West Hills III

Producers

Mar. 25, 20221 viewer

West Hills III Lyrics

I was born right here in Zion
And the messianic God's own Son
His Holy Ghost stories and bloodshed
Never really did scare me none
While they bowed their heads on Sunday
I cut out through hedges and fields
Where the light could place its hands on my head
Free in the west hills

She's got two fully-grown children
With one still stuck on the vine
Once I really got to know the boy
I loved him like he was mine
Some nights we drive up thе mouth of the canyon
On hillbilly heroin pills
We gеt out and watch the sunset
Over the west hills

When the sheriff kicked my door down, I was sleeping in my own bed
And the mess I got caught up in
Rained hard down on my head
And they got me for possession
Of them hillbilly heroin pills
Enough to kill the horses that run
Free in the west hills

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If this life was meant for proving
I could use more years to live
But fifteen in a guardhouse
Is more than I'm willing to give
And if there really is a judgment
When the Saviour pulls my chart
He will reject my actions
But He will know my heart
And He'll prepare a place for me
Where happiness instills
Where the light can place its hands on my head
Free in the west hills

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This song bio is unreviewed

This is a reimagined version of West Hills, track #1 on Pressure Machine, set to the tune of “If You Could Hie to Kolob” with only subtle lyrical differences.

“If You Could Hie to Kolob” is a popular Latter-day Saint hymn with strong esoteric themes touching on the Mormon concepts of eternal progression, the nature of God, and the potential of mankind to become like him.

While this is not the first time Brandon Flowers has referenced this hymn in one of his songs (see also

and

https://genius.com/20636995.

West Hills was an interesting choice to set to the tune of If You Could Hie to Kolob. The lyrics tell the story of a man who grew up in a religious culture but never really fit the mold. He got into opioids and eventually got his girlfriend’s son hooked on them too. When he was eventually arrested and sentenced, he seems to be contemplating suicide. In spite of this, the narrator of this song remains convinced that if an afterlife exists, there will be hope for him still.

By juxtaposing the sad song of a broken man with the grand and haunting themes of an iconic Latter-day Saint hymn, Brandon Flowers makes the case that progression, redemption, and ultimate perfection are possible even for those who may live lives outside a given religion’s established bounds.