Fleet Foxes — Helplessness Blues
Album: Helplessness BluesAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 1801
Length: 4:55
Plays (last 30 days): 2
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I was raised up believing
I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes
Unique in each way you'd conceive
And now after some thinking
I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery
Serving something beyond me
But I don't, I don't know what that will be
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see
What's my name, what's my station
Oh just tell me what I should do
I don't need to be kind to the armies of night
That would do such injustice to you
Or bow down and be grateful
And say "Sure take all that you see"
To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls
And determine my future for me
And I don't, I don't know who to believe
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see
If I know only one thing
It's that every thing that I see
Of the world outside is so inconceivable
Often I barely can speak
Yeah I'm tongue tied and dizzy
And I can't keep it to myself
What good is it to sing helplessness blues?
Why should I wait for anyone else?
And I know, I know you will keep me on the shelf
I'll come back to you someday soon myself
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm raw
If i had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
And you would wait tables
And soon run the store
Gold hair in the sunlight
My light in the dawn
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
Someday I'll be
Like the man on the screen
I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes
Unique in each way you'd conceive
And now after some thinking
I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery
Serving something beyond me
But I don't, I don't know what that will be
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see
What's my name, what's my station
Oh just tell me what I should do
I don't need to be kind to the armies of night
That would do such injustice to you
Or bow down and be grateful
And say "Sure take all that you see"
To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls
And determine my future for me
And I don't, I don't know who to believe
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see
If I know only one thing
It's that every thing that I see
Of the world outside is so inconceivable
Often I barely can speak
Yeah I'm tongue tied and dizzy
And I can't keep it to myself
What good is it to sing helplessness blues?
Why should I wait for anyone else?
And I know, I know you will keep me on the shelf
I'll come back to you someday soon myself
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm raw
If i had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
And you would wait tables
And soon run the store
Gold hair in the sunlight
My light in the dawn
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
Someday I'll be
Like the man on the screen
Comments (107)add comment
Reminds me of John Belushi dressed in a Toga, smashing an annoying hippies' guitar in Animal House...! 
Roguewarer wrote:
Fleet Foxes are fantastic!
To me, there’s something so melancholic and soothing about their harmonies and sound. I’ve liked them since I first heard & discovered them here (ty, RP!)
idunno. Hate me for liking them, but I like their music.
bluegroper wrote:
You lucky ducky!!
Fleet Foxes in concert last Saturday night (with The National) was awesome.
You lucky ducky!!
bluegroper wrote:
Now, you tell us. If you had posted before the concert, a few more of us could have joined you.
Fleet Foxes in concert last Saturday night (with The National) was awesome.
Now, you tell us. If you had posted before the concert, a few more of us could have joined you.
BobHeisler wrote:
I do not think that word means what you think it means
Inconceivable
I do not think that word means what you think it means
Fleet Foxes in concert last Saturday night (with The National) was awesome.
kazoo wrote:
I'd orchard in the morning . . .
I'd orchard in the evening . . .
all over this land
If I had an orchard
I'd say so in every verse
I'd orchard in the morning . . .
I'd orchard in the evening . . .
all over this land
LeftShoe wrote:
I don't hear any discordance in this song and I have very sensitive hearing. I think it's a great song.
I don't hear any discordance in this song and I have very sensitive hearing. I think it's a great song.
To me, there’s something so melancholic and soothing about their harmonies and sound. I’ve liked them since I first heard & discovered them here (ty, RP!)
idunno. Hate me for liking them, but I like their music.
idunno. Hate me for liking them, but I like their music.
If I know only one thing
It's that every thing that I see
Of the world outside is so inconceivable
Often I barely can speak
Skydog wrote:
2.
on the rankings 3 is a ho hum
2 is a marginal
shouldn't it be the other way around?
until i know for sure i don't know if
i should give it a 2 or 3
2.
Hot Damn! Gimme that guitar, wide belt, and flannel shirt!
Absolutely love this tune!
This band is everything that is wrong with the world ..dreadful. You hold the name Fleet Foxes into a mirror and it spells Maroon Mumford Nickleback.
If I had an orchard I'd eat lots of fruit!
LeftShoe wrote:
Set my people free!! Oops, that was another movie.
Set my people free!! Oops, that was another movie.
