The Funeral

"The Funeral" is the first single taken from Band of Horses' debut album Everything All the Time. The album was released on March 21, 2006. The song was released as a radio and video single in May 2006 in the US. The single was released commercially over a year later in the UK on limited edition numbered 7" vinyl on May 21, 2007 to coincide with the band's UK tour dates. An earlier version of the song appeared on the band's self-titled EP, under the name 'Billion Day Funeral'. The heavy subject meaning behind the song's lyrics relate to the multiple abortions that various girlfriends of singer Ben Bridwell had to receive during his years living in Seattle. The Music Video for The Funeral seems to tell the story of a man whose dog has died, and saddened by this he drowns his sorrow in alcohol. Afterwards he drives under the influence and the end of the music video seems to suggest he crashes head on into another vehicle. Based on the style other cars and the elevated railroad overhead, the video appears to be set in 1970s New York or Chicago (more likely the latter as one scene in the video shows a sign for the Galway Bay Bar, an Irish pub located in the Lincoln Park neighbourhood).

[Verse 1] I'm coming up only to hold you under I'm coming up only to show you're wrong And to know you is hard, we wonder To know you all wrong, we won [Pre-Chorus] Ooh Ooh [Verse 2] Really too late to call so we wait for Morning to wake you is all we got And to know me as hardly golden Is to know me all wrong, they warn [Chorus] At every occasion, I'll be ready for the funeral At every occasion once more, it's called the funeral At every occasion, oh, I'm ready for the funeral At every occasion, oh, one billion day funeral [Bridge] I'm coming up only to show you down for And coming up only to show you're wrong To the outside, the dead leaves lay on the lawn For they don't have trees to hang upon [Pre-Chorus] Ooh Ooh [Chorus] At every occasion, I'll be ready for the funeral At every occasion once more, it's called the funeral At every occasion, oh, I'm ready for the funeral At every occasion, oh, one billion day funeral [Bridge] I'm coming up only to show you down for And coming up only to show you're wrong To the outside, the dead leaves lay on the lawn For they don't have trees to hang upon [Outro] Ooh Ooh