Perhaps the most understated of all of the “Neighboorhood” tracks from Funeral, “7 Kettles” is Butler’s reflection on the inevitable passage of time. The ‘watched pot’ in the refrain is time itself. Butler says that people feel that they can stop time if they ‘watch’ it or focus on a particular mome...
[Verse 1]
I am waiting 'til I don't know when
'Cause I'm sure it's gonna happen then
Time keeps creepin' through the neighborhood
Killing old folks, waking up babies just like we knew it would
[Verse 2]
All the neighbors are starting up a fire
Burning all the old folks, the witches and the liars
My eyes are covered by the hands of my unborn kids
But my heart keeps watching through the skin of my eyelids
[Chorus 1]
They say a watched pot won't ever boil
Well I closed my eyes and nothing changed
Just some water getting hotter in the flames
[Verse 3]
It's not a lover I want no more
And it's not heaven I'm pining for
But there's some spirit I used to know
That's been drowned out by the radio!
[Chorus 2]
They say a watched pot won't ever boil
You can't raise a baby on motor oil
Just like a seed down in the soil, you've got to give it time
Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) was written by Arcade Fire.
Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) was produced by Arcade Fire.
Arcade Fire released Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) on Tue Sep 14 2004.