Okkervil River - Love to a monster

Okkervil River - Love to a monster

[@tccmarkets1]

I wish this band was still together. It's rare for me to find a group that has so many songs that I like. This is obviously one of them for me!

[@paulsandor3522]

One of my favorite O.R songs: it's not on a proper album; it's rarely played live... a hidden gem of shimmering songwriting

[@weilersl]

not sure if you caught the rarities and requests stream last week, but they played it then. so good to hear it.

[@paulsandor3522]

@@weilersl Yes, I saw/heard it on the livestream. It's such a great song. I love this band so much! It's good to see others feel the same way.

[@MrBananasoul]

Man is this ever a beautiful song, this band is so under-appreciated

[@imissimeem]

The most beautiful and honest break up song I've ever heard.

[@SheepShade]

"I hope you'll get angry and hurt and have the hardest of landings." Never thought I would wish that to a person, but then life happens...

[@AntOfTheSky1990]

+SheepShade :(

[@bhilljam]

that's the line that brought me back to having this song on repeat. speaks a lot to my life right now, and i couldn't agree more with your comment, especially with who's on my mind

[@ashr451]

I always come back to this 💕

[@lumburgapalooza]

"I hope your new man thinks of me when he sees what a number I did on you." Just brilliant.

[@irissantos420]

Lover, now that you've left me, I'm glad you're unlovely
Because if you could take all the heat in your heart and just hang it from you
I wouldn't be able to bear the way you cannot love me
It's much easier of me make a monster out of you

[Verse 2]
And so here I go, substituting the glow from your temples
All our sighs and our trembles, and each last letter sent you
From the cheap little pen of this weak little man
The one singing out his jangling, ringing
And hopefully stinging attack upon you

[Verse 3]
Yeah, so here I go, just exploding the hope we'll be speaking
Someday, years from now, seeking friendship and understanding
Yeah, I hope you get angry, and hurt, and have the hardest of landings
And I hope your new man thinks of me when he sees what a number I did on you

[Verse 4]
I grow tired of this song, turn my eyes to the blond in the bleachers
She's a lovely young creature, I think she's seeking adventure
I think she's ready to see that the world isn't so sweet or so tender
I won't break her, just bend her, and make her into my new ringer for you

[Verse 5]
I stay in the same comfy town, write the same old songs down, drive the same streets
Seek the same sense of dull peace, whisper the same sweet words to the chippies
The same walk by the road and where the same muddy snow's finally leaving
But I'll fight off the spring; I don't want lovely things, I don't want the earth new

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

What does it say about our current sensibilities that we hope a band stays underdog, indie, and unknown for all their hard work and artistry, just so we can feel more cooler about ourselves for knowing about them?

[@cthulhusmom]

I'm not worried about how 'cool' I am. I don't like it when something I care about and can relate to gets popular and the meaning gets translated into something entirely different. When the public gets involved, things always get more shallow, petty and cheaply sentimental. It ruins my experience when I find myself making those associations due to input from others.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

That's the trick, Cthulhu. That's the circular hipster logic that is pissing reasonable people off. NYARLATHOTEP IS LAUGHING AT THE GENTLE INSANITY OF YOU, EARTHBOUND PROPHET. Carrying a philosophy that something is right or wrong because it is or is not popular a kinda weak argument based on hipocrysy. If you're *out to appear indy* because it makes you feel special, that only someone such as you can value the meaning of it, but not the masses, some would call that trying to be *cool*. "Stop breathing air, it's gone too mainstream, and the meaning of breathing is getting lost". May the old gods devour your soul with a shot of Sriracha.

[@cthulhusmom]

Ac1dR3FL3X Okay, there's just no call for hostility. First of all, selecting music on whether or not it's popular is not hypocritical, it's just supportive of independent music and possibly musically a little snobbish. Secondly, I don't care about indie anything, I listen to a lot of mainstream music. But you've still misunderstood my point, which is that I don't like the noise surrounding the songs once they become popular. It becomes hard to listen to Iggy Pop when all I can think about is car commercials. It's got nothing to do with 'hipsters,' and believe it or no, this problem existed long before the internet.

[@ianwoskey5925]

cthulhusmom i listen to plenty of popular music, i listen to mostly indie though. i don't care about what is popular and what is not. I just tend to find what the majority likes to be crap.

[@cthulhusmom]

I think the problem, for some of us, is that we may not get to choose how much of a certain kind of music we hear. It's not that I do or don't like popular music, but if a song gets popular I'll hear it over and over again in multiple forums. If I heard this song 5 times a day, every day I would get sick of it.

[@Chimichaow-qn4wn]

The Trumpet though

[@Songguy1985]

Time to cry.

[@cuteHannahHH]

how it hurts.. to listen to these lyrics and have to think a particular someone might be thinking of me just that way.. :(

[@missn9602]

Lover, now that you've left me, I'm glad you're unlovely 'cause if you could take all the heat in your heart and just hang it from you I wouldn't be able to bear the way you cannot love me It's much easier of me to make a monster out of you And so here I go, substituting the glow from your temples All our sighs and our trembles, and each last letter sent you From the cheap little pen of this weak little man The one singing , out his jangling, ringing And hopefully stinging attack upon you Yeah, so here I go, just exploding the hope we'll be speaking some day, years from now, seeking friendship and understanding Yeah, I hope you get angry, and hurt, and have the hardest of landings And I hope your new man thinks of me when he sees what a number I did on you I grow tired of this song, turn my eyes to the blond in the bleachers She's a lovely young creature, I think she's seeking adventure I think she's ready to see that the world isn't so sweet or so tender I won't break her, just bend her, and make her into my new ringer for you I stay in the same comfy town, write the same old songs down, drive the same streets seek the same sense of dull peace, whisper the same sweet words to the chippies The same walk by the road and where the same muddy snow's finally leaving But I'll fight off the spring; I don't want lovely things, I don't want the earth new

[@thatONEmachine]

One of the greatest songs of all time. My ex hated me listening to it because when she cheated I told her I gave my love to a monster. Enjoy boys and ghouls.

