This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself via live telecast
Coming live from my own funeral
Beautiful weather off at a nice shine
Which is suitable for a full view of a forever altered skyline
When times like these arise, I freestyle biased opinions every other sentence
Journalist ethics slip when I pass them off as objective
"Don't give me that ethical shit"
I've got exclusive, explicit images to present to impressionable American kids
And it's time to show this world how big our edifice is
That's exactly what they attacked when a typically dark-skinned Disney villain
Used civillians against civilians and charged the Trojan horses into our buildings
Using commercial aviation as instruments of destruction
Pregnant women couldn't protect their children
Wheelchairs were stairway obstructions
Now I have to backpedal
From the shower of glass and metal
Wondering how after it settles
We'll find who provided power to radical rebels
The Melting Pot seems to be calling the kettle black when it boils over
But only on our own soil so the little boy holds a toy soldier
And waits for the suit and tie to come home
We won't wait until he's older
Before we destroy hopes for a colder war to end
"Now get a close-up of his head"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"How does my hair look"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"Run that tape back"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"It looks just like a movie"
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself while the stock markets crash
The city is covered in inches of muck
I see some other pictures of victims are up
Grieving mothers are thinking their children are stuck
Leaping lovers are making decisions to jump
While holding hands
To escape the brutal heat
Sometimes in groups of three
The fallout was far beyond the toxic clouds where people look like debris
But all they saw, after all was said
Beyond the talking heads was the bloody dust with legs Looking like the walking dead calling for meds
But all the hospitals are overwhelmed
Volunteers need to go the hell home
Moments of silence for firefighters were interrupted by cell phones
Who's going to make that call
To increase an unknown death toll?
It's the one we rally behind
He's got a megaphone, and he's promising to make heads roll
So we cheer him on, but asbestos is affecting our breath control
The less that we know, the more they fabricate
The easier it is to sell souls
"There is a new price on freedom
So buy into it while supplies last
Changes need to be made
No more curbside baggage
Seven P.M. curfew
Racial profiling will continue with less bitching
We've unified over who to kill
So until I find more relevant scripture to quote
Remember: our God is bigger, stronger, smarter
And much wealthier
So wave those flags with pride
Especially the white part"
We sell an addictive 24 hour candlelight vigils in TV's
Freedom will be defended at the cost of civil liberties
The viewers are glued to television screens
Stuck because lots of things seem too sick
I use opportunities to pluck heart strings for theme music
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at
"Yeah"
Which foot is right to kiss
We don't really know who the culprit is yet
"Nah"
But he looks like this
We know who the heros are
They're not the xenophobes who act hard
"We taught that dog to squat
How dare he do that shit in our own backyard"
They happened to scar our financial state
And charr our landscape
Can you count how many times so far I ran back the same damn tape?
While the cameraman creates news and shoves it down our throats on the West Bank
With a ten second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst
So get your tanks
And load your guns
And hold your sons in a family huddle
Because even if we win this tug of war
And even the score, humanity struggles
There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble
Some of them dug for answers in the mess, but the rest were looking for trouble
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself
Don't waive your rights with your flags
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself via live telecast
Coming live from my own funeral
Beautiful weather off at a nice shine
Which is suitable for a full view of a forever altered skyline
When times like these arise, I freestyle biased opinions every other sentence
Journalist ethics slip when I pass them off as objective
"Don't give me that ethical shit"
I've got exclusive, explicit images to present to impressionable American kids
And it's time to show this world how big our edifice is
That's exactly what they attacked when a typically dark-skinned Disney villain
Used civillians against civilians and charged the Trojan horses into our buildings
Using commercial aviation as instruments of destruction
Pregnant women couldn't protect their children
Wheelchairs were stairway obstructions
Now I have to backpedal
From the shower of glass and metal
Wondering how after it settles
We'll find who provided power to radical rebels
The Melting Pot seems to be calling the kettle black when it boils over
But only on our own soil so the little boy holds a toy soldier
And waits for the suit and tie to come home
We won't wait until he's older
Before we destroy hopes for a colder war to end
"Now get a close-up of his head"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"How does my hair look"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"Run that tape back"
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
"It looks just like a movie"
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself while the stock markets crash
The city is covered in inches of muck
I see some other pictures of victims are up
Grieving mothers are thinking their children are stuck
Leaping lovers are making decisions to jump
While holding hands
To escape the brutal heat
Sometimes in groups of three
The fallout was far beyond the toxic clouds where people look like debris
But all they saw, after all was said
Beyond the talking heads was the bloody dust with legs Looking like the walking dead calling for meds
But all the hospitals are overwhelmed
Volunteers need to go the hell home
Moments of silence for firefighters were interrupted by cell phones
Who's going to make that call
To increase an unknown death toll?
It's the one we rally behind
He's got a megaphone, and he's promising to make heads roll
So we cheer him on, but asbestos is affecting our breath control
The less that we know, the more they fabricate
The easier it is to sell souls
"There is a new price on freedom
So buy into it while supplies last
Changes need to be made
No more curbside baggage
Seven P.M. curfew
Racial profiling will continue with less bitching
We've unified over who to kill
So until I find more relevant scripture to quote
Remember: our God is bigger, stronger, smarter
And much wealthier
So wave those flags with pride
Especially the white part"
We sell an addictive 24 hour candlelight vigils in TV's
Freedom will be defended at the cost of civil liberties
The viewers are glued to television screens
Stuck because lots of things seem too sick
I use opportunities to pluck heart strings for theme music
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at
"Yeah"
Which foot is right to kiss
We don't really know who the culprit is yet
"Nah"
But he looks like this
We know who the heros are
They're not the xenophobes who act hard
"We taught that dog to squat
How dare he do that shit in our own backyard"
They happened to scar our financial state
And charr our landscape
Can you count how many times so far I ran back the same damn tape?
While the cameraman creates news and shoves it down our throats on the West Bank
With a ten second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst
So get your tanks
And load your guns
And hold your sons in a family huddle
Because even if we win this tug of war
And even the score, humanity struggles
There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble
Some of them dug for answers in the mess, but the rest were looking for trouble
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
Makeshift Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself at half-mast
It's the Makeshift, The Patriot
The flag shop is out of stock
I hang myself
Don't waive your rights with your flags
Lyrics submitted by Jon_Beutler
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
i think hes more talking about how much the media took advantage of 9/11 by taking this tragic thing that happened and blowing it up all over tv and flaunting the "american pride" thing when what we should have been doing is mourning over the deaths, instead of trying to make money.
Cletus, do a google search for that line and the first thing that comes up is a page of Dylan quotes. Apparently it's from the Dont Look Back documentary.
After spending over an hour typing the lyrics, I still have the energy to comment on how influential, and simply awe inspiring these words are to me and many others. Although I do not support Americas war on terrorism, I join Sage Francis in expressing sorrow for those affected by the attacks on Sept. 11
these lyrics are pretty moving and they challenge the reactions to 9/11 whilst expressing sympathy. Rock on Sage.
Beautiful. It's too bad that most of the U.S. doesn't even see it happening, plenty of people have called me a traitor for saying anything like this.
"Don't waive your rights with your flags"
i <3 sage francis. he says everything that mainstream america needs to hear. i wish his music was more wide-spread
great song. i'm happy he's with epitaph records
Sage is able to express his opinions in a democracy without seeming foolish. He definately gets props for this one. I just wish he was able to open more minds with his music to show just how neive we all really are especially with a tyranical despot as our leader.
hes dope
he's standing up for what he - and a large portion of north america - believe is right. He's not only voicing an opinion...he's made an amazing song out of it.