Wasteland by Augustana
Now I'm sitting on a plane Lonely flight back to L.A. Don't come back with me So I'll drink myself to sleep Cut my skin until I bleed Hold my breath all the night 'Cause it's 5 o'clock, the hour stops the sunlight The buildings shade the masquerade and kill time, time Hear the sound She was naked on the ground Till I whispered in her ear Come away Watch the dawn break through the day Till the sun is underneath 'Cause it's 5 o'clock, the hour stops the sunlight The buildings shade the masquerade and kill time Here we're nothin' more than fools and whores and sad highs Through the summer sand, we're living in, living in a wasteland No, no, no It's a wasteland It's a wasteland It's a wasteland for me Here we're nothin' more than fools and whores and sad highs Through the summer sand, we're living in, living in a wasteland We're nothin' more than fools and whores and sad highs Through the summer sand, we're living in, we're living in a wasteland It's a wasteland It's a wasteland It's a wasteland for me, for me |
There are many similarities between “Wasteland” by Augustana and T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland, besides their titles. Throughout Eliot’s poem, his nihilistic view of the world and society are portrayed, which are similar to what is presented in the song. This is shown by Augustana in lyrics such as “so I’ll drink myself to sleep/cut my skin until I bleed/ hold my breath all the night” This theme is mirrored in the lyrics “It’s a wasteland/it’s a wasteland for me” throughout the rest of the song. Although Eliot doesn’t explicitly identify his views, a similar theme is clear throughout the poem. Along with the main theme, Augustana also addresses the lust and modern sexuality that Eliot describes throughout The Wasteland, particularly in Part III: The Fire Sermon. In the lyrics she was naked on the ground,” Augustana underlines the meaningless sexual encounter between these two strangers. There is also a similar incident within Eliot’s version of The Wasteland, when a couple engage in a one night stand scenario. The chorus line “here we’re nothin’ more than fools and whores and sad highs” expresses the attitude that nothing is being accomplished, similar to the indifference feelings a women portrays after having sex in Eliot’s poem. Augustana places Eliot’s nihilistic and sexual prespectives in a modern light, still sharing the main theme Eliot communicates.
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