Magus673 Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 How do you guys interpret Ashes of American Flags? I know there are a lot of different ideas floating around in the song and I'm curious what other people think. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilco LP #7 Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Most importantly, it's one of the best songs of the last decade. I'm not sure if there really is a central message to the song. There's probably enough content in every lyric of it to write another song around. It's lyrics are pretty much a really, really good, really, really dense poem. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to interpret a singular theme, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tongue-tied Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 it's about smoking and drinking diet coke. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H to the ickle Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 it's about smoking and drinking diet coke. Duh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
markosis Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I thought it was about burning American flags. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Nobody gives a fuck Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest tandylacker Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 What year is it? Did YHF come out 5 years ago or did I just dream the last 5 years? Inglennation is right IMO. No real message throughout the whole song. The only lines that are 'written in code' but seem clear to me would be the end. Fallen leaves, dead soldiers, or alternatively, dead people from 9/11. We scoop them up, throw them away, forget about them. So on. Or maybe he's saying everyone focuses on the small things, no one really cares about anything with meaning. They don't even really care if someone sacrifices their life for the US. So he would like to take this time to care and salute those that have sacrificed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OOO Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 i know everyone knows this but this was all written/recorded before September 11, 2001 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
So Long Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I think Jeff said "I wondered, is the ATM evil, or is it just blue?" was a main point of this song... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 it's about smoking and drinking diet coke. more importantly, the price of it! $3.63 from memory Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest tandylacker Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 i know everyone knows this but this was all written/recorded before September 11, 2001 Ok, well there are still people well before 9/11 who died for this country. Come on, let the song have a deeper meaning than cigarettes and diet coke! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hoodoo Man Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I've always thought the song was about Jeff Tweedy's personal anguish over his lack of connection to the world around him. Actually, I've always thought that was the theme of most of YHF. But the beauty of great songwriting is that everyone can take something different from the songs and make it their own. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Hole without a keyIf I break my tongueSpeaking of tomorrowHow will it ever come? One of the best pieces of lyric ever written. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SarahC Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I always got the impression that this song was really about the anxiety a person feels in the world around them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WaronWar Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Most importantly, it's one of the best songs of the last decade. I'm not sure if there really is a central message to the song. There's probably enough content in every lyric of it to write another song around. It's lyrics are pretty much a really, really good, really, really dense poem. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to interpret a singular theme, though. A dense poem with words taken from "Tropic Of Cancer" by Henry Miller which I think is rather creative by Tweedy cause I do it too and so does everyone else basically. Since nothing is sacred. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Hope Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I've always thought the song was about Jeff Tweedy's personal anguish over his lack of connection to the world around him. Actually, I've always thought that was the theme of most of YHF. But the beauty of great songwriting is that everyone can take something different from the songs and make it their own. I'd thought maybe this also... I love this song, I love Nels solo guitar work, but I would also love to hear JT play it solo...I relate this song so far to when I did time in a Rehab... Some funny thoughts and some sad, but in the end, the song for me touches my heart... It also makes me wonder about people in general, everyday life, how people handle it.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I thought it was about the WTC coming down Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H to the ickle Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I once heard him say it was about his respect for people who feel so strongly about something that they'll burn a flag to show it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gobias Industries Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 A dense poem with words taken from "Tropic Of Cancer" by Henry Miller which I think is rather creative by Tweedy cause I do it too and so does everyone else basically. Since nothing is sacred. Hummingbird was also from a Miller work. Tweedy reads some good books. I think this song is more about cigs and Diet Coke and the inflation that has caused him to pay $3.63 for it (outrageous!). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
misslaura Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Chuck Klosterman thinks it's about mowing the lawn. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yankee Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I've always thought the song was about Jeff Tweedy's personal anguish over his lack of connection to the world around him. Actually, I've always thought that was the theme of most of YHF. But the beauty of great songwriting is that everyone can take something different from the songs and make it their own. yeah, there's definitely a sadness and a disconnected feeling in this song for me. and i agree that part of the beauty of a song like this is that it leaves lots of room for the listener to find personal meaning. to me, it relates to feeling depressed and disconnected, a state of mind that makes everything seem far away and absurd. but it's also struggling against that feeling and yearning to find meaning, connection and beauty, even the things that seem mundane, tarnished, or destroyed. Yes, it was written before 9/11, but it still takes on new meaning after the fact. listeners can't help but connect the lyrics and the tone of the song to that event. i suspect that the song took on new meaning for the band too in light of things that happened since it was written. it's amazing to look at this and think it was written before that event, since it does capture the feeling of that september. things are strange and sad, and there's all this distruction, and still there's the cash machine, the diet coke, all the regular mundane things that haven't changed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I always focused on: I'm down on my hands and kneesEvery time the doorbell ringsI shake like a toothacheWhen I hear myself sing That shows the speaker has more than just a profound (if temporary) disconnect with those around him. He literally seems afraid to deal with people, to the point where he is willing to hide so they'll think he's not home.That's how I always read it, anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 For me it evokes a certain kind of deep compassion for the suffering of others that is only achieved through great suffering. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I thought it was about the WTC coming down it was played as early as 1999 in concert, so written way before they came down Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I always focused on: I'm down on my hands and kneesEvery time the doorbell ringsI shake like a toothacheWhen I hear myself sing That shows the speaker has more than just a profound (if temporary) disconnect with those around him. He literally seems afraid to deal with people, to the point where he is willing to hide so they'll think he's not home.That's how I always read it, anyway.Those lines are probably my favorite in the song. It could also symbolize the extremes some people indulge in to try to cope with how sad modern life can be. Part of Jeff's genius is that many of his songs ( Ashes been a prime example) are open-ended enough that we can interpret them any way we want...kind of a lyrical Rorschach test. It ultimately says more about the person interpreting than it does about the actual song. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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