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* WordSaladLyrics: A few times, but especially this passage from ''Ladder Song'':
-->''Welcome the new age / all covered in warrior paint / the lights from the jungle / go up to the sky / see now a star's born / looks just like a blood orange / don't it just make ya wanna cry / precious friend of mine?''
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* SelfDeprecation: ''A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997'' features a negative review in the liner notes that describes the collection as a "20 song torture hour".
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* AddledAddict: The narrator and his girlfriend in "Lua".
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* SomethingBlues: "Land Locked Blues".
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* PatterSong: "The Calendar Hung Itself".

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* PatterSong: "The Calendar Hung Itself".Itself", "The City Has Sex".
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* IntercourseWithYou: "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)": ("First with your hands, then with your mouth, a downpour of sweat, damp cotton clouds...")

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* AllLoveIsUnrequited: A staple of their early music; examples include "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" and "Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh".



* ThePowerOfLove: "First Day of My Life".

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* ThePowerOfLove: "First Day of My Life".Life" (romantic love), "Let's Not Shit Ourselves" (familial love / love in general).

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* EitherOrTitle: ''Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground''



* ObsessionSong: "The Calendar Hung Itself".



* PatterSong: "The Calendar Hung Itself".



* TheSomethingSong: "Kathy With A K's Song".



* TakeThatCritics: The lines "I do not read the reviews / No, I am not singing for you" from "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".



* ThisIsASong: "Kathy With A K's Song".
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better fit for Oberst's page


* OlderThanTheyLook: Oberst is now nearing 40, ''nothing'' about him, not his face, hair or even his ''name'' doesn't say "kid".
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* BSide: One of their most famous songs, "When the President Talks to God", is a B-Side to "First Day of My Life".
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* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream: The subject of a scathing taking-down in ''At the Bottom of Everything".


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* ThePowerOfFriendship: "Bowl of Oranges" is about how empathy and understanding go a long way toward making someone's life better.
* ThePowerOfLove: "First Day of My Life".


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* SelfParody: The fake interviews at the beginning of the albums.


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* TextlessAlbumCover: ''I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'', ''Fevers and Mirrors'', ''The People's Key'', ''Letting Off the Happiness''.
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* EmoTeen: Oberst had this reputation during the band's early years (not helped by his choice in haircuts).


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* {{Guyliner}}: Oberst, occasionally.

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* BreakUpSong: "The Calendar Hung Itself", "It's Cool, We Can Still Be Friends".



** "Reinvent the Wheel", an upbeat song about the death of Music/ElliottSmith.



* NonindicativeName: "Oberst" means "[[UsefulNotes/CommonRanks Colonel]]" in [[BilingualBonus German]]. Nothing could suit the peace-loving Conor less.



* OneWomanSong: "Lua".

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* OneWomanSong: "Lua"."Lua", "Kathy With A K's Song".



* NonindicativeName: "Oberst" means "[[UsefulNotes/CommonRanks Colonel]]" in [[BilingualBonus German]]. Nothing could suit the peace-loving Conor less.

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* NonindicativeName: "Oberst" means "[[UsefulNotes/CommonRanks Colonel]]" in [[BilingualBonus German]]. Nothing could suit ** "At the peace-loving Conor less.Bottom of Everything" is a TakeThat against the capitalist society and materialistic life goals.


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* ThisIsASong: "Kathy With A K's Song".
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The band is currently on indefinite hiatus, with the band members still maintaining working relationships. Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott have both showed up either live or guested in studio recordings for Conor Oberst. Walcott and Mogis composed the score to Film/TheFaultInOurStars in 2014, and have recorded with Music/FirstAidKit who have acted as backup for Conor's live act several times.

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The band is currently on indefinite hiatus, with the band members still maintaining working relationships. Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott have both showed up either live or guested in studio recordings for Conor Oberst. Walcott and Mogis composed the score to Film/TheFaultInOurStars in 2014, and have recorded with Music/FirstAidKit First Aid Kit who have acted as backup for Conor's live act several times.



** "Love I Don't Have to Love": "I asked the name, you asked the time" mirrors Holden Caulfield's failed tryst with a prostitute in ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye''.

