These withered hands Have dug for a dream Sifted through sand And leftover nightmares 5 Over the hill A desolate wind Turns shit to gold And blows my soul crazy The end 10 O the end We live again O I grow weary of the end O hungry days In the footsteps of fools 15 Gazing alone Through sex-painted windows Dredging the night Drunk libertines Stink like a colognes 20 From the newfangled wasteland The end O the end We live again O I grow weary of the end O I grow weary of the end 25 Love is a plague In a mix-match parade Where the castaways look so deranged When will the children learn To let their wildernesses burn 30 And love will be new never cold and vacant These withered hands Have dug for a dream Sifted through sand And leftover nightmares 35 The end Oh the end We live again Oh I grow weary of the end
Lines 5-7 are also talking about his grandfather. I saw a clip of an interview with Al Hansen where he says "I make gold out of shit", speaking of his unique take on art. He would take trash and make sculptures out of it, like a decapitated rocking horse covered in cigarette butts. I think this verse is saying that his grandfather's art will always live on, and it's driving him crazy because his grandfather is gone. He knows he's gone for good and is tired of thinking about what the end really means.
In the next verse, Beck remembers the days when he lived with his grandfather in L.A. They didn't have much money and lived among fools. He felt lonely at night and therefore hated it. There were always drunk people everywhere who reeked of alcohol. What people thought of love wasn't real, and it caused problems because couples weren't right for each other. He wonders when people will set the example to their children that they should follow their heart and do what they're really passionate about. Then there will be a different kind of love that's real, and it isn't cold and empty.
Looking back, he sees that this love never existed. It was only a dream, and it makes him tired to think of what the end really means.
© originally analyzed in July 1999 - posted March 18, 2000 station1@hotmail.com
Analysis by posted on Nov 14th, 2000
Mutations