It was a mistake to think of houses, old houses, as being empty. They were filled with memories, with the faded echoes of voices. Drops of tears, drops of blood, the ring of laughter, the edge of tempers that had ebbed and flowed between the walls, into the walls, over the years.
Wasn’t it, after all, a kind of life?
And there were houses, he knew it, that breathed. They carried in their wood and stone, their brick and mortar a kind of ego that was nearly, very nearly, human. – Nora Roberts, Key of Knowledge
Hey, hey, hey
I don’t like walking around this old and empty house
So hold my hand, I’ll walk with you my dear
The stairs creak as I sleep
It’s keeping me awake
It’s the house telling you to close your eyes
And some days I can’t even dress myself
It’s killing me to see you this way
‘Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore.
Hey, hey, hey
There’s an old voice in my head
That’s holding me back
Well, tell her that I miss our little talks
Soon it will all be over,
and buried with our past
We used to play outside when we were young
And full of life and full of love
Some days I don’t know if I am wrong or right
Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear
‘Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Hey Don’t listen to a word I say
Hey The screams all sound the same
Hey And though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
You’re gone, gone, gone away
I watched you disappear
All that’s left is a ghost of you
Now we’re torn, torn, torn apart
There’s nothing we can do
Just let me go, we’ll meet again soon
Now wait, wait, wait for me, please hang around
I’ll see you when I fall asleep
Hey Don’t listen to a word I say
Hey The screams all sound the same
Hey Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Don’t listen to a word I say
Hey The screams all sound the same
Hey Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore.
According to Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, song-writer and lead vocalist for Of Monsters and Men, the song describes two loving people talking past each other and implies one is deceased, saying “maybe one person isn’t really hearing the other one.” The song was inspired by an old house she moved into.