I Should Live in Salt

Trouble Will Find Me // The National pt. 1

I Should Live in Salt // The National

23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

So the swell begins.
Like an old phaser breathing heavy, the first track of the National's new album kicks off, or rather -- gently lets go of the dock and drifts out to sea. The technicality of the music is much like of Boxer, swerving around time signatures like drunk bees; deep simba beats likend to "Lemonworld" off of High Violet and a sincerity of "Mr. November" from Alligator (minus the screaming). The National are truly evolving and bringing the best parts of them along. Matt Berninger, the front man, never ceases to amaze me with his writing and this is just the beginning.
"I Should Live in Salt" immediately captured my attention, lyrically drawing parallels from the biblical story of Lot's wife. Berninger hums, in his soft baritone voice, as a doxology to his memories; lamenting in glory to what has passed.

"I should live in salt for leaving you behind.
Behind"

I have been a National fan ever since I've heard the opening of Boxer - Fake Empire, and I feel like I have gotten to know Berninger fairly well since then, so for him to chant that we should know him better than that, births a sinking feeling. A feeling that I and most people should be familiar with: Don't you know me yet? He croaks about large visualizations, such as the term, "writing it on the wall" but there is not enough room, or turning the television down because there is to much "crying". It creates an atmosphere that the end is near and there is nothing that can be done about it, a finale or a judgement that is about to occur. And in recent events, such as the tornados in Oklahoma, school shootings or even the war overseas, it's freakishly fitting.

Much like Lot must have felt, when he begged to stay or escape to the closest city, I imagine he was trying to communicate to the angels, you know me better than this. A common place feeling of abandonment, we've all wished to be the pillar of salt rather than the one we loved.  But the angels didn't give up on him and ushered him to safety.

So will the rest of the album usher us to safety or will it be a continuing biopic of "Lots" remorse? How far down the rabbit hole will we go, and what will Berninger show us? I'm excited.

The next piece will be on my two favorite songs: Fireproof & I Need My Girl.