| The Raconteurs – Now That You’re Gone Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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The song seems pretty directly aimed at an ex lover. I think there is a play between the verses and chorus, where the narrator is alternating between talking to his ex and to himself. In the verses, the narrator is angry trying to make his ex feel bad. The ex thinks they are going to be good by moving onto someone new immediately, but the narrator knows they are vulnerable. During the relationship, he helped them with their vulnerability. He gave them love, trust, rescued them, and kept them warm (from his point of view). And he knows they need that, so he is challenging them to find that same love from someone else. He thinks he was special, that no one else could support them the way he did. In the final verse, he even supposes to know what they are thinking: he thinks they never saw this coming, that they're worried about what others are saying. Based on the chorus, I doubt he is really saying these things to their face; more like the arguments you have in your head in the shower. In the chorus, however, he is being honest with himself. He isn't hiding behind the tough exterior he shows his ex. He isn't angry, he is only sad. Actually HE is the one who never thought it would end like this, HE never saw this coming. He has never felt unhappiness close to this, and he is the one who needs love and support. He has dedicated his life to this relationship, and now that it's gone he has no idea what he's going to do. All of the things he claims he gave his ex are actually things that they gave him. And now, without them, he is lost. He is searching for all those things he believed he gave them, the true love that they used to give him. Deep down, he knows this and he knows that he lost something special when they left him. But he can only admit it briefly, he returns again to the anger and fake arguments. Of course, the chorus keeps repeating itself; so his honesty keeps returning to himself briefly, then he hides it again. |
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| Tame Impala – Patience Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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It could be that this song is about Kevin feeling pressured to keep up the success of the band: to pump out new music and keep up with all the comments from his fans / the press. But to me, it is him thinking of a past love and how he can't move past it. What points me in this direction is his use of "we" and "us", plus many of Tame Impala's past songs have to do with relationships. He doesn't believe it has been so long since the relationship ended; in his mind, it feels like yesterday. Could it really be that WE are back at square one, where they were before they dated. People ask him in private, when he is not putting on a face for society ("When the show's up"), why he hasn't moved on, has he just given up on love? He is trying to grow; he is focusing on other stages and phases of his life outside of a relationship. However, his days still feel shapeless/aimless because he has no love. He knows he should have his life back on track ("flying straight") because time is running out, but hearing everyone tell him to "drive straight, don't be late" isn't helping. He is just stuck "waiting here" until the day that takes him "where we would have gone", moving forward with the girl he still loves. He knows he is growing in other ways, and is now running out of patience waiting for growth in his relationships. He doesn't want to be aimless/shapeless anymore; he wants to make a concerted effort on this stage to get back to flying straight. |
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| Electric Light Orchestra – Telephone Line Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| @[Steve69:29012] Beautiful story. As with all descriptions of true love, I don't think it matters if the love is directed at a romantic lover, a parent, a child, God, etc. If the love is true, the feelings are the same. Therefore, the loss of that person would feel the same and your story fits perfectly with the lyrics. | |
| Electric Light Orchestra – Telephone Line Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Such a sad song that does a great job of capturing the emotions of someone who has lost a relationship without accepting or understanding why. The speaker "just can't believe" how the relationship ended. He is "living in twilight", completely lost and alone after losing his love. I really appreciate how the lyrics are directed at different people / objects throughout the song. It keeps the listener guessing and confused, much like the speaker. For the first three lines, we think he is directly talking to someone else (his ex lover) on the phone. Then after "That's what I'd say," we realize he is just pretending in his head. He continues talking to the same person ("I'd tell YOU everything If YOU'd pick up that telephone") but it is clear he has the self-realization that he is within his own head (by using the word "would"). Then in the next verse he switches back to talking directly to his ex. In the beginning of the chorus, it's not clear what he's talking to (the telephone itself... himeslf? the sky?), but something answers him via the backup singers. Then he finishes the rest of the song talking directly to the telephone line. He refuses to blame his ex for not answering, he has built her up in his head so much that he doesn't believe she would hurt him and abandon him like that. It's the phone's fault... if only he can convince the phone to ring a few more times she will surely answer. The lyrics do an amazing job of portraying how lonely the speaker is... he is driving himself insane. He wants to ask his ex how she handled all the lonely (x5) nights since they broke up; the nights were that lonely to him so he assumes they must have been THAT hard on her too. He is talking to himself or the sky, and something answers him very negatively ("the love you need ain't gonna see you through... the little things you planned ain't comin' true"). He feels completely and utterly alone... living in twilight (repeated 6 times). The only thing he has to turn to is a phone... even though the phone keeps rejecting him too. He is content to "just sit tight... forever more" because his life is meaningless if she won't answer, if she is truly gone. Facing rejection from all sides and having no one to turn to, the only thing he has to live for is the futile hope that if the phone rings enough times his ex will answer. |
