Living Proof | Gregory Alan Isakov Lyrics, Meaning & Videos

Living Proof
Gregory Alan Isakov Lyrics

She held onto my coat that night, like a kid lost in her sleeves
Oh we warmed the ground, we hushed our sound
We slept on walking feet
Lord, we slept on walking feet

Off in the night, you can hear 'em bright,
The Sirens of the Sea
Oh and city birds and alley girls, they all just sing for free
Oh they all just sing for free

Oh Darlin, pardon me
But do I look familiar
When we were just larkspur and leaves
We were strung through the tether
And we were all silver and stone
We were the lust of the miners
Darlin, pardon me

That sky glowed all calico like phosphor in the sea
To the ground we fall, she owns us all
Kings and boys and beast
Kings and boys and beast

Oh Darlin, pardon me
But do I look familiar
When we were just flying free
And we burned from a freight train
And we were some flicker of truth in the smile of a salesman
And we were all buried jewels 'neath the grass in the suburbs

And we were all living proof
Oh Darlin, pardon me

The lyrics of Living Proof by Gregory Alan Isakov paint a picture of a time long gone, with wistful nostalgia for the freedom and simplicity of the past. The opening lines describe a night with the sound of bicycle bells and a darkness that has "wooden teeth." The two protagonists "broke on up to hill country" where the air was thin and sweet, and they slept on walking feet. The song's chorus implores a lover to help the singer remember a time when they were "all flying free" and they were little more than "dust from our bodies" and "flicker and flame."

The second verse refers to the sounds of the city and its inhabitants. The Sirens of the Sea can be heard off in the distance, and the birds and girls all sing for free. The singer again asks the same question of his lover, hoping to remember the past. The third verse describes the beauty of the stars and the sky, and how everything on the ground is insignificant in comparison. The chorus repeats, this time adding the lines "And we burned from a freight train And we were some flicker of truth in the smile of a salesman And we were all buried jewels 'neath the grass in the suburbs And we were all living proof."

Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on how we lose our sense of freedom and life's simple pleasures as we grow older and become wrapped up in the trappings of modern society. The chorus suggests that there was a time when our lives were more meaningful, more free and more full of joy. The lyrics ask us to forgive ourselves for losing that, and perhaps to try and capture a little bit of that lost magic once again.

The night fell with bicycle bells, the dark had wooden teeth
The night came with a unique sound of bicycle bells, and it was so dark that it seemed like the darkness had teeth made of wood.

Oh we broke on up to hill country, the air was thin and sweet
We travelled uphill to the hilly region, where the air was rarefied and refreshing.

She held onto my coat that night, like a kid lost in her sleeves
She clung onto my coat tightly that night, like a helpless child seeking security in her sleeves.

Oh we warmed the ground, we hushed our sound, We slept on walking feet
We settled down for the night by warming the ground, keeping our voices low, and slept while standing on our feet.

Oh Darlin, pardon me, Can you help me remember
Excuse me, my love, can you assist me in reminiscing.

When we were all flying free, We were dust from our bodies
During a time when we were uninhibited and free-spirited, we were akin to disintegrating dust.

And we were flicker and flame, yeah we burned till the morning
We were like a flicker of fire that burned throughout the night until morning.

Darlin, pardon me
My love, please forgive me.

Off in the night, you can hear 'em bright, The Sirens of the Sea
During the night, you could hear the bright sound of the sirens of the sea.

Oh and city birds and alley girls, they all just sing for free
In the city, birds and girls in alleys all sing for free.

But do I look familiar, When we were just larkspur and leaves
Do I look familiar to you, back when we were merely larkspur and leaves.

We were strung through the tether, And we were all silver and stone
We were restricted by a linked tether and were similar to silver and stone.

We were the lust of the miners
Miners longed for us.

That sky glowed all calico like phosphor in the sea
The sky lit up with various colours like phosphor in the sea.

To the ground we fall, she owns us all, Kings and boys and beast
Eventually we all come back to the earth, which controls everything including kings, boys and animals.

Darlin, pardon me
My love, please forgive me.

And we burned from a freight train, And we were some flicker of truth in the smile of a salesman
We burnt because of a moving train and were a glimpse of truth in the smile of an advertiser.

And we were all buried jewels 'neath the grass in the suburbs, And we were all living proof
We were all hidden gems beneath the suburbian grass, and we were all indisputable evidence of something.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV

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