Views : 56,384,236
Genre: Music
Date of upload: Apr 27, 2017 ^^
Rating : 4.945 (8,012/579,917 LTDR)
RYD date created : 2022-04-09T21:31:29.53106Z
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Ophelia Meaning :
The film opens with âOphelia.â This is really one of the only parts of the film in which The Lumineers actually appear. Itâs a way for them to introduce the ballad, with a song they hold close to their hearts. âOpheliaâ deals with the success, expectations, and pressure the band has gone through since rising to fame, which is why this song means so much to them.
I, I got a little paycheck
You got big plans and you gotta move (whoo!)
And I donât feel nothing at all
And you canât feel nothing small
âOpheliaâ is a constant reminder for The Lumineers. It allows them to take a step back and appreciate all that has happened to them, and thatâs exactly what the video depicts. The band is playing the song for a crowd when lead singer, Wesley Shultz, steps out of his own body and removes himself from the chaos of his current life; just as the meaning of the song depicts. He exits the building and begins to dance along the street to the beat of the music. The song continues as he pleasantly strides along. As the music of Ophelia fades out, transitional notes fall in, eventually leading Shultz into the taxicab, of one, Cleopatra. They share a conversation unheard to our ears, and thus, the story begins.
Cleopatra Meaning
Shultz exits the car and âCleopatraâ the song begins as Cleopatra, the driver, waits for her next passenger. The âCleopatraâ portion of the ballad follows the beautiful taxi driver with wild gray hair and eyes full of wisdom, through her shift. As she drives along the busy streets you are able to see that she is reminiscing. She is reminiscing on the âwhat ifsâ that life inevitably brings you. Itâs not so much about regret, as it is about thinking about the path you took in life, and realizing that for whatever reason, it was the path you needed to take.
I was Cleopatra, I was young and an actress
When you knelt by my mattress, and asked for my hand
But I was sad you asked it, as I laid in a black dress
With my father in a casket, I had no plans
And I left the footprints,
the mud stained on the carpet
And it hardened like my heart
did when you left town
But I must admit it,
that I would marry you in an instant
Damn your wife, Iâd be your mistress
just to have you around
Casts of characters enter in and out of the cab, some familiar and some not, some metaphorical and some literal. Each character has a different story, and each taken in by our seasoned Cleopatra.
So I drive a taxi, and the traffic distracts me
From the strangers in my backseat,
they remind me of you
But I was late for this,
late for that, late for the love of my life
And when I die alone,
when I die alone, when I die Iâll be on time
Eventually she turns the meter off, and picks up her adult son from the airport, who enters the front seat with a wide-eyed smile and a grand hug. They drive until dusk. They stop to enjoy burgers with full smiles and genuine laughs before night falls and she must take him to his father. The song comes to a close as she drops her son off to his fatherâs home, and thatâs when the first âwhat ifâ of the ballad, a theme that reoccurs throughout, happens. Cleopatra imagines going in to make amends with the father so they can enjoy their sonâs stay together, as a family. However, instead she turns around, gets in her car, and drives away.
And the only gifts from my Lord were a birth and a divorce
But Iâve read this script and the costume fits, so Iâll play my part
She drives. Her face is sullen and soft. A smooth transition begins as Cleopatra transforms into a much younger version of herself, driving away from something else, with the same soft and sullen look upon her face. What comes next is the beginning for Cleopatra, the beginning of the âWhat Ifs.â
Sleep on the Floor Meaning
Peaceful piano track âPatienceâ plays as we see the youngest version of Cleopatra sad and transfixed, staring deeply into her boyfriendâs eyes, standing at her fatherâs funeral. As the keys of the piano put you at ease, everything moves in slow motion. The boy slowly approaches her and whispers, âIf you donât leave now you may never make it out.â With that, âSleep On The Floorâ begins, and Cleopatra imagines what could have been if she left with the love of her life on that very day.
