the car in neutral
She rolls it out so quietly. It's Saturday as usual
It always is...

Me, I'm in my bedroom, drawing in my notebook
Cause my hand thinks I'm an artist, but my heart knows I'm a poet
It's just words, they mean...
So little to me, so little to me...
So little to me, so little to me...

I can't seem to deal with total trust
There is something very wrong with me

Daddy's in the backyard, his hands are getting dirty
And Mum is in the kitchen, and her cake says that I'm thirteen
Another year...

My brother went to college to become a doctor
And if he studies hard enough, he'll end up just like father
Who hates his life...

And me, I'm in the bathroom, crying out my eyelids
Cause it's hard to be a man, when you are scared just like a little kid
The world's become...
A little too mean, little too mean...
A little too mean, little too mean...

And I can't see the point of patient love

. . .



Tell me what you wanted to hear
Let me do the right thing
Let me do the wrong thing
And if it's ever this clear
I will only say it once
Just let me turn the amps way up
So you can hear nothing
And if I die tonight
Then I guess I die tonight
Let me go on

Just say what you wanted to say
I cannot stand these talks, dear
They only get to nowhere
It's never resolved
We only run around
You always say that anyone
Could be just like me

If it was a different time
And a different place to be

. . .



I wanted to come visit
You waiting in the springtime when the leaves change
I wanted to come visit
You waiting in the springtime when the leaves change
The ground outside is begging for that newness
That surrounds us as we dance back through the screen door
In the sunlight of mid-April but the glow won't stop the smiles
That are spreading on our faces as we fall down on the kitchen floor
And she is laughing about something that she had heard earlier
And I can't help noticing that she is sitting closer to me

. . .



We escape from the house
As the day disappears from the sky into night
We became what we wanted to be
Like a dream or a ghost
I collapse out of turn near a house lying still in the grass
And felt the heat from the ground rising up to contract
And expand like a breathe
We escape from that place soaked with sweat and the poison we drank
Fill the bathtub with ice and hope this fever will break
Like a heart, easily...
But I do not recall all the words that were formed
On those wire lips as they greeted me
A promise was made without thought as the temperature climbed
And I started to sink, like the moon tends to do
If you stare at it so long
Then you blink, and it's gone
And we crawl to our sleep with the dawn
And isn't it the same mistake?
And isn't it the same mistake?
And isn't it the same mistake?
It's not much of an escape

We awake in the light feeling hollow and selfishly warm
Close the blinds and retreat, until what is burning is gone
And it's light is away
Then we are back in the dark
Chasing nothing through backyards and trees
You ripped your shirt on a fence, but it didn't get me
Yeah it's fear, makes you slow
And these creatures look crooked
And their shadows cut lines through my face
And the concrete is fire
Where my bare feet are placed in a line next to yours
And I guess I'm not sure, if it's fear that was born
As those awful eyes made their claim on us
I put my hands on the fence
Said your name and I started to climb
And it must have been sweat but I drank it like wine
It was sweet and my mouth was dry
I heard you scream, but I made no reply

. . .



I had a beautiful, beautiful time
The drives and the talks were amazing
The kind of friend, I thought I'd never find
I had a beautiful, beautiful time
You have a beautiful, beautiful smile
The way it curls and collapses on your lips
When you touch me I shake like a child
It's late, I'm afraid you might leave

Cause sometimes it seems like
You still don't believe me
There's nothing I can do to concentrate
It's so distracting always thinking of you
So I expose and explain
And I meant everything I said
And it's moments like this
That repeat and replay in my head
When I'm laying in bed

It's a beautiful, beautiful time
As you laugh and roll onto your stomach
The carpet embraces your design
My heart pounds as I lay by your side
And I find that I am unable to hide
All these feelings that flow in this basement
In this dim light you look so beautiful
I'm unsure and unclear with the words that I'd say
I'm happy when you're near
And I wish that forever could stay
Just like today

You have beautiful, beautiful eyes
So bright and alive and enchanting
I want to be with you all of the time

. . .

Driving Fast Through A Big City At Night

[No lyrics]

. . .



