“Shiva” describes the moment when the girl (Sylvia) passes away, and the feeling that the boy feels at her death.
“Shiva” is also a Jewish tradition where upon the death of first-degree relatives families mourn for seven days, keeping with the theme of the girl’s (Sylvia’s) death.
[Chorus]
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
And the monitors beeped the last time
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
And all of them empty but mine
[Verse 1]
Well, I was lying down with my feet in the air
Completely unable to move
The bed was misshapen, and awkward and tall
And clearly intended for you
[Verse 2]
You checked yourself out when you put me to bed
And tore that old band off your wrist
But you came back to see me for a minute or less
And left me your ring in my fist
[Verse 3]
My hair started growing, my face became yours
My femur was breaking in half
The sensation was scissors and too much to scream
So instead, I just started to laugh
[Chorus]
Suddenly every machine stopped at once
And the monitors beeped the last time
Hundreds of thousands of hospital beds
And all of them empty but mine
Shiva was written by Peter Silberman.
Shiva was produced by The Antlers.
The Antlers released Shiva on Mon Mar 23 2009.