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Artist: The Decemberists
Track: When The War Came

Lyrics
[Chorus]
With all the grain of Babylon
To cultivate, to make us strong
And hidden here behind the walls
Are shoulders wide and timber on
'Til the war came
'Til the war came

A terrible autonomy
Has grafted onto you and me
Our trust put in the government
They told their lies as heaven-sent
'Til the war came
'Til the war came

[Chorus]

And the war came with a curse and a caterwaul
And the war came with all the poise of a cannonball
And they're picking out our eyes by coal and candlelight
When the war came, the war came hard

We mae made our oath to Vavilov
We'd not betray the solanum
The acres of asteraceae
To our own pangs of starvation
When the war came
When the war came

[Chorus]

With all the grain of Babylon
With all the grain of Babylon
Full Lyrics and Meaning
SongFacts
When The War Came by The Decemberists - Songfacts
When The War Came by The Decemberists song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position
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SongMeanings Interpretations
The Decemberists - When the War Came Lyrics
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to ...
The Decemberists - Cocoon Lyrics
What can we do? The tainted election, the low dirty war, it happened before you came to. But this is solution, and this is amends. The joke ...
The Decemberists Lyrics, Songs, Albums And More
song lyrics, song meanings, albums, music and more ... 0 · Valerie Plame · 10 · We All Die Young · 1 · We Both Go Down Together · 139 · When the War Came · 32.
The Decemberists - Calamity Song Lyrics
Had a dream. You and me and the war at the end times. And I believe. California succumbed to the fault line. We heaved relief. As scores of innocents died
The Decemberists - This Is Why We Fight Lyrics
Come the war. Come the avarice. Come the war. Come hell. Come attrition. Come the reek of bones. Come attrition. Come hell. This is why. Why we fight
The Decemberists - Sixteen Military Wives Lyrics
The song isn't exactly anti war inasmuch as it is a commentary on how events and messages get muffled and distorted through the filters of the media. It seems ...
The Decemberists - Summersong Lyrics
"And summer arrives with a length of light And summer blows away and quietly gets swallowed by a wave" Summer always seems to pass much more quickly than it ...
The Decemberists - Sons and Daughters Lyrics
Simply about post-war optimism. I like to place this in Europe after WWII ... Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that ...
The Decemberists - June Hymn Lyrics
... coming in To ... While it may have something to do with the fact that "This is Why We Fight" comes right after this song, I don't believe it's a literal war.
The Decemberists - After the Bombs Lyrics
A touching ballad of love found in dire conditions; a flower that blooms in the fires of war, tempered by trials, and finally let to flourish after the war ...
The Decemberists - Shiny Lyrics
I'm a dull and witless boy. In the after bars, think I was sullied by a dream: in the killing jar, you and me at war at arms all falling in embrace.
The Decemberists - Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect Lyrics
... song came on and the lyrics went: "And we are vagabonds We travel without seatbelts on We live this close to death ". everyone froze and we were all just ...
The Decemberists - Red Right Ankle Lyrics
... came to meet your leg. And how the muscle, bone, and ... The first verse I see as a metaphor for the companionship of war like described in the song before it.
The Decemberists - E. Watson Lyrics
His dad a martyred soldier in the war between the states. Lord, bring down the ... Bitter about the man who came to the town and so sullied it, the mob who ...
The Decemberists - The Kingdom of Spain Lyrics
One interpretation is that in the war of love, children suffer the collateral damage. ... Again we seem to be coming back to the image of law and judgment ...
The Decemberists - Philomena Lyrics
... interpretation but I've been reading a little bit deeper in it. To me, this song is about a young male soldier who was drafted to fight in a war. He saw ...
The Decemberists - Valerie Plame Lyrics
... war on Iraq. So what this very loathsome old man did, he blew the cover of the ... That's why I came her, cause i could not quite get what the song is saying.
The Decemberists - My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist Lyrics
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means. Don't have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It's ...
The Decemberists - Starwatcher Lyrics
... war. There's a lady on the stair. All a-shambling with thistles in her hair. Singing hold, hold, hold your ground. Hold, hold, hold your ground. Starwatcher
The Decemberists - The Legionnaire's Lament Lyrics
... war victims in WWI, who never made it back. And that is why it couldn't possibly 1830….Besides, cars are mentioned in the song. There were no cars in 1830 ...
The Decemberists - The Bagman's Gambit Lyrics
... Song Meaning. My interpretation is different than many of the others that ... this is an ignorant comment, but does this song relate to the cold war what-so-ever?
The Decemberists - I Don't Mind Lyrics
... war(?), or becoming sad to leave a parent. However, the speaker "doesn't mind" these feelings, which connotes an attitude of acceptance. So maybe Colin is ...