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| Haim – Want You Back Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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The speaker is talking to her ex, swallowing her pride and leaving it on the table that she wants him back. She isn't asking for him back, she isn't desperate and keeps her dignity (no drunk texts asking for him back!). She "just" wants him to know that if he wants her back, she wants him back too. Some things about their relationship are "long forgotten", and some things "were never said", although now she wishes she had said them. When they were together, she didn't believe it would work ("I said we were opposite lovers" "from the beginning"). She "had a wandering heart" and she ran him down. Even though he stopped loving her ("you ran away with your heart"), she blames "it all " on herself. If he wants her back, she will "take the fall and the fault in us". She realizes that she didn't treat him right when they were together ("I'll give you all the love I never gave before I left you"). Looking back, she lists off her faults that contributed to their break-up ("I had a fear of forgiveness ... I was too proud to say I was wrong ...fear and control"). She hopes that he remembers what he promised her ("Said you'd always see me through"), and can give them another chance. Now she has learned what she wants (him), improved herself, and is "ready for the both of us now". Haim has some great deeply emotional lyrics for a real rock band. It's a hard thing to do, to go to your ex and tell them you blame yourself for how the relationship ended and that you want them back. It shows that the speaker has had a lot of time to reflect on it. She is mature enough to recognize her own faults, know what she wants, and go for it. I wish my ex would say this to me... P.S. The music video is awesome. Who doesn't want to dance down Ventura Blvd at sunrise? |
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| Haim – You Never Knew Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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The narrator has been neglected by her lover, and is resentful for being underappreciated. The opening two lines make it clear that she realizes the relationship is not in a good place. She is self-aware enough to know that now she just loves having him "right there by my side"; maybe she doesn't necessarily love him anymore. "Lately it's been such a mix" and she is tired of being let down constantly. Her significant other can't handle how much she wants from him ("Was my love too much for you to take?"). Her love is the all-consuming kind where she wants to spend every moment with him, but he thinks he doesn't love the same way. She knows better, she knows that after they break up, he will realize that she was "what was good for" him. She has been picking up on hints from him that he is over her ("you weren't around"). He had "another dream" of something (another woman, them breaking up?) and started "another fight you didn't mean". But when she confronts him, "Excuses were one right after the other". She is tired of his excuses and of him being "too scared to say" the truth. "I need to hear you say it", that he is done and they are over so that she can move on. She resents him for not appreciating her, and also for hiding his true feelings and not being honest. She also resents herself for treating him so well ("Still, time after time I came running to get you") despite how he neglected her. "Another heart, another day... So much time just thrown away... You know I love to be in love ... So tired of trying to show you ... I worked so hard". She can't believe that she put so much effort into something that he is just throwing away. He took advantage of her loving to be in love, and took her for granted. The song ends with her repeating that he doesn't understand how good he has it. He "never knew what was good for" him, he is taking her for granted and he will lose her because of it. If he doesn't man up and tell her how he feels, she will step up and end it for them both. Then he will be sorry, once she is gone he will realize how good he had it. |
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| Devotchka – Straight Shot Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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The narrator is reminiscing on his relationship after finalizing a divorce, talking to his ex-wife. It is so easy for him to remember, he can draw a straight line to those memories since he visits them so often. "Before all the paperwork got signed" means before his divorce was finalized. Through the "backyards and vacant lots" and "varied chambers of my heart", all the bad memories of the relationship that he chooses to pass through, he quickly arrives at the good times with a "straight shot". He feels that he is the only person who remembers these times; his friends and family don't, and even his ex seems to have forgotten that "part of town". Inside his heart, his "true love still resides", meaning the past version of his ex. He still loves his wife, and in his eyes it was "just a short ride" away that she still loved him. The place where she still loves him is also the place where all his "dreams go to die". He is constantly thinking and dreaming about his wife and when she loved him, but whenever he does he inevitably arrives at the conclusion that they are only dreams and she doesn't