'Ghosts' By Sir Sly: Song Analysis

Not all songs about ghosts and haunting have to be creepy or spooky (those tracks I’ll save for a future Halloween playlist,) but some are downright upbeat or catchy. Here, you’ll find songs about literal and figurative ghosts, whether we’re talking about supernatural phenomena or ghosts of relationships past. (FYI- Tracks that almost made the cut were “Ghost” by Michael Jackson, “Ghost I” by Nine Inch Nails, “Ghost” by Neutral Milk Hotel, “Glass and the Ghost Children” by Smashing Pumpkins and “Ghost” by Phish.”)

Number Ten: “Ghost” by Sir Sly

“Ghost” is a song by Sir Sly, off of their 2014 debut album, You Haunt Me (the title track which I also considered for this list.) The song seems to be describing an old lover who literally or figuratively
This song can be interpreted several different ways. The first verse goes, “the sea’s evaporating / though it comes as no surprise / these clouds we’re seeing / they’re explosions in the sky / it seems it’s written / but we can’t read between the line.” Then the script flips to a different perspective, within lyrics like, “this one world vision / turns us into compromise / what good’s religion / when it’s each other we despise / damn the government / damn the killing / damn the lies.” The beautiful, heartbreaking chorus is the following: “Hush / it’s ok / soul mate dry your eye / cause soul mates never die.” On one hand, this song can be viewed as a testament to relationships that last throughout eternity. On the other, it could be a sarcastic remark on how relationships can bind us and leave a mark on us, even after it’s over. I also find it interesting that after referring to something in nature, the narrator says, “soul mate dry your eye,” while after talking about the government, he says, “soul mate dry your eyes.” This could be far-fetched thinking, but perhaps the narrator was referring to one’s third eye in the first chorus, as it’s singular and therefore something sacred. Ironically, in the second verse he talks about a “one world vision” (which could be referring to the New World Order,) but how it’s dividing people instead of uniting them; perhaps this is why he changes “dry your eye” to “dry your eyes,” as if reflecting a blind government by comparing it to how blind we can be in relationships, even with both eyes