Cloudwalker

[dylanjones42]

I've been interested in hearing outside opinions of the meaning of the song or the meaning of the word "cloudwalker." My interpretation of the word after some thought is someone who lives at the top while their at the fucking bottom. Erik has been quoted saying "Most humans will never ever know how to do that or feel what it is like (living at the top while you're at the fucking bottom). It’s hard to explain. Maybe something more like the beauty of peopleofwalmart.com preserving the highs and the lows. But only a select few humans will be the go-betweens. The cloudwalkers…". But the meaning of lyrics and any art is different from person to person, so if you have a different interpretation, I'd love to hear it. I'm open to influence.

[Luigitoilet]

It is really hard to condense Nathan's lyrics into a simple academic interpretation. there is a lot of shit going on.

but

I think cloudwalker (the song) is about transience and simultaneously feeling small and meaningless while also feeling monolithic and an interconnectedness between all things.

the word itself is more mysterious though. first I thought it was about the people you once knew but now they are gone. Or how people are always changing. Nathan "becomes Cloudwalker" because he is not the same person he was. You can never be who you were before, and things will never be like they were before. Life is transient. Nathan is always writing about changing.

but i dunno. you could probably write a book about this song. pretty much my favorite lyrics ever.

[dylanjones42]

I agree very much that it's hard to pull Nathan's lyrics together into one simple interpretation. He writes in such a unorthodox, unique manner. One of my favorite lyricists. I find you're take very interesting though. Makes quite a bit of sense and very much different than what I pulled from the song.

[boylucas]

Originally Posted by dylanjones42

I've been interested in hearing outside opinions of the meaning of the song or the meaning of the word "cloudwalker." My interpretation of the word after some thought is someone who lives at the top while their at the fucking bottom. Erik has been quoted saying "Most humans will never ever know how to do that or feel what it is like (living at the top while you're at the fucking bottom). It’s hard to explain. Maybe something more like the beauty of peopleofwalmart.com preserving the highs and the lows. But only a select few humans will be the go-betweens. The cloudwalkers…". But the meaning of lyrics and any art is different from person to person, so if you have a different interpretation, I'd love to hear it. I'm open to influence.

That was from my interview with erik!
:)

[dylanjones42]

Ah that's awesome that it's your interview! Would that mean you have a bit more insight as to what Erik actually meant or as to what the "cloudwalker" means?

[The Sven]

The last time Horse The Band was in Tulsa, Oklahoma Nathan told a story about his grandmother and that she was Native American. I don't know why but Cloudwalker always reminded me of that. Then I read this..

http://www.freewebs.com/cloudwalker/...dmyjourney.htm

http://www.freewebs.com/cloudwalker/...ivehealing.htm

Look at the pictures of Cloudwalker.

"I dress in white
become Cloudwalker"

Who knows. I'm sure there's more going on in Nathan's head than most people give him credit for.

[Free Radical]

Interesting...

And you at the guy in this picture, the one with the sapphire shirt.

It's probably not Nathan, but I can imagine it being him.

[dylanjones42]

Hmmm that's definitely very interesting. And I'd totally agree that he's got a lot going on up top. I feel like you'd have to be him or very close to him to really understand some of his lyrics. Haha and FreeRadical, that does sorta look reminiscent of Nathan from the back.

[Luigitoilet]

it took me years to realize that Rusty Glove was about masturbation/internet porn

[dylanjones42]

Ha I never noticed that. It seems more like the emotions that pass through during and after viewing it though.

[Luigitoilet]

not to derail from Cloudwalker too much (though i think this thread could be a general HTB lyrics thread and it's not like it's active anyways :P ) but i have to say that

"now i know only two- two wretched sisters fucking-lying sisters woe and hate."

from kenny pelts is one of my favoritest lyrics in the whole world

in fact when i think about it, nathan is probably my favorite lyricist who isn't a hip-hop artist. i would love to read a book of his non HTB poetry

[bearodactyl]

Originally Posted by Luigitoilet

i would love to read a book of his non HTB poetry

I'd buy that twice.