Pack yourself a toothbrush dear
Pack yourself a favorite blouse
Take a withdrawal slip
Take all of your savings out
âCause if we donât leave this town
We might never make it out
I was not born to drown
Baby come on
âSleep On The Floorâ takes us on a journey. The young and in love couple drive across the states. They wander in and out of dirty motels, they meet new people, and they find themselves free. Although they have nothing stable or secure â they have each other. And what we come to find, is that is quite literally all that they need. They eventually marry, happy as ever, and dance into the night. As they lay down to sleep on their wedding night âSleep On The Floorâ comes to a close. The young Cleopatra locks eyes with the camera before the scene shifts out of the âwhat ifâ scenario and into reality. Sheâs now back in her car, just as we saw her before the song began, with that soft and sullen look on her face. She looks in the rearview, only for a second, and then continues to drive on, always moving forward.
Angela Meanign
âAngelaâ begins with Cleopatra slightly older and pregnant. Sheâs in bed with her husband, safe and secure in a nice home. However, itâs easy to tell she does not want to be there. At this point in the ballad you know who the Cleopatra character is, or at least who she wants to be. Sheâs âtaller than the rafters.â Life has gotten in the way of who she wanted to become, but that still doesnât change who she is at her core. And so, as the guitar plucks of âAngelaâ continue, we see the older, pregnant Cleopatra leave her body, and begin to imagine what life would be like, if she left him when she wanted to.
When you left this town, with your windows down
And the wilderness inside
Let the exits pass, all the tar and glass
âTil the road and sky align
The strangers in this town,
They raise you up just to cut you down
Oh Angela itâs a long time coming
And your Volvo lights lit up green and white
With the cities on the signs
But you held your course to some distant war
In the corners of your mind
Sheâs back to driving, back where she always seems to be â on the open road, on her own, moving forward. But this time the look on her face is not soft or sullen. Itâs determined. Determined to hold her course. She drives far and wide until she reaches a motel. She gets out of the car, looks to the sky, and for the first time in the ballad she expresses joy, celebration, and finally, peace. The âAngelaâ video takes us on the journey of the heart and soul that is the Cleopatra character â following your gut and your heart to its wits end.
My Eyes MEaning
âMy Eyesâ is the bow that ties the story of this legend together. Sheâs older now; older than she was when we first met her in the taxi. Sheâs in a nursing home, sharing stories with the nurse, and waiting for her time to end.
Oh, the devilâs inside
You opened the door
You gave him a ride
Too young to know, too old to admit
That you couldnât see how it ends
What did you do to my eyes
What did you sing to that lonely child
Promised it all but you lied
You better slow down baby soon
Itâs all or nothing to you
Before it ends, we see Cleopatra shift out of her body one last time, to make the move we know she wants to make. She walks down the empty halls, out of the nursing home door, and into the abyss.
âThe Ballad Of Cleopatraâ spreads the wisdom of this character onto those who view it. She shows you to be strong and to stay true to yourself. She shows you that you may not end up exactly where you thought you would. And she shows you that even if you donât become who you thought you would be â it doesnât matter, becuase in the end, the only thing that really matters in your life are the people you could never and would never want to life without. So choose those people, and hold on to them tight.
I wonât be late for this, late for that,
late for the love of my life
And when I die alone, when I die alone,
when I die Iâll be on time
Cleopatra was also based from a real person. inspired by a real-life encounter with a much different woman. âCleopatraâ tells the life story of an elderly female taxi driver that guitarist and lead vocalist Wes Schultz met during a trip to the Republic of Georgia between Europe and Asia.
