Diamonds by Ben Howard Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Sparkle Within Life’s Monotony
Lyrics
So garishly clean
White as the horses, that carry me away
And all my demons, you said, come and go with a haze
I might as well took a plane
I grow old in my way
Oh, just like you do
Oh, there ain’t no diamonds in the boredom
Oh, there ain’t no darkness that I fear
Oh, there ain’t no way to say I love you more, no
So be clear, just to be clear
So be clear, be clear
All I am is the bones you made for me
Just driftwood for the sea
Oh, heavy as the horses, that carry me away
That carry me away
Oh, there ain’t no diamonds in the boredom
No, there ain’t no darkness that I fear
Oh, there ain’t no way to say I love you more, no
So be clear, be clear
Oh, there ain’t no diamonds in the boredom (oh, oh, oh)
No darkness that I fear (oh, oh, oh)
No way to say I love you more, woman
So be clear, just to be clear
So be clear, be clear
(Oh, oh, oh, darlin’)
(Oh, oh, oh, darlin’)
(Oh, oh, oh, darlin’)
(Oh, oh, oh)
(Oh, oh, oh, darlin’)
(Oh, oh, oh, darlin’)
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh, there ain’t no diamonds in the boredom
No, there ain’t no darkness that I fear
Oh, there ain’t no way to say I love you more
So be clear, be clear
In the textured tapestry of modern folk music, Ben Howard’s song ‘Diamonds’ emerges as an intricate weave of melancholy and revelation. The track, stripped back in its acoustic elegance, serves as both a paean to the mundane and a quiet rejection of it.
Plucking at the strings of introspection, Howard dives into a lyrical journey that transcends the song’s humble composition, compelling us to look closer at the life we consider ordinary. Below the surface of his poetic finesse, what do these lyrics reveal about the human experience, love, and our enduring search for meaning amidst the humdrum of daily life?
The Skeleton of Self: Dissecting Personal Identity
The song’s opening sets a haunting stage: ‘All I am is the bones you made for me.’ It speaks to the essence of self as crafted by another’s hand, or perhaps by life’s circumstances. The allusion to bones evokes a sense of foundational identity—what is most naked and true about a person after being stripped of all pretenses.
Howard’s imagery of ‘garishly clean,’ likened to the purity of white horses, contrasts this rawness with an almost sterile perfection. It challenges us to question how much of our identity is innate versus molded by others or by our attempts to appear untainted in a world that prizes facade over authenticity.
A Labyrinth of Emotion: Demons and Haze
Howard doesn’t shy away from the metaphorical demons that haunt us—be it fear, doubt, or regret. The line ‘all my demons, you said, come and go with a haze’ taps into the transient nature of our darkest thoughts; they are neither constant nor completely escapable.
By admitting that he ‘might as well took a plane,’ there’s the hint of escapism, the yearning to outrun these intangible foes. Yet he concedes to aging ‘in my way,’ accepting the demons as part of the journey, acknowledging that they, much like himself, are on a path that’s inherently personal.
Desire Meets Dissatisfaction: No Diamonds in the Boredom
The chorus, devoid of ornamentation, is a profound declaration: ‘Oh, there ain’t no diamonds in the boredom.’ Here lies the crux of the song—diamonds symbolize the extraordinary found within the placid, but Howard is skeptical of their existence.
‘No darkness that I fear’ and ‘No way to say I love you more’ juxtapose the acceptance of monotony with a fearless embrace of the lack of grandeur in expressing love. The simplicity and unembellished truth of love are applauded, and yet there’s an underlying despair that love, much like life, can sometimes feel lacking.
Exposing the Song’s Hidden Meaning: Existential Musings on the Sea of Life
Howard likens himself to ‘just driftwood for the sea,’ an entity at the mercy of an unforgiving current. This can be perceived as a meditation on existential vulnerability, surrendering to the vast, uncontrollable forces of life. By embracing this sense of insignificance, Howard seems to find solace and freedom in acknowledging life’s enigmatic expanses.
‘The horses, that carry me away’ is another recurring motif that denotes transport away from the banal towards an undefined destination. It’s a recurring symbol of the journey from life’s simplicity to perhaps death or maybe, metaphorically, to enlightenment.
Emotive Echoes: The Most Memorable Lines
‘So be clear, just to be clear’ rings like a mantra throughout the song. It is the songwriter’s plea for transparency and understanding, a desire for clarity in the smog of life’s confusion. This line, in its simplicity and repetition, sticks with the listener long after the last chord fades.
In ‘Oh, there ain’t no way to say I love you more,’ Howard points to love’s fundamental expression, stripped of grand gestures, finding a universe of depth in the mere act of stating it plainly. These lines resonate with an emotional gravity that makes ‘Diamonds’ more than just a song—it becomes an experience, etching itself onto the soul of anyone who’s ever yearned to voice the inexpressible.