[Free Radical]

I would love to hear Nathan read out of a book of his non-horse poetry.

[HORSE the fag]

i agree with the fact that the song probably has multiple meanings and i've never really thought about the other stuff brought up in the thread, but the way i always saw it was a little more simple than the rest of you guys haha. i saw it as a metaphor for the experiences of earth tour, being a "cloudwalker" meaning always flying to different countries, etc. i'm a simple man

[dylanjones42]

Would anyone perhaps be interested in starting a bit of a lyric discussion? Or threads for separate songs?

[Free Radical]

Sure. What amazes me with HORSE lyrics is that no matter how odd they may seem at first, they often manage to fit to a certain part in my life perfectly, even though the meaning for me may not be the same as for The General/HORSE.

[Luigitoilet]

that's the good thing about having such abstract and obscure lyrics. it's very easy for me to apply my own life experiences to the lyrics in these songs. I'm sure "cripple song" doesn't mean the same thing to any of you or Nathan that it does to me, but it's still very meaningful to me.

[dylanjones42]

This reminds me of the thing Jon Karel says in the beginning of the 3rd disc, about once the music (or art) is out there, the interpretations are unique beyond the creator's control. Also, I've managed to mold my own unique meaning of "cloudwalker." And it carries so much meaning with me I'm very tempted to get it as a tattoo. It'd be interesting hearing your interpretation of the "cripple song," as it's one of things in Shapeshift that I've never been able to come up with a meaing for.

[dylanjones42]

meaning*

[Luigitoilet]

Exactly! I love Jon Karel, because at that point on Earth Tour I felt that Erik was being pretty unfair that people didn't "understand" his art/music the way he intended it.

I think Jon is very correct in that once an artist puts something out into the world, it is no longer simply theirs.

or to put it another way, does a song lose ALL meaning once its creators have died? I don't think so.

as for "cripple song"...to me, that symbolizes being able to find joy and strength in realizing your weaknesses and faults. but i dunno. at first he says "crippling song" which has a very different connotation from "cripple song" so I'm not sure what to think. I dont know what Shapeshift's lyrics mean altogether, but each individual line really speaks to me in different ways. to me the idea of that song is people throwing all their fears and inadequacies into a "well" and moving on in life. but then there's always something else that I don't understand, like the dinosaurs.

or the "she" in all these songs, I wonder if she is the same girl in most of these lyrics.

[Free Radical]

Shapeshift is a complex one. I figure it is about change, longing for things in the past, and the futility of conservatism.

Edit: BTW one of the Shapeshift videos on Youtube almost sees more talk than this forum, what's up with that?

[dylanjones42]

Who knows what's up with that. Maybe because it's a cool video ha. And the "she," to me at least, almost reads as if it were a metaphor for life or something bigger than a person. But who knows, it's Nathan.

[dylanjones42]

And that's necessarily the case for all the songs on Desperate Living, but some I think so

[Dervillian]

I don´t really need to point out how the Lyrics on Desperate Living are all conected to EARTH TOUR, in some sense? It kinda makes sense, since this is the thing they did afterwards. But man, Cloudwalker sounds like a crashing airplane that´s starting to fly at the same time and Arrive sounds like a Plane that is starting to fly, but is discribed as arriving. Always liked how that felt.

[dylanjones42]

You're right, most of the lyrics off the album are directly influenced from EARTH TOUR, and I can see the plane thing sort of but at the same time I think the songs deal with much more than just being on planes. If that's what you were implying, I'm not sure though, and I can't speak for you. I thought Arrive sorta seemed like dealing with some sort of devastating event and finally arriving at the "desperate living ideals". Like there's this ominous tone throughout eventually with a small bit that seems hopeful despite it all and then boom, "arrive".

[Dervillian]

I didn´t mean to picture it like it´s just about airplanes, but the plane as a metaphor for their journey. It takes of, ventures around the earth and in the end they get off the plane and - yes - they arrive.

God I am so happy this band exists