love him anymore. His "life is just around the bend" and "these broken hearts can mend", or at least that is what he it telling himself. The next two lines are beautiful: "It just takes time, time, time It takes time, time, time" Saying "just" the first time is him trying to convince himself that it will be easy and quick to move on. Then after "time" has passed, he just needs more time, and then more. After 3 times he still hasn't recovered and gotten back to his own life; he realizes it won't be easy or quick. So again he tells himself it (no "just") takes time, ... and time, ... and even more time. And he keeps telling himself this as time passes and he still hasn't healed...it will just take a little longer. But he never heals. All the beliefs he held about how their relationship was perfect and destined to be... "Now it doesn't matter". Every other girl he tries to date "Can't hold a candle to" his ex. She is his "fair-weather best friend", meaning that he feels she deserted him as soon as things got tough. He wants her to be his best friend again, just like she is in his mind. In reality, he is "stuck in the slow lane" of his mind, driving himself insane since he can't move on past his ex. He just stays stuck in his head "Wishing" for the past. He briefly looks at reality to say that it's "fine" now to be single. Instead of a quick straight show, he will "walk a sentimental mile" through "blue" reality, and accept the fact that their relationship was only "for a little while". But then, he flees from reality back into his mind to "draw a straight line" "right back to the good times". And suddenly we return to the beginning of the song (almost) and the cycle repeats itself again and again inside his brain. He will need more time, time, time as long as he continues to hide from reality. The whole song is a beautiful analogy between driving around town and visiting the memories of his relationship. Beautiful, painful, and understandable as he tries to cope with the loss of his true love. |
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| Tame Impala – Reality in Motion Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| @[Outthere:27873] Amazing story. Although I don't know if the song addresses club tabling specifically, it fits perfectly! | |
| Haim – Forever Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I love the irony in this song. It is a breakup song with the title "Forever", that tells you something right there. The opening lines "Hey you! Remember me? Remember love? Remember trying to stay together?" are clearly ironic (and angry). If the speaker is talking to someone who used to love her, he clearly remembers her. She is talking to her significant other, who is changing and seemingly giving up on the relationship. He is moving on ("You tried to bring yourself up without involving me"), but hasn't made it clear that it is over. After all he promised her, she can't believe he is leaving and needs a definitive answer. She knows that the way he is treating her now is not right ("It isn't fair to have your way"). But after all they have been through, she loves him too much to just give up hope ("Forever I'll try for you and I...I don't want to turn around"). He thinks he is changing, but she doesn't believe it ("Let go We're still the same"). If they could just "get back to where we started out", then the relationship can be saved. The verb tense is really interesting in the two stanzas of the chorus. It starts as past tense ("we tried...we saw") discussing negative aspects of the relationship, implying that she is over it and ready to move on. Then, she switches to present tense ("I'm tired...I see...I'll try") and looks more positively on them. Then she switches back to past tense ("No I never believed in their insight") in a positive light ("Just another good reason to get it right"). It's a really cool look inside her head as she switches viewing their current and past relationship in different ways. She is (understandably) angry and wants to give up on everything, but when she has calmed down she realizes she still wants to be with him. It sounds like he has taken some time away from the relationship, and she is left alone with her thoughts. This uncertainty is killing her ("get out of my memory...I don't have the energy"), and she wants for them both to either commit to the relationship or call it off. She still loves him and wants them to work out, so she cannot give up unless he tells her clearly that he is through ("If you say the word then I'll say goodbye"). The last bit of irony is my favorite: "I'm tired of fighting the good fight". When you tell someone to keep fighting the good fight, it is often sarcastic. Yes, it can be real encouragement but it usually means that person is the only one trying to accomplish something and no one else believes in them. That sums up exactly how she feels. Her lover, who promised her forever, has given up and she is the only one working on the relationship. The choice of words conveys not only that, but also her irony, bitterness, and anger. |
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| Tame Impala – Apocalypse Dreams Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I love reading everyone else's interpretation of Tame Impala songs; they can be applied to so many different situations and still be relevant! To me, the song is not about a dream feeling real, but instead that reality can feel like a dream. Looking back in time, something that felt like the apocalypse while it was happening is really no more important than a dream to you now. I think it is about the speaker looking back on a breakup that he is finally accepting. At the beginning of the song, he is trying to encourage his significant other to stay with him ("It could be the day that all our dreams come true"), then he shifts to blaming her for leaving ("Are you yoo terrified to try your best"), and finally settles in and feels so much pain realizing the relationship is over ("Never had something so close I couldn't keep...the strangest