I was in the air when the towers came down
In a bar on the 84th floor
I bought Philippe Petit a round
And asked what his high wire was for
He said, “I put one foot on the wire,
One foot straight into heaven”
As the prophets entered boldly into the bar
On the Boeing 737, Lord, on the Boeing 737
Hey little bird, would you be the one
To nest beneath my Gatling gun?
There’s nothing left I call my own
Come down and build me a home.
I was in a bar when they rigged the towers
Trying to leave all my sins
The barmaid asked my order
And where my mind had been
I tried to recall the high wire
Philippe and his foot in heaven
As the prophets entered boldly into the bar
On the Boeing 737, Lord, on the Boeing 737
Hey little bird, would you be the one
To nest beneath my Gatling gun?
There’s nothing left I call my own
Come down and build me a home.
In a bar on the 84th floor
I bought Philippe Petit a round
And asked what his high wire was for
He said, “I put one foot on the wire,
One foot straight into heaven”
As the prophets entered boldly into the bar
On the Boeing 737, Lord, on the Boeing 737
Hey little bird, would you be the one
To nest beneath my Gatling gun?
There’s nothing left I call my own
Come down and build me a home.
I was in a bar when they rigged the towers
Trying to leave all my sins
The barmaid asked my order
And where my mind had been
I tried to recall the high wire
Philippe and his foot in heaven
As the prophets entered boldly into the bar
On the Boeing 737, Lord, on the Boeing 737
Hey little bird, would you be the one
To nest beneath my Gatling gun?
There’s nothing left I call my own
Come down and build me a home.
×
![]()
Note for non-Italian users: Sorry, though the interface of this website is translated into English, most commentaries and biographies are in Italian and/or in other languages like French, German, Spanish, Russian etc.
Album: Smart Flesh
I think the song is contrasting two methods to find "heaven" and inspire others. The tightrope walker does something peaceful and wonderful to achieve heaven and inspire (see above comment about Petit's tightrope walk); whereas the "prophets" (terrorists) do something violent and awful. The narrator seems to be in the bar trying to figure out his own way to achieve heaven ("I was in a bar when they rigged the towers/Trying to leave all my sins"). He seems to want to emulate the tightrope walker, but his thoughts are interrupted by the bold entrance of the prophets. That is, often our attempts to better ourselves are interrupted or stymied by the violent actions of others. This is corroborated by the fact that most people will have to google Philippe Petit's name to get the reference to his tightrope walk between the twin towers, but almost everyone probably thought of 9/11 right away. Violence and evil imprint on our minds erasing good memories. The chorus shows favor to the peaceful way to "build a home" (which I take as a synonym for finding heaven).
joshrob06 on June 16, 2011 - SongMeanings