How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to say that night has come
And there's one that guards this jagged shore
And there's one to call the children home
And there's one to light the path they take
How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one to keep the shadows off
And there's one that tells me she got home
And there's one to read his novel by
And there's one that warms this dreary room
And there's one to watch the baby sleep
And there's one to count the blinking stars
And there's one that I just can't forget
And there's one that I remember too

How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There's one that waits for closing time
And there's one that gets left on all night
And there's one that marks the western sky
And it shines down on the quiet street
And there's one that floods the darker parts
And there's one that hurts my tired eyes
And there's one that says she's not asleep
And there's one that waits for her to wake

How many lights do you see?
How many lights do you see?
There is one that spills out on the beach
And it sparkles on the jetting rocks
And there is one that waits for tired ships

. . .



Meaning is sometimes hard to spot
It begins with the flickering of cigarettes
In the darkness of a dorm room
Somewhere in the suffocated mid-west
But if this is real, then I was mistaken
And if there is truth, then why can't we find it?
But beauty comes to those who have been waiting
For something that is bigger than themselves

But this is the sound of the hopeless kids
As they scream from the basements
Of the houses of their parents and...
This is the sound of the hopeless ones

As they stare down at their books
And realize they have been lied to
But if this is real, then I was mistaken
If the vision's gone, then I was not aware

Consistency like that which I have craved
Is that people change so unexpectedly
And realization finds you in a drunken airport
Some planes depart and others never arrived

So with this in mind, I don't plan on waiting
If it's time to leave and break these old ties
Without something more the vision is fading
But until it's gone the pain will make us try

But this is the hope I have been searching for
As the wings catch the sunlight of the cold Nebraska skyline
And this is the dream I am dying in
As I wake to find tomorrow
Be content without perfection
But if this is real then I was mistaken

. . .



My grandfather's name was moon
Because his eyes were bright and round
And no amount of time or liquor could dull them
My grandmother's name was joy
Because it spilled out of her heart
And bathed her precious children in its warmth
There was happiness in life
Beyond the sorrow and the pain
But how they ever found it I cannot explain
I guess time has a way of making everything all right
It's just there is not enough of it
And so we drink and we sing and we celebrate this lie
And hope that it will last
Morning is here night has passed

And my grandfather was a doctor
He cured the sick with his kind hands
And he taught me how to sail and how to find dry land
And my grandmother was all sweetness
And when she spoke we all heard bells
And they rang in such a way, that we were comforted
And they held on to each other
With all the strength they had
And they loved with devotion beyond what I understand

But fear has a way of making sleep unbearable
And the days seem cold and long
But we cry and we dance and we stumble into love
In awkward, perfect grace

. . .



Emily, sing something sweet for me
I want to feel the warmth inside your heart
Emily, sing something sweet for me
I need to feel those words out of your mouth
Emily, sing something please
I want to taste the life behind your eyes
Emily, sing something sweet

. . .



It is not the past few days
That have made me feel this way
And it is not the tiny marks of doubt
That cover everything I see
It is just the way she looks at me
With a love so complete that I have never seen
And from this grows a strong, undying guilt
And the feeling of regret for things I've never felt

But oh, I wanted to change, I wanted to change...
And become what she needs
I know, know what she needs, know what she needs

. . .



And if its true, baby
I'm the one in love with you
And I guess that I've been all my life
And I know and I'll try
And I love you more than those other guys
It's because you mean the world to me
You're exactly what I need
Baby, I'm waiting for you to stop shaking
And come closer to me
My life and deception
My love and devotion
Devotion, devotion...

Cover the spread on the beds
And now I'm the one who won your heart
And I hope that you'll always be mine
Cause my love is full
Of trust and the virtue
I never desert you or leave you behind
Forever and ever
Yeah, we'll be together
Together we will be

And if it's true, baby
I'm the one in love with you
And I swear that I've been all my life
Cover the spread on the beds
Baby, I'm the one that won your heart

. . .



Close your eyes
The dark outside can't hurt you
And I'll never desert your bedside
So close them tight
The stars are so glad that they've found you
And on the blankets that surround you
They shine their light
They shine their light

So rest your head
And I will be watching from the doorway
As you slip into a perfect, peaceful sleep

And morning will come
In all its simple glory
And you will find the light

And I will be there
Standing in your shadow
Knowing that you once were mine
All mine
My baby...