If I had an orchard
I'd say so in every verse
I'd say so in every verse
Some sort of anthem for the little millenials
never liked too much of fleet foxes, but once in a while they fit perfectly. i prefer first aid kit and S&G :)
Outstanding : )
My plea is soon to be answered, I understand. Excellent.
mardisoninnc wrote:
Please come back and bless us with some new music, Fleet Foxes!
What a nice song — never heard of the Fleet Foxes. Thanks RP!
Please come back and bless us with some new music, Fleet Foxes!
Amazing band...or at least they were. Surprised the score for this song isn't "up there".
love the feeling this song gives me thanks RP
Skydog wrote:
No, it should not be the other way around.
There you go. Carry on.
on the rankings 3 is a ho hum
2 is a marginal
shouldn't it be the other way around?
until i know for sure i don't know if
i should give it a 2 or 3
2 is a marginal
shouldn't it be the other way around?
until i know for sure i don't know if
i should give it a 2 or 3
No, it should not be the other way around.
There you go. Carry on.
Fleet Foxes are not amoung my favourite bands but sometimes, they come up with a little piece of brilliance, like 'Your protector' or 'Drops in the river'.
This one is not at this level, but it still enjoyable :)
This one is not at this level, but it still enjoyable :)
I very much like this
not sure why but that is the beauty of music
the right combinations of tones and words pull forth feelings from you and engage you
also the wonder of radio paradise is you'll never know what your going to hear next
a one or a ten, it really makes no difference
Thanks Guys
not sure why but that is the beauty of music
the right combinations of tones and words pull forth feelings from you and engage you
also the wonder of radio paradise is you'll never know what your going to hear next
a one or a ten, it really makes no difference
Thanks Guys
Sorta gets worse every time I hear it. I generally like Fleet Foxes, but this one seems to grate a little.
on the rankings 3 is a ho hum
2 is a marginal
shouldn't it be the other way around?
until i know for sure i don't know if
i should give it a 2 or 3
2 is a marginal
shouldn't it be the other way around?
until i know for sure i don't know if
i should give it a 2 or 3
rcurrier wrote:
I have spoken, so you poor misguided souls please stop enjoying this song and down-rate it so Bill gets the hint.
If you've been listening to any length of time, you'd realize that a low rating rarely stops Bill from playing a song he clearly likes. As it should be.
I have spoken, so you poor misguided souls please stop enjoying this song and down-rate it so Bill gets the hint.
If you've been listening to any length of time, you'd realize that a low rating rarely stops Bill from playing a song he clearly likes. As it should be.
madaxeman wrote:
I suggest getting your ears syringed then consult an audiologist.
I did what you suggested. It sounds even worse now, didn't think that would be possible.
I suggest getting your ears syringed then consult an audiologist.
I did what you suggested. It sounds even worse now, didn't think that would be possible.
Just enjoying the different comments making me laugh. My perspective is they are at least attempting to be musically oriented and wear influences on sleeve. However it is rather boring!!
peregrin wrote:
I suggest getting your ears syringed then consult an audiologist.
Everything this band does is just damn annoying. Horrible discordant sound that just drones on and on.
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm raw
If i had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
I'll buy you a god-damn orchard if you just stop singing.
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm raw
If i had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
I'll buy you a god-damn orchard if you just stop singing.
I suggest getting your ears syringed then consult an audiologist.
Could be worse, but I no longer have the energy to explore how.
gah haters! take a pill. 7! 
Everything this band does is just damn annoying. Horrible discordant sound that just drones on and on.
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm raw
If i had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
I'll buy you a god-damn orchard if you just stop singing.
If I had an orchard
I'd work till I'm raw
If i had an orchard
I'd work till I'm sore
I'll buy you a god-damn orchard if you just stop singing.
I'm clearly not as cool as everyone who is hating on this track as I love it. I love the melody, instrumentation, gorgeous harmonies and above all the "no man an island" sincere sentiment behind it. Ayn Rand would not approve but I'm all for it.
the song is irritating. 3.
Were the lyrics and music written separately and jammed together at the last minute?
I admire the singers ability to sqeeze/stretch the lyrics to fit, but it 'feels' wrong that he had to.
Their albums are very similar songs like their using a copy of one that was successful. I don't see an original idea on any of their songs.
Buy this may just be me!
Buy this may just be me!
dwlangham wrote:
As someone who listens to a lot of "real" folk music, I know exactly what you mean.