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** "Love I Don't Have to Love": "I asked the your name, you asked the time" mirrors Holden Caulfield's failed tryst with a prostitute in ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye''.

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* {{Angst}}: Their songs normally deal with depression, substance abuse, political instability and failed relationships.



* BrokenBird: The eponymous "Lua" is stick-thin from drug abuse and has "a heavy heart".



* CynicismCatalyst: A failed FriendsWithBenefits situation turns the narrator of "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" into a cold-blooded Casanova.



* GarageBand: As mentioned in "The City has Sex", the first couple of albums were recorded on a four-track in Oberst's basement.



* MetalScream: Done in some songs, like "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".

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* MetalScream: Done in some songs, like "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".Ourselves" and "The City has Sex".


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* ShoutOut:
** "Love I Don't Have to Love": "I asked the name, you asked the time" mirrors Holden Caulfield's failed tryst with a prostitute in ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye''.
** "Reinvent the Wheel" is commonly assumed to be about Music/ElliottSmith.

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Bright Eyes was an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of Music/ConorOberst, Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and [[RevolvingDoorBand various other musicians]]. Oberst, amongst others defined Saddle Creek Records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

One of the first indie bands to gain mainstream success, Bright Eyes had two singles, "Lua" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)," that reached the top of the Billboard charts. Their respective albums, ''I'm Wide Awake It's Morning'' and ''Digital Ash in a Digital Urn'' were released simultaneously, and are two of the best received indie albums of the TurnOfTheMillennium.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brighteyes_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: Mogis, Oberst, Walcott.]]

Bright Eyes was an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of guitarist and singer-songwriter Music/ConorOberst, producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis, trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott Walcott, and [[RevolvingDoorBand various other musicians]]. Oberst, amongst others defined Saddle Creek Records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward They were known for introspective, confessional lyrics when writing lyrics, as well as for Bright Eyes defining the Omaha indie scene and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

bringing national attention to their label Saddle Creek Records (and, later, another independent label, Team Love Records).

One of the first indie bands to gain mainstream success, Bright Eyes had two singles, "Lua" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)," that reached the top of the Billboard charts.charts (peaking at #1 and #2, in that order). Their respective albums, ''I'm Wide Awake It's Morning'' and ''Digital Ash in a Digital Urn'' were released simultaneously, and are two of the best received indie albums of the TurnOfTheMillennium.



* AlbumTitleDrop: ''I'm Wide Awake It's Morning'' gets its name from the album's final song, ''Road to Joy''.

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* AlbumTitleDrop: ''I'm Wide Awake It's Morning'' gets its name from the album's final song, ''Road "Road to Joy''.Joy".
* AlliterativeName: '''M'''ike '''M'''ogis.



* AnimatedMusicVideo: "Bowl of Oranges".

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* AnimatedMusicVideo: The partially stop-motion "Bowl of Oranges".



* BittersweetEnding: "Let's Not Shit Ourselves", a 10-minute rant against society and politics, ends with the narrator waking up in a hospital after a presumed overdose. His father is there and tells him he's not angry and loves him unconditionally, and the song ends with the narrator musing:

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* BittersweetEnding: "Let's Not Shit Ourselves", a 10-minute rant against society and politics, ends with has the narrator waking wake up in a hospital after a presumed overdose. His father is there and tells him he's not angry and loves him unconditionally, and the song ends with the narrator musing:



* ImprobableAge: Oberst started the band in his mid-teens, and up until his mid-twenties all reviews, interviews and articles made sure to make note of his young age.
* LastNoteNightmare: The sinister instrumentals at the end of the otherwise sweet "Bowl of Orange".
* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: "An Attempt To Tip The Scales" segues into a mock-interview via a repeating ambient loop, which continues repeating in the background for several minutes - Finally, Conor Oberst politely asks his interviewer "Can you make that sound stop, please?", and the background music abruptly stops as the conversation continues.