. . .



She kills with foreign films
The emptiness of day today
And I wait until the weekend comes
So I can clear this uselessness from my brain
I count the days until she arrives
Those precious minutes when she is mine
As we walk from my front door to her car
We're so close
And alone, but that will disappear
In a room filled with the warmth of others
Of others' company
There's just too much company
There's just too much company!

So I hide my wounded pride
And stare off into the other cars
If I could just speak the words
To tell her exactly how I feel

I count the ways that I might say it
But I know that none of them will work
Because she won't feel the same
I've got this far
But I can't go through with it
Because the truth would hurt too much
It hurts too much
This hurts too much!

She goes back to the west coast
To drink in the sunshine
And I will stay here in these dead plains
And try to make a seed grow
And I would pray for rain

. . .



Agony and withdraw disrupt my well-being
A voice flooded by the piercing
And the sounds of distant lands
Silence is my heart
I carry out my cross while the son suffers away
The clouds reveal the chariots of Venus
Restrictions of time and space retile
While her bright eyes burn through my exploding heart
And I can see I'm in heaven with her flesh in my arms
Easy the undeniable
The misery of my lack of truth

. . .



She says she's read too many fashion magazine
She's forgotten what real love is like
And as the basement collects more kids off the street
They smoke themselves to death waiting for the band to begin
They have been turning up there for an hour now
And I don't think I can stand another minute more
But just then the first chord strums and the drums set in
And I know what I have been waiting around for

Because no one's going home until the morning comes
No one's going to sleep until the sun comes up
Did you hear those first two songs, they were fucking tough
And the band is not going to stop until the cops show up

So hold your applause until the end
And wait for the sadness to set in
Because that's the only feeling that's worth it

He say he's done with the pop music scene
There's too many opinions and so few are worth a shit
He has got to learn to act a little more mean
Because the mean ones always end up with the record deals

And it is only when I'm angry that I feel complete
When we're screaming at each other is when I am most happy
I hang out with my friends and then I get depressed
And I drink myself to sleep with any strength that's left

And I quit going to church a year ago
And my teacher thinks that my faith is gone
But I can do without the eucharist

. . .



All eyes on the calendar
Another year I claim
Of total indifference
To hear the days pile up
With decisions to be made
I'm sure all of them were wrong
Into this song I send myself
And with these drinks
I plan to collapse and forget
This wasted year
These wasted years
Devoted friends they disappear

And, I'm sorry about the phone call
And needing you
Some decisions you don't make
I guess it's just like breathing
And not wanting to
There are some things you can't fake

Yeah, there are some things that you can't fake

Well I guess that it's typical
To cling to memories you'll never get back again
And to sort through old photographs
Of a summer long ago
Or a friend that you used to know

And there below his frozen face
Where you wrote the name
And that ancient date, that ancient date
And you can't believe that he's really gone
When all that's left is a fucking song

I'm sorry about the phone call
And waking you
I know that it's late
But thank you for talking
Cause I needed to
Yeah, some things just can't wait

Yeah, some things just can't wait
Yeah, some things just can't wait

. . .



Come by when you get off work
I will be sitting around doing nothing
Let's wait until the sun goes down
Then we will drive off deep into the night
I don't care where we are going
As long as I'm going with you
The summer swells in us
With the heat comes a new kind of wanting
Cool nights never cooled us off
Lay around and wait for something to happen
When it is three lonely figures
A bedroom, a basement, she is scared
Which one is sleeping, and which one is lying awake?
Yeah which one is sleeping and which one is lying about it?

Afternoon drags on and on
Movie nights that never end
We can hang out all night long
Lay in bed and talk to a good friend
Because you only get older
And you probably forget what it is like

The university is quiet today
We didn't clean, we just talked in the bathroom
The girl always gets in my way
Ruined friendships, but others replace them
These opinions are poison
I have been drinking them all of my life
I could never replace you
I could never forget what it's like

Step out on a moonlit roof
The radio leads a feel good revolution
Cigarettes and my closest friends
I tell myself that I have to remember this
Tell myself that I've got to remember this

. . .


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