Live Out The String

Album: Join the Parade (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song may have a slightly unusual title, but it had a truly terrible inspiration.

    In August 2005, as he left a concert in Denver, Marc Cohn's tour van was targeted by a carjacker. He was shot in the head just above the eye but miraculously though the bullet lodged in his skull, it did no real physical damage.

    At the time, a spokesman for Denver police told the BBC: "Frankly, I can't tell you how he survived."

    Just over a year after the near fatal attack, Cohn's assailant, drug addict Joseph Yacteen, was sentenced to 36 years in jail. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments: 1

  • Volker from HamburgThe "String" refers to the thread of life from ancient Greek (and Roman) mythology: The three sister deities called the Moirai or Fates determine destiny and life. Clotho spins the thread of life; Lachesis determines how long one lives, by measuring the thread of life; and Atropos choses how someone dies by cutting the thread of life with her shears. So "Live out the string" could stand for the decision to fully exhaust the span of life alloted to you by the Moirai.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues

Justin Hayward of The Moody BluesSongwriter Interviews

Justin wrote the classic "Nights In White Satin," but his fondest musical memories are from a different decade.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.