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* {{Groupie}}: The girl the narrator sleeps with in "Lover I Don't Have to Love".
* ImprobableAge: Oberst started the band in his mid-teens, and up until his mid-twenties all reviews, interviews and articles made sure to make note of mention his young age.
* LastNoteNightmare: The sinister instrumentals at the end of the otherwise sweet "Bowl of Orange".
Oranges".
* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: "An Attempt To Tip The Scales" segues into a mock-interview via a repeating ambient loop, which continues repeating in the background for several minutes - Finally, finally, Conor Oberst politely asks his interviewer "Can you make that sound stop, please?", and the background music abruptly stops as the conversation continues.



* LoveHurts: States in so many words in "Lover I Don't Have to Love".

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* LoveHurts: States Stated in so many words in "Lover I Don't Have to Love".


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* OneManSong: "Padraic My Prince".


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* RevolvingDoorBand: The three permanent members collaborated with dozens of other musicians over the years.
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* EmpatheticEnvironment: played straight in "First Day of My Life", subverted in "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)".

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* EmpatheticEnvironment: EmpathicEnvironment: played straight in "First Day of My Life", subverted in "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)".

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* AlternateIndie: The band that brought national attention to the Omaha indie scene.

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* AlternateIndie: AlternativeIndie: The band that brought national attention to the Omaha indie scene.



* BigApplesauce: The setting of "Lua".



* {{Bishonen}}: Early on in his career, Oberst was known for his waifish appearance as much as for his songwriting skill.



* CelebrityIsOverrated: "Land Locked Blues" mentions "the devils of fame"; "Lover I Don't Have to Love" and "Lua" are about groupie sex and the difficulties of balancing a relationship and a rock'n'roll lifestyle.



* CueTheSun: "First Day of My Life".
-->''I went out in the rain, suddenly everything changed, they're spreading blankets on the beach''.
* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Digital Ash in a Digital Urn'' is this to ''I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'', the album released on the same day.



** "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" is a cynical take on SexAsRiteOfPassage, with a young man losing his virginity to an older woman, and feeling upset and empty after the fact.

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** "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" is a cynical take on SexAsRiteOfPassage, with a young man losing his virginity to an older woman, a platonic friend who doesn't want a relationship, and feeling upset and empty after the fact.


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* EmpatheticEnvironment: played straight in "First Day of My Life", subverted in "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)".


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* FriendsWithBenefits: a sad example in "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)".


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* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Oberst at some times during his twenties.


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* MetalScream: Done in some songs, like "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".


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* RecycledLyrics: "They're spreading blankets on the beach" is used in both "First Day of My Life" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)".

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* AbusiveParents: In "The Calendar hung Itself", the narrator mentions kissing "a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her".

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* AbusiveParents: In "The Calendar hung Hung Itself", the narrator mentions kissing "a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her".


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* AnimatedMusicVideo: "Bowl of Oranges".
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* StudioChatter / ThrowItIn: At both the end and the beginning of "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".
* ToTheTuneOf: "Road To Joy", as the title hints, takes its melody from Music/{{Beethoven}}'s "Ode To Joy".

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* StudioChatter / ThrowItIn: StudioChatter: At both the end and the beginning of "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".
* ToTheTuneOf: "Road To Joy", as the title hints, takes its melody from Music/{{Beethoven}}'s Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's "Ode To Joy".

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Bright Eyes was an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and [[RevolvingDoorBand various other musicians]]. Oberst, amongst others defined Saddle Creek Records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

to:

Bright Eyes was an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska consisting of Conor Oberst, Music/ConorOberst, Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and [[RevolvingDoorBand various other musicians]]. Oberst, amongst others defined Saddle Creek Records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.



* AlternateIndie: The band that brought national attention to the Omaha indie scene.



* DistinctDoubleAlbum: ''Digital Ash in a Digital Urn'' and ''I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'' were released simultaneously; the former is darker with music that is mostly electronic, while the latter is more upbeat with live instrumentation.



* FolkMusic: The band were often classified as folk, especially during the ''Lifted'' / ''I'm Wide Awake'' era.
* ImprobableAge: Oberst started the band in his mid-teens, and up until his mid-twenties all reviews, interviews and articles made sure to make note of his young age.
* LastNoteNightmare: The sinister instrumentals at the end of the otherwise sweet "Bowl of Orange".



