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"
Cheers
Thanks for everything
You hung me out by my heart
You're just so selfish jean
Yes you are
Hey you
Threw it all away
By holding everything in
Hey Jean don't rock the boat
When you can't swim
With a perfect understanding of the finer things in life
A quite alarming knack of knowing when to twist the knife
Ooh
Selfish Jean
Here's to you
Who read everything
Left it out on the shelf
There's no one else to blame
Except yourself
Well a perfect combination of good etiquet and charm
You keep the chocolate biscuits wired to a car alarm
Ooh
Selfish Jean
Well I'm standing on my own
And this house is not a home
It's so sad to see you go
Things are high, things are low
And it's good to know you know
If you've got nowhere to go
Well you could spend the night with me
There will be no guarantee that I'll be here
In the morning
Or any time that you call
I hear you snoring Jean
Through the wall
So hey
Here's to everything
To peace and love in our time
Ah Jean the slate is clean
I guess we're fine
Well I don't expect a miracle
Not asking you to change
If you can see me happy
Well just look the other way
Ooh
Selfish Jean
Heah
Selfish Jean
Jean
Oh yeah
Jean
Thanks for everything
You hung me out by my heart
You're just so selfish jean
Yes you are
Hey you
Threw it all away
By holding everything in
Hey Jean don't rock the boat
When you can't swim
With a perfect understanding of the finer things in life
A quite alarming knack of knowing when to twist the knife
Ooh
Selfish Jean
Here's to you
Who read everything
Left it out on the shelf
There's no one else to blame
Except yourself
Well a perfect combination of good etiquet and charm
You keep the chocolate biscuits wired to a car alarm
Ooh
Selfish Jean
Well I'm standing on my own
And this house is not a home
It's so sad to see you go
Things are high, things are low
And it's good to know you know
If you've got nowhere to go
Well you could spend the night with me
There will be no guarantee that I'll be here
In the morning
Or any time that you call
I hear you snoring Jean
Through the wall
So hey
Here's to everything
To peace and love in our time
Ah Jean the slate is clean
I guess we're fine
Well I don't expect a miracle
Not asking you to change
If you can see me happy
Well just look the other way
Ooh
Selfish Jean
Heah
Selfish Jean
Jean
Oh yeah
Jean
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this song is really cool for me, as we have studied Dawkins' book in Religious Studies. It basically states that life is all about DNA, and all that we should be concerned about in life is the evolution of genes. Dawkins was a materialist.
cool song. Travis opened their gig with this last weekend when I saw them.
I like the way it incorporates lyrics from 1997 b-side "Standing on my own" =)
great song, also theres a very cool video, i dont think its the offical video, but it has comedian and friend of the band Demetri Martin wearing a shitload of t-shirts with references to the song as it goes along, its pretty funny check it out
check out the bands related site selfishjean.com you can watch the video and report and/or confess selfish acts.
It seems to me that it's about having a spiteful and manipulative lover. Someone who will do anything they can to get what they want. I also think it's about a lustful relationship - not a loving one. "If you've got nowhere to go Well you could spend the night with me There will be no guarantee that I'll be here
In the morning Or any time that you call"
Wow, i just bought The Selfish Gene by Dawkings and wow! I could help thinking about the song! That´s so cool! Have you seen the name of the chapters? "Nice guys finish first", "Battle of the sexes". Very interesting "Here's to you Who read everything Left it out on the shelf There's no one else to blame Except yourself"
I don't think this song is related the the selfish Gene in anything but the slight pun in the title.
It's also the only track on the album worth listening to; Travis have descended into terrible dross.
there's that bit "And this house is not a home"
which calls to mind The Smiths' (similarly titled!) Jeane -- "Jeane There's ice on the sink where we bathe So how can you call this a home "
intentional & quite fitting homage i daresay
(for ref: The Smiths - Jeane : songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858497485/)
I can't believe no one else has mentioned this one... In the famous SNL "more cowbell" sketch, the band members are berating "Gene" the cowbell player for hogging the studio space. <br /> <br /> "Quit being so selfish, Gene!" <br /> <br /> Seriously. <br /> <br /> So, anyway, that gets my vote for the reference.
Sorry, I didn't really mean to post this as a reply to delphinet, more as a general comment:
I can't believe no one else has mentioned this one... In the famous SNL "more cowbell" sketch, the band members are berating "Gene" the cowbell player for hogging the studio space.
"Quit being so selfish, Gene!"
Seriously.
So, anyway, that gets my vote for the reference.
This song defines why I love Travis.
I do see it as a song about a manipulative, distressed and utterly selfish lover. Really catchy too, eh?