lightning crashes, lyrics Options

[crazy-resi]

hey,

who is barbara lewis (according to lightning crashes)?

thx,
crazy-resi

[NectarDan]

The band dedicated this to Barbara Lewis, one of their high school friends who was killed by a drunk driver around the time this song was written. Her brother in-law explains: "The song's lyrics are mostly an analogy. Barb donated several organs, including her heart. She was close with Ed and the guys and died in a car collision with a fleeing armed robber. These lyrics are constantly misunderstood! Yes, Ed is speaking to the circle of life, but specifically to how Barb's life gave new life to many. The angel, the baby down the hall, the pale blue eyes (of Barb), the pain ("confusion")... the lyrics are wholly Ed's interpretation of his experience and perception of Barb's impact. Our family has become close with the most genuine and caring man who is still alive today (over 10 years later), who has Barb's heart beating in his chest! "Lightning Crashes" literally lives on.

[Lively Chick]

The band dedicated this to Barbara Lewis, one of their high school friends who was killed by a drunk driver around the time this song was written. Her brother in-law explains: "The song's lyrics are mostly an analogy. Barb donated several organs, including her heart. She was close with Ed and the guys and died in a car collision with a fleeing armed robber. These lyrics are constantly misunderstood! Yes, Ed is speaking to the circle of life, but specifically to how Barb's life gave new life to many. The angel, the baby down the hall, the pale blue eyes (of Barb), the pain ("confusion")... the lyrics are wholly Ed's interpretation of his experience and perception of Barb's impact. Our family has become close with the most genuine and caring man who is still alive today (over 10 years later), who has Barb's heart beating in his chest! "Lightning Crashes" literally lives on.

Wow, thanks for the info Dan,
Knowing this really makes me view this song on totally different level and leaves me more in awe ( I was already ) of Ed as a lyrical genious.
My heart has really been moved and all i can say is may God bless Barbara's family and the people who benefitted from her passing.

[dangum]

who is barbara lewis (according to lightning crashes)?

Lightning Crashes was not written about Barbara Lewis, but was instead dedicated to her after Ed found out about her death.

Ed elaborates on this in an interview with Spin magazine:

He smiles, exhales, and begins. "I wrote 'Lightning Crashes' on an acoustic guitar in my brother's bedroom shortly before I had moved out of my parents' house and gotten my first place of my own." Kowalczyk says that the video for "Lightning Crashes" lends itself to many misinterpretations of the song's intent. "While the clip is shot in a home environment, I envisioned it taking place in a hospital, where all these simultaneous deaths and births are going on, one family mourning the loss of a woman while a screaming baby emerges from a young mother in another room. Nobody's dying in the act of childbirth, as some viewers think. What you're seeing is actually a happy ending based on a kind of transference of life. The dedication to Barbara Lewis came after the song was written. But it was something that we hoped would honor the memory of a girl we grew up with and help her family cope with sorrow -- which it seems to have accomplished -- in a fashion in keeping with the theme of the song."
http://web.archive.org/web/19980425132048/...s/spin0695.html

[michael39]

ok so which one is it.the 1st one or the last one....

[dangum]

ok so which one is it.the 1st one or the last one....

Who would you believe: Ed or Barbara's brother-in-law? I know who I've got my money on...

Here's an interview with Chad Gracey.

RAD: "Do you mind if I ask what the story behind "Lightning Crashes" is and who Barbara Lewis is?"
Chad: "No, not at all. Barbara Lewis was a friend of ours that who was a year behind us in high school. She was a big fan of the band. In 1993, she was killed by a hit-and-run in a car accident. We just decided to dedicate that song to her."
RAD: "It's a nice song, just kind of the cycle of life."
Chad: "Yeah, exactly, so we thought it would be appropriate for her."

http://www.radcyberzine.com/text/interviews/live.html

So... I think it's quite clear that dedicating Lightning Crashes to Barbara Lewis was an afterthought and she wasn't the inspiration for the track.

This post has been edited by dangum: May 3 2006, 4:55 am

[sherocker]

So... I think it's quite clear that dedicating Lightning Crashes to Barbara Lewis was an afterthought and she wasn't the inspiration for the track.

crystal

[NectarDan]

ok so which one is it.the 1st one or the last one....

I guess Dan's is right. I got that blurb I posted on Songfacts.com.