This song is about the artist experiencing a life changing psychedelic trip. The lines may express experiences that happened during his trip or metaphorical insight on the process of birth, life, death, and rebirth.
[Verse 1]
When I was done dying, my conscience regained
So I began my struggle, a nothingness strained
Out a flash made of time, my new form blasted out
And it startled me so and I burst out a shout
At which my legs ran frantic like birds from a nest
And I ran until drained leaving no choice but rest
So I fell asleep softly at the edge of a cave
But I should have gone deeper, but I'm not so brave
And like that I was torn out and thrown in the sky
And I said all my prayers because surely I'll die
As I crashed down and smashed into Earth, into dirt
How my skin did explode leaving only my shirt
But from shirt grew a tree and then tree grew a fruit
And I became the seed and that seed was a brute
And I clawed through the ground with my roots and my leaves
And I tore up the shirt and I ate up the sleeves
And they laughed out at me and said "what is your plan?"
But their question was foreign I could not understand
When then suddenly I'm ripped up and placed into a mouth
And it swallowed me down at which time I head south, so I said
[Chorus]
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
[Verse 2]
Well I woke up to see them, these two mighty steeds
With their mouths grinning wildly expressing my needs
As they stood there above me, being flanked on each side
I felt no need to fear them, no reason to hide
So I reached up to touch, but they faded too soon
Yet, their mouths still remained and stacked up towards the moon
How that ladder of mouth waved so soft in the night
And I looked up in awe at that beautiful sight
And I dreamt about climbing into the night sky
But I knew had I touched them they'd mouth back 'bye bye'
So I got up and walked down the path in the dark
And there, deep in the distance, my eye caught a spark
Of a crab twice my size with incredible strength
Oh, it greeted me kindly and then we all drank
And we drooled out together right onto the ground
And the ocean grew quickly right up all around
And the Earth looked at me and said "wasn't that fun?"
And I replied "I'm sorry if I hurt anyone"
And without even thinking cast me into space
But before she did that she wiped off my own face
She said better luck next time don't worry so much
Without ears I couldn't hear I could just feel the touch
As I fell asleep softly at the edge of a cave
But I should have gone deeper, but I'm not so brave, I said
[Chorus/Outro]
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
Hey ya ya, hey ya ya
Hey ya ya, hey hey hey
When I Was Done Dying was written by Dan Deacon.
When I Was Done Dying was produced by Dan Deacon.
Dan Deacon released When I Was Done Dying on Tue Mar 24 2015.