The Old Witch Sleep and the Good Man Grace Lyrics
There's a fire burning
And I'm learning to be
So much more than my tiredness
So much more than that old witch sleep wishes
She kisses my eyelids
And I breathe
"You don't have to be brilliant"
She says as she scrolls
Through the roles that the millions
Of hollering hollow folk know how to play
It's okay
They're just shadows searching for light
They can't stay
[Verse 1: Joey Batey]
"Sleep now", oh, she says
"Tomorrow's jokes have yet to be laughed at or said
Just rest now", she moans
Then the hollow folk come
Pour me wine by my bed
And their dead hollers hum at the things that I've said
And say no, no, no, no
[Chorus: Joey Batey]
'Cause you are in the earth of me
You are in the earth of me
My head's not yours, it's mine
'Cause you are in the earth of me
Somehow now I'm drinking
And I'm lifting my glass
To that last good man grace
Who has left me, he's left me at last
And I laugh, and I laugh
'Cause laughing right now, it's all, it's all that I have
[Pre-Chorus: Joey Batey]
"You're better than this"
He says as a hand slaps my face and I stand
And say no good man grace
I can't do this (You can)
I can't do this (You can)
I can't do this (You can)
I can't do this you don't understand
[Verse 3: Joey Batey]
"Oh sleep now", oh, she pleads
You're not a coward 'cause you cower
You're brave because they broke you
Yet broken still you breathe
So breathe, breathe just breathe
[Pre-Chorus: Joey Batey]
Then the hollow folk pour me
Another shard full of glass
And I toast to their talents
And I forgive them at last
'Cause I know, oh I know, I know
That you are in the earth of me
You are in the earth of me
My head's not yours, it's mine
And I'll take my fucking time
'Cause I know, I know, I know
Let's bury this
[Bridge: Joey Batey]
I'm all yours
But you're all mine
Let's dance together
You and I
'Cause I'm not trapped
With you, you see
You're the one who's
Trapped with me
'Cause I've been here so many times before
Don't you think I look pretty
Curled up on this bathroom floor
But where you see weakness I see wit
Sometimes I fall to pieces
Just to see what bits of me don't fit
'Cause when I stand, oh all those folks will run
And tell the tales of what I've become
They'll speak of me in whispered tones
And say my name like it shakes their bones
'Cause we'll dance together so close we're sharing breath
But now I'm leading, doesn't that just scare you to death
'Cause I'm all yours
You're all mine
Let's dance together
You and I
With you you see
You're the one who's
Trapped with me oh oh
Oh
Oh-oh
[Chorus: Joey Batey]
'Cause you are in the earth of me
You are in the earth of me
My head's not yours, it's mine
And I'll take my fucking time
'Cause I know, I know, I know
About
This song seems to deal with a man trying to fight his demons by giving away a piece of his sanity to get closer to said-demons and affirm that he’s done trying to be good and that now that he’s a bit mad, they cannot harm him anymore as he faces them.
So basically, it’s a person regaining control over their mind and their body, just as much as it’s a version of the eternal tale of the balance in all things and all beings, and more precisely of good getting a little bad to have enough power to confront evil.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.The Calling
- 4.Blossoms
- 5.Chords
- 6.The Old Witch Sleep and the Good Man Grace
- 7.Ruin
- 8.Inkpot Gods
this song is EVERYTHING
when he said “lets bury this” i lost it
what I wouldn’t give to see this live
if you don’t lose your shit from the “let’s bury this” bit to the end, well, life can’t do anything for you anymore
I think this song is a lot less literal and narrative than the annotations are saying. I think it’s a more abstract story of reclaiming your identity and finding strength in things that previously hurt you.
The bridge of this song changed who I am as a person
this song does things
Holy fucking shit this song is good.
This song makes me feel like I can raze kingdoms to the ground
I would argue that the old witch and the good man grace are the personification of two opposite forces each trying to shape the narrator into their likeness, and both have good and bad aspects, so the point of the song is the narrator finding their own identity between the two, after the push/pull of the old witch and good man end up breaking them. The old witch is a representation of yes, rest and giving up on being perfect, but also nihilism and apathy and depression, while the good man is a representation of caring about and putting in effort and work into something, which can lead to perfectionism and burnout, which are the mirrors to the Old Witch. And when the narrator drinks the glass poured by the hollow folk, that’s the moment of realization and forgiveness of the hollow folk who gave into the Old Witch, but also when the fight to reclaim themselves from both forces starts (the bridge), and the rest of the song is addressed to both of them. Both the old witch and the good man are intrinsic parts of all of us (the desire to care and work vs the desire to give up and rest), they are “in the earth” of us, and it’s easy to give in to either side entirely, but being broken and putting yourself back together somewhere between the two is worth it.
