However Long
Embracing Dawn: Confronting Fear and Finding Hope in Jason Isbell's 'However Long'
Lyrics
See the man with the military mind
Highlighting a person with a military mindset
Trying to make us all afraid all the time
Describing efforts to instill fear constantly
Trying to make us all stay inside and lock our doors and windows
Emphasizing attempts to keep people indoors and vigilant
See the man's got too much to count
Noting the man's excessive wealth or possessions
Try to recollect the sermon on the mount
Referencing a biblical teaching, possibly questioning its relevance
Blessed are the poor when they're all swinging from the gallows
Expressing irony as even the poor face dire consequences
I ain't afraid no more
Declaring a lack of fear
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Optimism about the eventual end of a difficult period
We'll be around when you have lost your oldest friends
Promising solidarity during tough times
There's nothing you can say or do to us to drown out this amen
Defiant stance against attempts to silence or harm
'Cause however long the night, the dawn will break again
Reiteration of hope during challenging times
See the poet with nothing left to say
Depicting a poet struggling with creativity
Staring down at blank pages all day
Describing creative block through blank pages
Let the alcohol take you away and sleep the way the fools do
Suggesting escapism through alcohol
See the beast with the gasoline hand
Depicting a destructive force with power (gasoline hand)
Breathing fire, drawing lines in the sand
Describing aggressive behavior and drawing lines in the sand
Pray we find ourselves a better plan or die the way we used to
Expressing a need for a better plan or facing consequences
I ain't afraid no more
Reiterating the lack of fear
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Repeating the message of hope during dark times
We'll be around when they have found your next of kin
Commitment to support when others face loss
There's nothing you can do or say to us to drown out this amen
Defying attempts to silence with an unwavering affirmation
'Cause however long the night, the dawn will break again
Reiterating the endurance of hope in challenging times
See the woman with the roses in her hair
Describing a woman with symbolic roses in her hair
Bring me lovin' when it's too much bear
Seeking love and comfort during difficult times
Tell me I can make a difference this time
Yearning for assurance that personal efforts matter
All I gotta do is make it all rhyme
Reducing the complexity of life to poetic expression
However long the night, the dawn will break again
Reassuring the cyclical nature of challenging periods
We'll be around when they have found your next of kin
Promising support during times of finding family
There's nothing you can do or say to us to drown out this amen
Challenging attempts to silence or harm with resilience
'Cause however long the night, the dawn will break again
Reiterating the enduring nature of hope
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