Firewall by Bright Eyes

Album: The People's Key (2011)

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

This brooding blues-rocker features a spoken-word intro from Refried Ice Cream guitarist Denny Brewer, one of several monologues dotted throughout The People's Key. Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst met him while recording the Mystic Valley Band's Outer South album in El Paso, Texas. Oberst told Spinner about Brewer's contributions: "That's a friend of mine, this guy named Denny who I met when I was making a record outside of El Paso. He's a really interesting guy. He has a band called Refried Ice Cream, which I highly recommend, and he's just one of those characters I met along the way. When I was writing the songs for this record, I kept thinking about him because I realized a lot of these ideas came from conversations I had with him. I asked if he wouldn't mind committing some of it to tape to be used in the context of the album and he was gracious enough to do that."
"Firewall" is a downtempo, acoustic song with a slow build-up. It addresses themes of modern life with poetic references to dreams, mythology, inventor Nikola Tesla, and drinking.

Comments: 3

Wells from The ComputerI don't believe she melted down to her ankles.. I don't believe any of it. Imma gonna go & smoke me a parliament.
Faustine from Passau, Germany"Madeline, she spins in a slow bang ...... " seems to be a reference to the singer Madeline Adams from Athens, Georgia, who released an album called The Slow Bang in 2007.
Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesThe ideas presented by Denny Brewer on this track were not made up by him. Many people believe that a "Serpent Race" once visited here from another planet, and perhaps still does. Some UFO believers and conspiracy writers such as David Icke identify these snake people with the "sons of God" mentioned in Genesis 6 who interbred with human women to have children, the Nephilim. They were said to have taught humanity basic arts and sciences. A lot of ancient mythologies include some version of this idea. The idea that the alien visitors looked reptilian probably comes from India, but traditions about reptilian-looking gods or people appear in mythologies around the world.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Blowin' In The WindBob Dylan

Thanks to a Newsweek article, there was a long-standing rumor that Bob Dylan stole the song "Blowin' In The Wind" from a high school student.

Carrie AnneThe Hollies

The Hollies' 1967 hit "Carrie Anne" is about the British singer-actress Marianne Faithfull, but with "Marianne" changed to "Carrie-Anne" to disguise it. Faithfull dated Allan Clarke of The Hollies.

The 1984 Anthrax song "Metal Thrashing Mad" popularized the phrase "thrash metal," a faster version of heavy metal. "Thrash" dates back to 1982 though, when Metallica put the lyric "thrashing all around" in their song "Whiplash."

Stand By MeBen E. King

"Stand By Me" was a hit for Ben E. King when it was released in 1961, and again in 1986 after it was used in the movie of the same name.

Body and SoulLibby Holman

When Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse's version of "Body and Soul" made the Hot 100 in 2011, Bennett became, at age 85, the oldest living artist to make that chart.

Bitter Sweet SymphonyThe Verve

"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve samples an obscure orchestral arrangement of the 1965 Rolling Stones song "The Last Time." The Verve had to sign away most of the royalties before they could release the song.