What started as a pleasant enough song 1000 plays ago now triggers both my mute and gag reflexes. Not sure what it is about this genre--and this song in particular--that drives me quite so crazy. I usually reserve that reaction for Cake songs.
I have spoken, so you poor misguided souls please stop enjoying this song and down-rate it so Bill gets the hint.
There's a neo-folky tendency I'm tired of. Mumford and Sons. Boy and Bear. Fleet Foxes. Part anthem, part dirge. Totally not to my liking.
As someone who listens to a lot of "real" folk music, I know exactly what you mean.
What started as a pleasant enough song 1000 plays ago now triggers both my mute and gag reflexes. Not sure what it is about this genre--and this song in particular--that drives me quite so crazy. I usually reserve that reaction for Cake songs.
I have spoken, so you poor misguided souls please stop enjoying this song and down-rate it so Bill gets the hint.
Sounding very 60's. Pretty conservative stuff.
High--I think it means he is questioning the slogans (lies). He was taught one slogan, and now he is thinking in terms of another slogan. It's all bullshit in the end.
"And now after some thinking
I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery"
Waaa?! What an irony....sung most probably as the progeny of a generation that was anti-establishment as it gets. In any case.....Why boy....with that sort of attitude I's gots a stellar Army recruiter just dyin' to meet 'cha don't'cha know? Heh!
I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery"
Waaa?! What an irony....sung most probably as the progeny of a generation that was anti-establishment as it gets. In any case.....Why boy....with that sort of attitude I's gots a stellar Army recruiter just dyin' to meet 'cha don't'cha know? Heh!
A few too many "I"s and "me"s in this one for me...
9 -->10
dig wrote:
Agreed. It's easy for me to see how FF wouldn't be everyone's cuppa tea. But something about them, I like.
I try not to over analyze these guys. You either like them or you don't. I like them.
Agreed. It's easy for me to see how FF wouldn't be everyone's cuppa tea. But something about them, I like.
dwlangham wrote:
agreed.
There's a neo-folky tendency I'm tired of. Mumford and Sons. Boy and Bear. Fleet Foxes. Part anthem, part dirge. Totally not to my liking.
agreed.
Carl wrote:
So did I at first; not so much after a few more examples, which seem more and more similar every time I hear them. To me it's like they have this one song going on and rework it ad infinitum.
somewhere bono is quoted as saying that most bands have a fast song and a slow song, and everything's a variation of those. i'd agree here that fleet foxes is more like that statement than other bands... i feel old saying this, but all of the popular folk-singer-guitar bands of the fleet fox ilk seem to blend in for me in the same way. the singing voices come off twee and repetitious. and in that veign, florence and the machine is particularly egregious.
could be me, i will grant...
So did I at first; not so much after a few more examples, which seem more and more similar every time I hear them. To me it's like they have this one song going on and rework it ad infinitum.
somewhere bono is quoted as saying that most bands have a fast song and a slow song, and everything's a variation of those. i'd agree here that fleet foxes is more like that statement than other bands... i feel old saying this, but all of the popular folk-singer-guitar bands of the fleet fox ilk seem to blend in for me in the same way. the singing voices come off twee and repetitious. and in that veign, florence and the machine is particularly egregious.
could be me, i will grant...
There's a neo-folky tendency I'm tired of. Mumford and Sons. Boy and Bear. Fleet Foxes. Part anthem, part dirge. Totally not to my liking.
dig wrote:
So did I at first; not so much after a few more examples, which seem more and more similar every time I hear them. To me it's like they have this one song going on and rework it ad infinitum.
I try not to over analyze these guys. You either like them or you don't. I like them.
So did I at first; not so much after a few more examples, which seem more and more similar every time I hear them. To me it's like they have this one song going on and rework it ad infinitum.
Inane
Hard times
Hard times
Come again no more
Hard times
Come again no more
the lyrics are an anthem for my confused generation--just wish it was something I could sing along to.
I try not to over analyze these guys. You either like them or you don't. I like them.
Next Song Please.
While I wholeheartedly agree that this falls into the category of overwrought, bearded folk, it still manages to tug at something down deep and every time I hear it that emotional pull doesn't subside.
it ain't blues by any stretch, beats hell outa rap/crap...
I think jdemmers is right. The harmonies and masturbatory strumming are just irritating.
I don't get all the hate for these guys.