feeling"). At the time, he felt his whole world was changing / ending, and he couldn't stop her from leaving him after she made up her mind ("Do you really live without the fear?...And there’s nothing I can do"). He asks if he is getting closer to restoring the relationship, then stops himself and asks "Does it even matter...Do I really need it". He decides that yes, it "Doesn't even matter". It is already in the past and it's time to move on ("It was only yesterday"). I think the lines "Didn’t even know you...Now I’m gonna miss you" is him asking himself in irony. He is realizing that his life existed before her, and it now feels ridiculous for him to be so upset about losing her. How can I miss you so much when I didn't even know you before? I guess his mom wasn't a fan of his ex. My favorite line is "No matter how long you do your hair...It looks the same to everyone else". Meaning that you have to live for yourself and do what makes you happy. Even with small things like doing your hair perfectly, nothing will change if you are doing it for someone else since they won't notice. All you have control over is your own happiness. |
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| Buddy Holly – I'm Changing All Those Changes Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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The lyrics from most old songs are so simple and easy to interpret. I think its pretty clear, the speaker thought his significant other was cheating on him so her dumped her in anger. Now regrets it and wants her back, so he is trying to change everything back. Not sure if it was intentional, but by using "change" for both the forward and backward change, the speaker is implying that he thinks it will be just as easy to undo the changes as it was to do them. He made "all those changes" quickly ("I didn't stop to think"), and now he thinks he can simply change things back and time will rewind. Instead of addressing her feelings, he is just says "I'm wrong", so I'll just change back and everything will be fine. |
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| Jim Croce – I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Yes, on a biopic about Jim Croce, they said he wrote this song overnight after a bad fight with his wife. Supposedly he used it (or an early version of it) to wake her up the next morning. I also used this song to ask out my girlfriend, who eventually became my wife. It worked...although I do think I remember her rolling her eyes. It ain't easy being cheesy. Such simple lyrics, but so relate-able. |
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| Tame Impala – Keep on Lying Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I agree that this is about the speaker trying to break up with his significant other. It sounds like he is trying to psych himself up to do it ("Maybe one day I'll get through", "trying to be strong", "I guess I'll go and tell you just as soon as I get to the end of this song"). She has already let on that she suspects he doesn't love her, but she loves him and doesn't leave ("Your poor little heart already knew, but there is nothing you can do"). That is such a terrible position for her to be in, feeling unloved but still staying with him. She has probably confronted him about his lack of love and he just denies it, so she stays hoping he actually loves her. He tries to convince himself to tell the truth by telling himself that it is a small step to tell her ("I only need to say its true"). If she asks again, all he needs to say yes instead of lying. I think the repetition of "to the end of this song" and the following verse are him rehearsing in his head. He is saying I'll tell her as soon as this song is over, but wait the song has another line, and another. I'll do it now...ok now...ok now... Then in his head he tells himself and her that he never loved her. It is just the curse of his life of lonerism / social awkwardness that he will be alone again, it isn't her fault that he is leaving. But this is all in his head. This is confirmed by the last verse (repetition of the first). All he gives are little clues, he didn't actually tell her. And the whole song can repeat from there, since we are back at the beginning. He will try again to tell her, but there is nothing he can do. Maybe one day... |
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| Jack White – Would You Fight for My Love? Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| @[Darrow:27500] I think you absolutely nailed the meaning. Awesome | |
| Tame Impala – List of People (To Try and Forget About) Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Tame Impala has SO many great breakup songs, and this is another! It definitely should have made the album. "I don't want to spend all my days thinking of the one I can't live without." That just sounds so painful. The speaker has told himself (and probably his ex) that he couldn't live without her, and now she is gone. To try and get through it, he is repeatedly telling himself to forget her. He obviously can't, as his train of thought is interrupted by "It could've been magic, Nearly had ya, Can you imagine." He wants his ex and everyone else (including himself) to think he didn't really care and has moved on ("Don't think my heart will try", "Now I gotta tell 'em I don't care", "They'll say my love has died"). But when he is honest with himself, he knows he truly loved her and probably always will ("hope that nobody might work it out", "But it was waiting here", "But it was waiting in the wings"). The pain is so bad all he wants to do it forget, but most likely he never will. |
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| Jim Croce – Dreamin' Again Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| So sad, but so relatable. The painful struggle of a man trying to accept his breakup. He knows that they were incompatible and it won't ever work. Despite that, it doesn't keep him from loving her or wanting her back. It is easy to idealize someone else in your dreams when you can't have them in reality. | |