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Anyone else notice this is a 25 minute video without a single ad to interrupt? Definitely a rare thing today, Lumineers did not want anything to take away from the story. I highly respect that. This is also a perfect piece of art, the first time I watched I cried more than once. Thank you! Absolutely beautiful and stunning, the music, lyrics, visuals all of it.â¤
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This band will always have a place in my heart. I lived an incredible story with my brother, we traveled from Colombia to Argentina for Vacations and the Lumineers were in the city on November 1st. The concert was sold out, but you could listen to them from the stadium parking lot. The night was cold and windy, but we ended up listening to half of the concert outside. A Security guard was going to take us out of the place and suddenly an Argentinian guy gave us Two tickets to enter the show. It was magic. What I could hear from the stands was beautiful, from this day I learned to trust when you are perseverant and I am sure that my relationship with my brother was strengthened.
120 |
Since so many are confused let me explain.
The story begins with the youngest girl in this video, she's young and in love. Her father has died and the love of her life asks her to leave, it shows what would happen if she would have left (which is ultimately fall deeper in love, explore, get married, and essentially live a happy fulfilled life.). However in reality she doesn't leave with her true love, instead she stays and he leaves, skipping over to the song Angela (the middle age women) she is now pregnant with another mans child and is living an unhappy life, she decides to leave one night, which ends in her and her new man getting a divorce, now onto Cleopatra (the woman driving the taxi) she is older now and drives the taxi for fun and sees many people that remind her of her and her love. She visits with the song she gave birth too and states that god gave her two blessing, birth and a divorce, now onto the 4th and final song, she is way older now and is now in a nursing home, she explains to the aids there that she was so amazing when she was young, and since they are a younger generation they don't quite understand, so they just shrug it off. She has a collection of the love of her life's pictures and she regrets not going with him, she knows she is going to die in the nursing home, old and alone. The what if moment comes when she decides to leave the nursing home. The end. Ultimately this ballad is a lesson about choices, regrets, and life. She regrets not leaving with her soulmate which in turn leads to her living a depressing life, in which the only blessing are birth and a divorce. You're very welcome.
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Everytime I watch this, I cry.
But itâs also a reminder that we all have a chance at having such an amazing, unique, Bold and beautiful lives to create in our short time we got on this big blue ball.
We all end up at the same sort of ending, this music video shows it. But itâs what we did in the time we had that matters the most.
A little goddess lives in all is us.
I hope to whoever reads this, put the phone down,
call the girl or boy you had a crush on and tell them you always love them (whatâs the worst they are gonna say?),
Do the little road trip out of the city you always wanted to do,
Quit that job you hate and take the leap into that new business idea you have,
LEAVE YOUR HOMETOWN AND SEE THE WORLD!
You deserve it ;)
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I don't doubt you won't ever see this, but this album and short film have actively made a positive change in my life. A week ago while not exactly sober and thinking about a lost friendship I listened to all these tracks again. I decided to text her, to let her know I missed her and that I was glad to have been her friend.
I woke that morning to a text telling me she felt that way, too, and we met up and hung out today, a week later.
Music about taking chances and living with the regrets of not making them made me change my life for the better. Thank you.
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When I was younger, there were many sleepless nights I spent looking outside my apartment windows, watching the city lights while thinking of ending it all. Yet every single time, long past midnight, I found myself watching "The Ballad of Cleopatra" and crying, when no one could hear it at all. It gave me strength to think of better days... Now, 5 years later, I just wish to say - Thank you, @The Lumineers
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"She was Cleopatra - Maybe she was a young girl whose parents got divorced. And maybe she was raised by her mother alone. Or maybe she stayed with her father, until one day he passed away. Then maybe she ran off with her one true love. Or maybe she decided to stay and never leave. So maybe one day she settled for a man she never loved. But then maybe she decided one night to leave with her child, just like her mother. Maybe when her son had grown into a man, she decided to go back to her husband. Then again, maybe she chose to stay alone, waiting for her one true love to return. And maybe he never does. And maybe someday she will settle for some help, in her old age. But strong as always, maybe she will decide to leave everything one last time, and face the end on her own terms..." from Isaac Ravishankara. I love how all of this is linked to Stubborn Love.
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@Mizels
7 years ago
"in the end we only regret the chances we didnt take"
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