* LongTitle: ''Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground''.



* RockMeAmadeus: "Road to Joy", done ToTheTuneOf, surprise, "Ode to Joy".
* ShortTitleLongElaborateSubtitle: ''Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground''.



* StudioChatter/ThrowItIn: At bpth the end and the beginning of "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".

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* StudioChatter/ThrowItIn: StudioChatter / ThrowItIn: At bpth both the end and the beginning of "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".Ourselves".
* ToTheTuneOf: "Road To Joy", as the title hints, takes its melody from Music/{{Beethoven}}'s "Ode To Joy".
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* StudioChatter/ThrowItIn: At bpth the end and the beginning of "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".
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-->''How grateful I was then to be part of th mystery,''

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-->''How grateful I was then to be part of th the mystery,''
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-->''How grateful I was then to be part of a mystery,''
-->''To love and to be loved,'''

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-->''How grateful I was then to be part of a th mystery,''
-->''To love and to be loved,'''loved,''
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--> ''How grateful I was then to be part of a mystery,''//
''To love and to be loved,''//
''Let's just hope that is enough.''

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--> ''How -->''How grateful I was then to be part of a mystery,''//
''To
mystery,''
-->''To
love and to be loved,''//
''Let's
loved,'''
-->''Let's
just hope that is enough.''
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--> ''How grateful I was then to be part of a mystery,''
--> ''To love and to be loved,''
--> ''Let's just hope that is enough.''

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--> ''How grateful I was then to be part of a mystery,''
-->
mystery,''//
''To love and to be loved,''
-->
loved,''//
''Let's just hope that is enough.''
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* Eleven O'Clock Number: The 10-minute "Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)" closes ''Lifted...''.

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* Eleven O'Clock Number: ElevenOClockNumber: The 10-minute "Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)" closes ''Lifted...''.



* Long Title: ''Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground''.

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* Long Title: LongTitle: ''Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground''.
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* NewSoundAlbum: The earliest albums are emo/lo-fi rock, ''Lifted'' and ''I'm Wide Awake It's Morning'' are folk/Americana, and the later albums have an electronic/pop direction.
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* BittersweetEnding: "Let's Not Shit Ourselves", a 10-minute rant against society and politics, ends with the narrator waking up in a hospital after a presumed overdose. His father is there and tells him he's not angry and loves him unconditionally, and the song ends with the narrator musing:
--> ''How grateful I was then to be part of a mystery,''
--> ''To love and to be loved,''
--> ''Let's just hope that is enough.''
* BSODSong: the angry, shout-y, rant-y "Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and to be Loved)".
* ButLiquorIsQuicker: "Lua", about a relationship fueled by drugs and binge drinking.
* CallBack: It is speculated that the [[NoodleIncident vague overdose-related Chicago incident]] in "Let's Not Shit Ourselves" is the same one that was previously mentioned in "The Calendar Hung Itself".
* ChristmasSongs: Recorded for the ''Christmas Album'' in 2002.
* CoverAlbum: ''Christmas Album'' (2002).


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* DestructiveRomance: "Lua".
* DrivenToSuicide: The narrator of "The Calendar Hung Itself" and possibly the narrator of "Let's Not Shit Ourselves" (in both cases they don't actually go through with it).


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* Eleven O'Clock Number: The 10-minute "Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)" closes ''Lifted...''.


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* EpicRocking: "Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and To Be Loved)", "The Big Picture" and "An Attempt to Tip the Scales" are all 8 to 10 minutes long.


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* Long Title: ''Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground''.
* LoveConfession: "First Day of My Life".
* LoveHurts: States in so many words in "Lover I Don't Have to Love".


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* NonAppearingTitle: "Lua", "Let's Not Shit Ourselves".


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* WhamLine: "Let's Not Shit Ourselves" starts out as a rant against society and politics, until switching gears at a roughly 6-minute mark:
-->''Well I awoke in relief, my sheets and tubes were all tangled, weak from whiskey and pills in a Chicago hospital''.

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