Lay Yourself Aside

I’ve loved this song for about 20 years. It connects to collapse in a dreamy abstract way that resonates every time I listen. I’m not even sure after all these years how to interpret the refrain “lay yourself aside” in relation to collapse (open to suggestions). Other lyrics are similarly intriguing, and just a few (“..until oceans pass away”) describe post-collapse directly. The brooding intensity builds to a feral kind of rage by the end, and the singer’s very words seem to break down, losing coherence.

I saw the band years ago and Daniel Higgs is very much a post-modern Walt Whitman: long grey beard, balding with long hair, incredibly intense steel blue eyes, all kinds of crazy rings and tattoos.