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Kia's avatar

I don't have too many specific thoughts, but man I love this song. "First a mother bathes her child..." is one of my favorite lines, and this song is one of my favorites that I've learned to play on guitar. Just so cathartic. Great read!!

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Indyrock's avatar

Okay, I'm replying here instead of on Reddit. I made a Substack account just for this!

1) I love this series. I've been waiting for "Brakeman" because it's in a three- to five-way tie (depending on the day) for my favorite Bright Eyes song. As I get older and learn more about various mental illness I struggle against, it's become a home for me. The song's something like a grounding point. I put it on when I need to push away an anxiety attack or the world gets too overwhelming and I need to center myself. I agree with you: It's a goddamn masterpiece.

2) I always thought that the bridge was about being doomed to repeat what you've done before. In overwhelming moments, it's hard to recall that you've been through something similar ("hard to remember"), even when you have ("dime store mysteries" are formulaic). Because of that, if you can't step away from it, you keep rewriting and repeating the history, turning to vices that hold you in place and restart the cycle.

3) It's interesting that you read the lyrics as four lost souls instead of one! I've always interpreted it as a single person dealing with compounding struggles.

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