“And when I awoke, the world was on fire…”

by Katie Gomez on September 11, 2010

in 9-11

Please take a moment to stop and remember today, friends. Whether we personally lost someone nine years ago or not, the truth is, we all lost someone. Let’s all lift a glass tonight in remembrance. Bob Schneider, one of my absolute favorite musicians, was scheduled to fly into New York City September 9th, 2001 and canceled the trip because he’s afraid to fly. Two days later, everything changed, and this is the song that came out of his veins:

WEED OUT THE WEAK
I had a dream, a dream I was dying,
To see you again.
And when I awoke, the world was on fire,
Dying again.

I saw the sun burst into flames,
And all at once everything changed,
For the better it seemed…like it does in a dream…sometimes.

And I saw a sign there in the skyway,
Painted in gold, and what it said was,
“Love will always weed out the weak,
So watch where you go, and watch what you speak.”

And I made a promise I knew I could keep,
I buried my heart in a hole so deep,
I’ve never been able to find it again.

But I saw the sun burst into flames,
And all at once, everything changed,
For the better it seemed…like it does in a dream…sometimes.

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Don September 13, 2010

Alright forgive me for being confused. Bob Schneider is still with us. Was he supposed to be on one of the planes? I know I’m taking this way too literal and not paying much attention to the deeper meaning, but I’m not understanding what it is you want me to feel. I guess you were meaning that we all lost our innocence, and Bob sang about this? BTW he is coming to Boise on October 16th. I’m thinking about going.

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2 Katie Pizzuto September 13, 2010

Yeah you are looking too hard….his fear of flying kept him home, not that he would have been on those exact flights, but it deeply affected him as it did all of us. The song isn’t deep at all, just touching in its simplicity. If you can, by all means, go see the guy. You will not regret it…a shitload of fun and mad talent.

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3 The Traveler April 10, 2014

I LOVE this song. I live in Austin and have seen (and heard) Bob play it several times with different arrangements (solo, band, etc.). I was so glad that he included it on his latest album Burden of Proof.

I did not know that this song was related to 9-11. It makes the song hold even more meaning for me since the first time that I discovered Bob was just before 9-11. In fact, I was in New York the following month and Bob did come up (not sure if he flew or not) to play a gig at the Mercury Lounge. That was the first of many times that I saw Bob play live.

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4 Katie Pizzuto April 10, 2014

Cheers Traveler, I adore the song too, and during one of his performances he actually explains his inspiration for the event….I was there for it and bought the Frunk afterward.

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