I like them
I like them
For some reason (I suspect the irritating quality of their harmonies) these guys bug the hell out of me. Highly overrated.
..why do i catch undertones of Simon & Garfunkel from these cats?..prolly just me, and they don't measure up to That standard (yet, at least)..still nothing wrong with this one..nothing overwhelming either, but not every tune is a magnum opus..
Stingray wrote:
Big red font doesn't make it any less ignorant, Ray.
Why is frantic string-strumming the 'coolest' thing going in music these days? This sounds like the same crap as Mumford & Son.
I AGREE WITH THE ORIGINAL COMMENT!
200%
Big red font doesn't make it any less ignorant, Ray.
Why is frantic string-strumming the 'coolest' thing going in music these days? This sounds like the same crap as Mumford & Son.
jhorton wrote:
I nominate this for the most ignorant comment ever posted on RP.
I AGREE WITH THE ORIGINAL COMMENT!
200%
SUPER SUCKO!
Ohh...Brave New World... Aldous Huxley would be pleased too, much thanks!
bjesch wrote:
Fleet Foxes came first. Mumford & Sons sounds like the same crap as Fleet Foxes. Just kidding. Fleet Foxes way better.
Why is frantic string-strumming the 'coolest' thing going in music these days? This sounds like the same crap as Mumford & Son.
Fleet Foxes came first. Mumford & Sons sounds like the same crap as Fleet Foxes. Just kidding. Fleet Foxes way better.
bjesch wrote:
I nominate this for the most ignorant comment ever posted on RP.
Why is frantic string-strumming the 'coolest' thing going in music these days? This sounds like the same crap as Mumford & Son.
I nominate this for the most ignorant comment ever posted on RP.
Relax. It's the next generation coming up, full of energy and melody, ready to blow us away and replace us.
The new Dylans and McCartneys are coming up. We are the old Perry Comos. Step aside.
bjesch wrote:
The new Dylans and McCartneys are coming up. We are the old Perry Comos. Step aside.
bjesch wrote:
Why is frantic string-strumming the 'coolest' thing going in music these days? This sounds like the same crap as Mumford & Son.
Help me search the Blues here!! I hear no Dylan, no Mc Cartney!! For me its only boring!
bjesch wrote:
Agreed. Although, I did bump up my rating from a 2 to a 3.
Why is frantic string-strumming the 'coolest' thing going in music these days? This sounds like the same crap as Mumford & Son.
Agreed. Although, I did bump up my rating from a 2 to a 3.
Why is frantic string-strumming the 'coolest' thing going in music these days? This sounds like the same crap as Mumford & Son.
Shout out from orchard land
hmmmm.... do I really love it or really hate it...... damn I really can't decide.... 
the first album blew me away and, naturally, I was eager to see them when they finally came to my city
sorry to report but they sounded like a tired cover-band... I didn't even bother to stay through last two songs
most of the songs were as forgettable as this one
sorry to report but they sounded like a tired cover-band... I didn't even bother to stay through last two songs
most of the songs were as forgettable as this one
docuplate wrote:
Nice post, thanks.
Really really good lyrics. Thanks, Bill, for the LINK to find lyrics on the songs you play - its a feature I have just discovered and it opens up so many paths for me. Once I heard the first line...
"I was raised up thinking I was unique..."
I knew I had to know the rest... As a forty-five year old who is struggling with a life-changing illness and a second-career "dream job" gone terribly sour, these lyrics speak directly to me.
"...And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.
But I don't, I don't know what that will be.
I'll get back to you someday soon, you'll see."
"I was raised up thinking I was unique..."
I knew I had to know the rest... As a forty-five year old who is struggling with a life-changing illness and a second-career "dream job" gone terribly sour, these lyrics speak directly to me.
"...And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.
But I don't, I don't know what that will be.
I'll get back to you someday soon, you'll see."
Nice post, thanks.
mrgus wrote:
Yeah, it sounds more like reading than singing.
Loved most of 1st "Fleet Foxes". Nothing on this CD connects with me.
Yeah, it sounds more like reading than singing.
Loved most of 1st "Fleet Foxes". Nothing on this CD connects with me.
BLAH..
This band is the epitome of everything I'm against in modern music.
Post-My Morning Jacket mediocrity.
1
Post-My Morning Jacket mediocrity.
1
Fleet Foxes >> Mumford & Sons
John Denver meets Graham Nash.
Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes made Geddy Lee's top 13 albums list. I got a kick outta' this as I love them both (Fleet Foxes and Geddy, that is). :)
this isn't one of my faves but I've made a Fleet Foxes station on Pandora, and it's been good. At first I only really liked "Your Protector" and "Blue Ridge Mountains" but have started to love more of their songs. I like the middle part where it gets slower and majestic.
docuplate wrote:
Yes music speaks to us and sometimes custom made for us to hear!
Really interesting song lyrics.
Really really good lyrics. Thanks, Bill, for the LINK to find lyrics on the songs you play - its a feature I have just discovered and it opens up so many paths for me. Once I heard the first line...
"I was raised up thinking I was unique..."
I knew I had to know the rest... As a forty-five year old who is struggling with a life-changing illness and a second-career "dream job" gone terribly sour, these lyrics speak directly to me.
"...And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.
But I don't, I don't know what that will be.
I'll get back to you someday soon, you'll see."
"I was raised up thinking I was unique..."
I knew I had to know the rest... As a forty-five year old who is struggling with a life-changing illness and a second-career "dream job" gone terribly sour, these lyrics speak directly to me.
"...And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.
But I don't, I don't know what that will be.
I'll get back to you someday soon, you'll see."
Yes music speaks to us and sometimes custom made for us to hear!
Really interesting song lyrics.
Anybody else getting a "Taxi" by Harry Chapin vibe from this? And I don't mean that derisively.
Certainly not their best......this is fairly mediocre.
Very nice, but I strongly suspect their style won't age well.
Took my 12 year old daughter to see them at the Sydney Opera House in January. Superb.
bad, as in, not good
sirdroseph wrote:
No go, I tried. I think NMH is just a little too strange for them!
What was the tally? Thanks for doing that. I suspected the same.
There is not a bad song on the CD, but I would try loading "Ghost" again. That might just engage Bill and the rest. Then again, they might just hate it. I think the King of Carrot Flower pt 2 and 3 is the best, but that could be misconstrued as offensive. That one, oh my, what a song...
No go, I tried. I think NMH is just a little too strange for them!
What was the tally? Thanks for doing that. I suspected the same.
There is not a bad song on the CD, but I would try loading "Ghost" again. That might just engage Bill and the rest. Then again, they might just hate it. I think the King of Carrot Flower pt 2 and 3 is the best, but that could be misconstrued as offensive. That one, oh my, what a song...
msymmes wrote:
Sounds like Boy and Bear :)
I like this.
Sounds like Boy and Bear :)
meh
BillG wrote:
I don't find NMH too strange, just unengaging.
Fair enough, to each his own. That is the beauty of music, there is no right or wrong.
I don't find NMH too strange, just unengaging.
Fair enough, to each his own. That is the beauty of music, there is no right or wrong.
I like it. The lyrical structure and themes remind me a little too much of Harry Chapin's "Taxi" however. Not necessarily a good thing.
sirdroseph wrote:
No go, I tried. I think NMH is just a little too strange for them!
I don't find NMH too strange, just unengaging.
No go, I tried. I think NMH is just a little too strange for them!
I don't find NMH too strange, just unengaging.
rdo wrote:
No go, I tried. I think NMH is just a little too strange for them!
I hear a lot of Simon and Garfunkel and Neutral Milk Hotel. Someone needs to upload NMH's In an Aeroplane over the Sea. One of the most glaring RP omissions I think. I can't understand why they are not played. Bill?
No go, I tried. I think NMH is just a little too strange for them!
Agreed!Derecho wrote:
I'm impressed! More of this, less Mumford & Sons.
I'm impressed! More of this, less Mumford & Sons.
I hear a lot of Simon and Garfunkel and Neutral Milk Hotel. Someone needs to upload NMH's In an Aeroplane over the Sea. One of the most glaring RP omissions I think. I can't understand why they are not played. Bill?
A welcome change from the usual one-paced Fleet Foxes sound, but I'm not sure it's for the better. Maybe it'll grow more interesting on further listens. A nailed-on Ho-hum from the Nottingham jury.
Wow! I'm first!
Well, it's my first listen - this pulled me from what I was writing and carried me away! Kinda' mesmerizing, really.
Definitely want to hear this one again!
Well, it's my first listen - this pulled me from what I was writing and carried me away! Kinda' mesmerizing, really.
Definitely want to hear this one again!