The Oh Hellos - Eurus (Lyrics)

Lyrics:
spinning that stone uphill again
like atonement for a bygone sin
under the weight of it, my bones
cracking like a dry branch in a westward wind
but Zeus and his pantheon of kin
take the first nine out of every ten
minas, like lightning changing hands
it all returns back to his pockets, in the end
you can't take any gold or rings further than the grave
nothing we make can we bring
but still the bait hanging from the string is calling my name
and like the wind it slips again
out of my fingers
as Fortuna sits idly by,
I spin her wheel with all my might
crushing my kin for warring-wage
minted from the ivory of your tooth and eye
under the table where she dines,
I sit hungry with my mouth foamed white
fighting for crumbs that trickle down
as she finishes her cake, then takes a bite from mine

[@Yooparkeria]

One of my favourite songs. The part where “she finishes her cake and takes a bite of mine!” Is incredible with its harmony

[@spamaccount6946]

honestly? that part made me fall in love with the four winds. and the whole band. i used to scream it so hard whenever i listened to eurus, and my boyfriend never understood what i meant about "the cake". it's so good, i can never get enough of it...

[@tumblingartist]

1:57

[@sheepketchup9059]

​@@spamaccount6946 let them eat cake?

[@a.morphous66]

Welcome in, folks, to AP English Literature. It’s a lovely weather Tuesday, and it’s time for some lyrical analysis!
Eurus is a song about how much wealth inequality sucks. Here’s why.
“Spinning that stone uphill again,
Like atonement for a bygone sin,
Under the weight of it my bones,
Are cracking like a dry branch in a westward wind.”
The narrator references the punishment of Sisyphus, rolling a boulder up a hill again and again only to have it fall down when he reaches the top every time. He compares this punishment to his life, in that all his efforts to gain riches are a futile exercise that will never ultimately earn him any reward. This tantalizing loop is so difficult and painful that it might as well be a punishment for whatever wrongs he once committed.
“Zeus and his pantheon of kin,
Take the first nine out of every ten,
Minas like lightning changing hands,
It all returns back to his pockets in the end.”
The narrator then refers to the gods of Olympus who tasked Sisyphus with pushing his stone. The gods are used as a metaphor for the wealthy upper class who the narrator works for. The “first nine out of every ten” symbolizes the fruits of the narrator’s work being taken from him, and most workers will barely see a fraction of the profits they produce. Minas were a currency in Ancient Greece, and their meaning here is obvious. They change hands among the gods, reflecting the billions of dollars that pass among the rich, but it all stays in the insular system on top rather than making its way to the pockets of the mortals.
“You can’s take any gold or rings,
Further than the grave,
Nothing we make can we bring,
But still the bait hanging from the string,
Is calling my name,
And like the wind, it slips again,
Out of my fingers.”
This verse discusses the folly of greed from a religious perspective. It asserts that, ultimately, wealth means nothing as it can only benefit you in the present and not when you may need it most, when you are judged before God. It implies that you should instead focus on things like knowledge and relationships, things that will make you happy and virtuous. Still, people are driven to seek it out. Most people, including the narrator, never achieve it.
“As Fortuna sits idly by,
I spin her wheel with all my might,
Crushing my kin for warring wage,
Minted from the ivory of your tooth and eye.”
Fortuna is the Roman goddess of luck and fate, and I believe her inclusion in this verse may reflect the lottery of birth. Some are born into wealth, but Fortuna has not favored the narrator and is indifferent to the plight that causes him. The narrator is forced to work for the gods, now spinning Fortuna’s wheel while she ignores him. His family is hurt by war and strife that the gods began and forced them to fight in, and what little they had is simply used to produce more pain and death for others. As a matter of fact, this verse has a lot of similarities to the themes of the song Fortunate Son.
“Under the table where she dines,
I sit hungry with my mouth foamed white,
Fighting for crumbs that trickle down,
As she finishes her cake and takes a bite of mine.”
Finally, we return to the wealth gap. The gods eat lavishly while the narrator starves, sitting under the table and desperately waiting for the scraps of the food that he presumably made to reach him. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Oh Hellos chose to use the term “trickle down”. Even as Fortuna eats more than her fill, she is not satisfied, and she takes even more from what little the narrator has.
This is also a Biblical reference to the tale of Lazarus. “And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table.” (Luke 16:20-21)
In summary, the Oh Hellos are based.

[@shadowgirlcc2086]

This analysis is so good, The Oh Hellos are one of those bands that have such intricate lyrics, and I wish I had something to contribute when talking about them lol. I really love the message of this song

[@wess1911]

Honestly thanks

[@chainsik3817]

I love you, thank you so much

[@sheepketchup9059]

Honestly, thanks.

[@ruki4929]

I love how thematic it is - even if you can't fully understand the lyrical references, you can get a really good feel of what they're singing about regardless. I guess some stories are timeless that way.

[@jackharwood4226]

Maybe it's just me but I can physically hear Sisyphus push his stone in the music. Inch by inch by inch only to loose his grip at the last second and have the stone tumble down

[@kellyire810]

This song speaks wisdom about how the fates toy with material wealth in front of you as you toil away each day of work. It’s a fruitless effort, slips out of your finger, but you still have to do it.
Warring wage “minute from the eye”. And I sit “hungry from the ire”. It’s almost like about how pointless the grind of work really is….

[@Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal]

This is one of my favorite of the oh hellos songs! The lyrics, vocals and instrumentals are just great!!

[@spalsh6501]

It really is a beautiful song

[@kaazimsheikh9034]

I like this because even if you don't understand the references or allusions, you still get what the point of the song is.

[@500k11-o]

Yessssss

[@Phoenix-np1iu]

I think Eurus (the song not the album) is probably the best of all the wind god ones but I think Boreas is a close second

[@capybara6607]

YESYESYESYES

[@WaterMeLoan64]

Yaaaaaaay!

[@kassidytucker8431]

I am begging someone make an instrumental