[@lumburgapalooza]

@wjgeboers Whether or not you identify with the lyrics isn't the point... it's a character study of the behavior itself, of the immature, adversarial attitude people take towards relationships, and it's worded in a poetic manner. That's the enjoyment of it, not that he's saying something you agree with. Hell, half of Shakespeare's most famous quotes are about murder and incest, that doesn't make them any less (or more) beautifully written and worth enjoyment.

[@degasnomas031]

Unbelievably good...

[@fusscork]

I'll fight off the spring; I don't want lovely things. I don't want the earth new. ♥

[@jullyta]

I love this song!!!

[@StoriesAroundTheFire]

My god the feels

[@senorsleepy2359]

this song is too beautiful

[@javajavahorse]

Epic beyond words

[@HeartbreakingBravery]

I think the implication is that he's hoping to have made a visible effect on her life in some fashion (i see it skewing more positive than negative with sheff's penchant for compassion even in the bleaker narratives)- or be the person she constantly compares others to.

[@oldmansamsay1023]

I think it's a song on self reflection, and understanding that your pain caused you to cause others pain

[@christiansamatis2960]

I wish all the songs i wrote sounded like this. period.

[@ADAPORTH]

Perfect

[@drpato05]

damns my head disk died two weeks a go, now i have to listen this on youtube...damn i really miss all my music :(

[@samhumphries751]

alejandro barragan do you mean hard disk

[@D3C4P17473D]

i like this song

[@charlesrobin8860]

Just makes it easier for me to root for Charles

[@kathrynisobel]

I'd love for someone to talk to me. My boyfriend of 2 years recently cheated on me and has now focused all his attention onto this other girl. and i'm so lonely and so tired and this song is just describing exactly how i feel. I wish he cared about me like he used to, I wish i had someone to talk to who would listen and understand. I feel so alone....

[@mikallaughlin1724]

Kathryn Isobel Hope you’re better now!

[@markwaldorf5140]

Even through the 8 years after your ordeal, you’re not alone in this hurt. I just found this song, just now reading of your pain and wish the best has already come for you. Through all of this time, YOU are making ME feel less alone.

[@SOYDEMONTERREY]

couldnt agree more

[@TheBuzzRead]

we've all been there...hang in there...when you least expect it love will find you...

[@isaacmoto4396]

god i hope so

[@elijahwilliamhunt]

It's from the Overboard and Down EP. I think it was only released in Australia.

[@wilsob26]

that feel, oh god i know that feel. ;_;

[@MasterSplinterP1]

what album is this from? i have the president is dead ep and the version on there is different

[@fullmetal78745]

Where can i find this version of the song?

[@KRSHERprs]

man I used to love this song in my teens, listening it now it's toxic af lol

[@cessnacitationx1]

@MasterSplinterP1 it's from the stage names

[@matteogiovanniperego9949]

Kathryn Isobel Know dat feel bro.

[@forthesleep]

@cuteHannahHH for sure.

[@vemu333]

Can you explain this part? Does he mean mentally scarring her?

[@cheekyxroboxdino]

Four people clearly just don't get it.

[@maprangpatchamon4091]

I wouldn't be able to bear the way you cannot love me. It's much easier of me make a monster out of you.....

[@kreo45]

This song is terrifying. I don't think the monster is the subject of this song.

[@kreo45]

I agree, I dont think either girl is really the monster here... but if this is coping with unrequited love its most certainly the worst way to do it. he's making it the girl's problem when he's the one hung up on it. what have the two women done to even be considered monsters? its not a crime to not love someone back, its not a crime to be a beautiful bystander... so with nobody else left to point to, I really think that the monster is the singer who looked at a girl in the distance and said to himself "im going to fuck up her whole life because things arent good for _me_ ". I mean, what did the blond in the bleachers do to him to justify his wrath? apparently nothing. he claims this song is "a stinging attack" on the woman who wont love him. he goes on to pick a girl from a crowd and says "I won't break her, just bend her, and make her into my new ringer for you". That's awful, you cant change who other people are to suit you, much less as a placebo for someone else, as well as under the guise of romance. and embedded in a song that's an attack on someone who you apparently loved? spooky... people think this way enough to write songs about it. I think he thinks he's the monster and he's struggling with that. that's why its called 'to love a monster'. maybe the first girl was abusive and he's dealing with that. I just find it very scary that nobody in these comments have pointed out those very powerful, poignant lyrics and how grotesque they are. Its always a little hard to follow the plot without reading the lyrics themselves and listening for fun, so Its not like im blaming anyone.

[@weepo2651]

that's what the song is about he knows he's the monster that's why he says it'll be easier to make a monster out of you

[@alexplainlater9770]

The narrator is the monster

[@IfIWereACow]

What girl would even leave Will? o_O

[@igod8054]

when you get the chance to hook up with conor oberst

[@M3iscool]

In that picture he looks like Adam Savage's cousin or something.

[@noahreins1]

LATFH, but great song.

[@1337wafflezz]

lol

[@Justinh789]

no he puts her in a wheelchair from violent sex