How Come
Echoes of Despair: Ray LaMontagne's Reflection on a World in Turmoil
Lyrics
People on the street now
Observing people on the street.
Faces long and grim
Noticing somber and serious expressions on faces.
Souls are feeling heavy
Perceiving heavy souls, a sense of emotional burden.
And faith is growing thin
Commenting on the diminishing faith.
Fears are getting stronger
Describing the intensifying fears.
You can Feel them on the rise
Sensing the rise of fear in the atmosphere.
Hopelessness got some by the throat you can see it in their eyes
Noting that hopelessness has a grip on some individuals.
I said how come
Posing the question "how come" as an expression of confusion or concern.
How come
Repeating the question for emphasis.
Everybody on a shoestring
Referring to financial struggles with the term "shoestring."
Everybody in a hole
Describing a collective sense of hardship or difficulty.
Everybody crossing their fingers and toes
Highlighting a universal sense of anticipation and hope.
Government man spin his politics till he got you pinned
Criticizing political manipulation by those in power.
Everybody trying to reach out to each other
People attempting to connect but struggling to find a starting point.
But they don't know where to begin
Expressing the difficulty of initiating meaningful connections.
I said how come
Reiterating the perplexity or disbelief expressed with "how come."
I can't tell
Expressing uncertainty or confusion.
The free world
Pondering the distinction between a free world and a living hell.
From living hell
Highlighting the challenge of differentiating between freedom and misery.
I said how come
Repeating the question as an ongoing search for understanding.
How come
Re-emphasizing the sense of confusion or disbelief.
All I see
Observing suffering and despair in the world.
Is a child of god
Seeing humanity as inherently connected to a higher power, experiencing suffering.
In misery
Reiterating the observation of human suffering and its connection to spirituality.
I said how come the pistol now as profit
Questioning the morality of profiting from violence (pistol).
The bullet some kind of lord and king
Challenging the idea of violence having authority and dominance.
But pain is the only promise that this so called savior is going to bring
Suggesting that pain is the only outcome promised by a supposed savior.
Love can be a liar
Warning that love can be deceptive.
And justice can be a thief
Asserting that justice may not always serve its intended purpose.
And freedom can be an empty cup from which everybody want to drink
Describing freedom as unfulfilling for everyone.
I said how come
Repeating the question, expressing ongoing confusion.
I can't tell
Restating the uncertainty about distinguishing a free world from a living hell.
The free world
Continuing the struggle to understand the world's dichotomy.
From living hell
Repeating the challenge of discerning between freedom and misery.
I said how come
Reiterating the question as an expression of persistent confusion.
How come
Expressing ongoing bewilderment or frustration.
All I see
Observing human suffering and its connection to spirituality.
Is a child of god
Re-emphasizing the image of a suffering child of God.
In misery
Repeating the question, seeking answers to the perplexities of life.
I said how come
Reiterating the ongoing search for understanding.
Its just man killing man
Summarizing the human condition as a cycle of violence.
Killing man
Repeating the mantra of "man killing man," expressing incomprehension or frustration.
Killing man
-Killing man
-Killing man
-I don't understand
-Its just man killing man
Concluding with a statement of not understanding the pervasive violence.
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