The Decemberists - Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) Lyrics
50 Comments. sort form. All Comment Types (50), General Comment (49), Song Meaning (1) ... providing this song takes place during the American Civil War, I think ...
The Decemberists - The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid Lyrics
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means. Don't have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It's ...
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Genius Meanings
The Decemberists – When the War Came
The song is the sixth track off the Decemberist album ‘Crane Wife’. It was inspired by actual events that happened in Russia during WWII and a book that told the story of botanist
The Decemberists – Calamity Song
Lead singer, Colin Meloy, told NPR’s World Cafe that this was their attempt at a disaster song. The music video is noteworthy for being a dramatisation of scene from David Foster
The Decemberists – Sons and Daughters
Frontman Colin Meloy picked this as one of The Decemberists' best songs in an interview, saying: It’s another two-chord song. It was the first song I ever wrote on [the Greek folk
The Decemberists – The Crane Wife 3
“The Crane Wife 3” is the opening track to the Decemberists fourth album, The Crane Wife. It’s based on the Japanese folk tale, The Crane Wife. In the tale, a man finds and saves
The Decemberists – E. Watson
“E. Watson” is a murder ballad on The Decmberists EP Long Live the King, which was released on November 1, 2011. “E. Watson” is based on the historical life of Edgar J. Watson
The Decemberists – Summersong
[Verse 1] / Ramblin' / Where to begin? / I taste the summer on your peppery skin / Been saved / The warm of the waves / I felt a slip into a watery grave / [Refrain] / Oh-oh / Oh
The Decemberists – Cocoon
This cocoon, caught in Vesuvius' shadow / Only the ashes remain / And I waited there for you / Why couldn't you? / Here we lie waiting for something to startle / To shake us from
The Decemberists (Ft. Laura Veirs) – Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
This is the third song off of the Decemberist 2006 album ‘Crane Wife’. The song itself tells the story of a man who died during the Civil War. It has two different narrators; the
The Decemberists – Starwatcher
When asked to comment on the meaning of this song in a Reddit AMA, Colin said: I think there are two figures – the starwatcher and the skywatcher and they’re both like wild
The Decemberists – O Valencia!
O Valencia! has a plot not unlike that of Romeo and Juliet: Guy loves girl, girl loves guy, but their families are feuding, and alas, the girl dies.
The Decemberists – Shankill Butchers
Frontman Colin Meloy told Pitchfork: “I was reading the Van Morrison biography by Johnny Rogan last summer; I was in Ireland, and there’s a section where he talks about the
The Decemberists – This Is Why We Fight
From a 2010 article in Spin: The track closes with a raw recording of a woman singing about her dog running through a field, accompanied by banjo and harmonica. It sounds like an
Genius Lists – Songs Based on Historical Events
This Genius project helps connect music to historical events Many times, we listen to a song, not ever knowing it was based on an actual event in history. The list includes a very
The Decemberists – The Legionnaire's Lament
This song is sung from the point of view of a homesick soldier in the French Foreign Legion, most likely during the conquest of Algeria from 1830-1847.
The Decemberists – My Mother Was a Chinese Trapese Artist
This song was originally recorded by Colin Meloy’s band Tarkio, and later released by the Decemberists on their first EP. The lyrics are pure, untempered Meloy. Colin went on a
The Decemberists – The Crane Wife 1 & 2
The Crane Wife is originated as an ancient Japanese folk tale that tells the story of a man who finds a wounded crane, nurtures it back to health and releases it, only to have the
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SongTell Meaning
Meaning of "Calamity Song" by The Decemberists
"Calamity Song" by The Decemberists explores themes of apocalyptic visions, societal collapse, and the search for hope amidst chaos. The song opens with t...
Meaning of "The Tain" by The Decemberists
"The Tain" by The Decemberists is a multi-part song that tells a story with various characters and themes. While interpretations may vary, here is a possib...
Meaning of "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)" by The Decemberists (Ft. Laura Veirs)
The song "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)" by The Decemberists (Ft. Laura Veirs) is about a soldier and a young woman separated by the war. The soldie...
Meaning of "The Soldiering Life" by The Decemberists
"The Soldiering Life" by The Decemberists appears to be a song that explores the experiences and feelings of soldiers during wartime. The lyrics depict the...
Meaning of "Cocoon" by The Decemberists
"Cocoon" by The Decemberists explores themes of longing, waiting, and the desire for change or transformation. The lyrics metaphorically compare the narrat...
Meaning of "This Is Why We Fight" by The Decemberists
"This Is Why We Fight" by The Decemberists appears to explore themes of resilience, determination, and the unwavering spirit of fighting against adversitie...
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