Lyrics:
Everlasting Nothing [Version (a)]:
You threw the keys to the kingdom
Over a skyscraper wall
Sowing seeds somewhere obsolete
In the everlasting nothing
Spent a long night in the slipstream
I thought I'd crash and burn if I came down
When I did, I found a friend to take me home
In the everlasting nothing
Friends I've known come and gone
Like a soldier with no song
Still I tried to get back home
In the everlasting nothing
I woke up in a movie
Didn't know if it was my whole life
When it ended, I laughed before I cried
In the everlasting nothing
And I washed up on the shoreline
Everyone was waiting there for me
Like a standing ovation for the funeral of the sun
In the everlasting nothing
Friends I've known come and gone
Like a soldier with no song
Still I'll try to get back home
In the everlasting nothing
Nowhere child, keep on running
Nowhere child, keep on running
In your time you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Nowhere child, keep on running
Nowhere child, keep on running
In your time you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Nowhere child, keep on running
Nowhere child, keep on running
In your time you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
(live version)
When the answer is a question (or, turns into a question)
We're starting back where you began (or, I'll end up back where I began)
So it seems somewhere obsolete
In the everlasting nothing
Spent a long night in the slipstream
I thought I'd crash and burn when I came down
When I did, I found a friend to take me home
In the everlasting nothing
Peace I know, come and go
Like a soldier with no song
Should I try to get back home
To the everlasting nothing?
Though we're tired, keep on running
Though we're tired, keep on running
When you're tired, you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Though we're tired, keep on running
Though we're tired, keep on running
When you're tired, you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Spent a long night in the slipstream
I thought I'd crash and burn if I came down
When I did, I found a friend to take me home
In the everlasting nothing
Though we're tired, keep on running
Though we're tired, keep on running
When you're tired, you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
You threw the keys to the kingdom
Over a skyscraper wall
Sowing seeds somewhere obsolete
In the everlasting nothing
Spent a long night in the slipstream
I thought I'd crash and burn if I came down
When I did, I found a friend to take me home
In the everlasting nothing
Friends I've known come and gone
Like a soldier with no song
Still I tried to get back home
In the everlasting nothing
I woke up in a movie
Didn't know if it was my whole life
When it ended, I laughed before I cried
In the everlasting nothing
And I washed up on the shoreline
Everyone was waiting there for me
Like a standing ovation for the funeral of the sun
In the everlasting nothing
Friends I've known come and gone
Like a soldier with no song
Still I'll try to get back home
In the everlasting nothing
Nowhere child, keep on running
Nowhere child, keep on running
In your time you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Nowhere child, keep on running
Nowhere child, keep on running
In your time you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Nowhere child, keep on running
Nowhere child, keep on running
In your time you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
(live version)
When the answer is a question (or, turns into a question)
We're starting back where you began (or, I'll end up back where I began)
So it seems somewhere obsolete
In the everlasting nothing
Spent a long night in the slipstream
I thought I'd crash and burn when I came down
When I did, I found a friend to take me home
In the everlasting nothing
Peace I know, come and go
Like a soldier with no song
Should I try to get back home
To the everlasting nothing?
Though we're tired, keep on running
Though we're tired, keep on running
When you're tired, you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Though we're tired, keep on running
Though we're tired, keep on running
When you're tired, you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
Spent a long night in the slipstream
I thought I'd crash and burn if I came down
When I did, I found a friend to take me home
In the everlasting nothing
Though we're tired, keep on running
Though we're tired, keep on running
When you're tired, you'll find something
In the everlasting nothing
The Song:
"Everlasting Nothing" is a song that Beck played live twice in September 2013. Both times were as part of his set at Station To Station events. Beck wrote a couple of the other songs specifically for that event ("Free Me" and "Wake Up"), so it's probably likely he wrote this one for it too. At this point, there seems to be no intention to release the songs.
The song does have a pretty great melody though, and I certainly hope it isn't lost forever. The live arrangement was pretty minimal, though a gospel choir was used on it as well. (The lyrics are a bit repetitive and could use a little more.)
Beck mentions a "slipstream" here, which also shows up in "Chemtrails."
A song with this title was registered with one of the licensing groups (Harry Fox), and Beck and Pharrell Williams were listed as co-writers. Whether Beck took this folk song to Pharrell and they worked on it later, or Beck stripped down a song he had done with Pharrell for the events, or even if he just used the phrase 'Everlasting Nothing' for another song with Pharrell, is as yet unclear. (Update: it is the same song, and option two seems likely correct.)
In February 2019, five and a half years after its live debut, Beck posted a clip on Instagram from a studio where he was recording a gospel choir singing a section of the song. It looks promising that it will be on an upcoming record.
"Everlasting Nothing" is a song that Beck played live twice in September 2013. Both times were as part of his set at Station To Station events. Beck wrote a couple of the other songs specifically for that event ("Free Me" and "Wake Up"), so it's probably likely he wrote this one for it too. At this point, there seems to be no intention to release the songs.
The song does have a pretty great melody though, and I certainly hope it isn't lost forever. The live arrangement was pretty minimal, though a gospel choir was used on it as well. (The lyrics are a bit repetitive and could use a little more.)
Beck mentions a "slipstream" here, which also shows up in "Chemtrails."
A song with this title was registered with one of the licensing groups (Harry Fox), and Beck and Pharrell Williams were listed as co-writers. Whether Beck took this folk song to Pharrell and they worked on it later, or Beck stripped down a song he had done with Pharrell for the events, or even if he just used the phrase 'Everlasting Nothing' for another song with Pharrell, is as yet unclear. (Update: it is the same song, and option two seems likely correct.)
In February 2019, five and a half years after its live debut, Beck posted a clip on Instagram from a studio where he was recording a gospel choir singing a section of the song. It looks promising that it will be on an upcoming record.
Live:
Played live 2 times:
Earliest known live version: September 24, 2013
Latest known live version: September 26, 2013
Played live 2 times:
Earliest known live version: September 24, 2013
Latest known live version: September 26, 2013