| Jim Croce – Alabama Rain Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| So simple, but so beautiful. I think most everyone reminisces about their first love. Life seemed so simple when you could just enjoy being with another person and do little things together all summer. | |
| The Beach Boys – Forever Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Such a beautiful song, with the melody and the intentions behind the lyrics. I think the lyrics are about the singer (Dennis) being left by their lover. At the beginning of the song, Dennis is in disbelief. He says how he would do anything to make her happy: he would talk forever or sing forever IF either of those would do it. He has "been so happy loving" her, he doesn't understand how she could be leaving him. He thought it was meant to be, even the sky agreed with him. He tries to convince her to stay ("together my love"). In the middle of the song, he realizes that she is leaving and is begging her to stay ("Let the love I have...", "Baby just let me sing it...", "I want to be singin' my baby"). If she would just let him love her, let him sing, he will love her forever. Then, in despair ("oh oh my my"), he accepts the fact that she is leaving. He will stop begging, he is "goin' away". But even if he can't be with her, he is going to love her anyway. He truly believes that it is not forever, that she will change her mind and come back to him. And his love will be there waiting for her, forever... |
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| Death Cab for Cutie – Passenger Seat Lyrics | 5 years ago |
| I agree completely. True love is when you can just be absolutely comfortable with each other. You can say whatever stupid thought comes into your head because you know they will accept you. This song is all about being wrapped up in that moment of love, when "the world doesn't matter" because all you care about are your emotions at that time. Everything about this song hits extremely close to home for me, and I hope I can find a love like this again. | |
| Fleetwood Mac – Storms Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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This is, in my opinion, one of the best Fleetwood Mac songs. I am surprised it doesn't have the same number of comments as Landslide or The Chain. In many ways it is more powerful than them, and so openly raw with emotion. The somber music beautifully matches the lyrics. Stevie's lyrics so painfully portray the thoughts of someone who is being left by their lover. Now being alone, she is feeling her love for him fade. She struggles with blaming herself and trying to recover. To me, the line "This is only another test" could have a dual meaning. Each of the two meanings sets the tone for the rest of the song. 1) This pain of being left is just another test for her put upon her by fate. The "deadly calm inside" is her searching for herself and finding nothing, as if she was dead. Then the verse starting with "I haven't felt this way I feel..." is her reflecting on past loves and talking to herself. Not only is the love and memory of her lover fading, but also her own identity and emotions are fading. She "did not deal with" her own emotions after previous breakups, and never fully recovered. If she can "find an answer there" she will "win" by finally healing and finding herself. 2) Her lover is trying to push her away in order to test her, and if she passes then she will save the relationship (like a marriage separation). In this case, she is afraid of failing as she seems to be fading out of the relationship ("Did I ever really care that much"). The "deadly calm inside" is her unable to do what it takes to save the relationship. The verse starting with "I haven't felt this way I feel..." is all about how she tested her lover previously, and this is making her feel the same emotions. That time, she "did not deal" with her lover's feelings and never helped them heal, but he still continued on with the relationship. She is searching there to find how he did it, so that she can do the same. To me, the song is purposely ambiguous because she doesn't know what her lover intends. If he is truly leaving her it is option #1, but it could just be option #2 and her inaction is ending it. Either way, she is looking at the impending end of the relationship. She is unable to keep fighting for it, and it will end whether that was his intention or not. That self doubt leads into the repetition of "I have always been a storm", where she is blaming herself for ruining the relationship. She has never been able live a calm life, she always ruins things like a storm. She should've known she would be broken-hearted just like everything else in her life. "Not all the prayers in the world" could save the relationship from her inevitable storm. |
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| Chromeo – Lost on the Way Home Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I love Chromeo's music (plus who doesn't like Solange!), and it is nice to see some deeper lyrics from them. This is a really emotional exchange between a couple on the verge of a breakup. "Home" is the perfect relationship they had always envisioned and worked towards, but somehow they got lost and ended up in a broken relationship. Seems to me that Solange feels betrayed, like she has always been there to support Dave and he wasn't there emotionally for her ("Who's gonna have your..." repeated). Also sounds like her feelings of isolation pushed her to do something to hurt Dave ("all the bullshit", "that's no excuse", "And we can't go back"). Maybe she cheated on him or got close ("I know you're thirsty for a change"). That leaves them both feeling wronged by the other and still trying to make it work. Dave is refusing to continue working (maybe he had been trying to reach out to her emotionally) ("I've paid my dues"), but also refusing to end the relationship ("I've got my mind made up, my feet on the ground"). He thinks he was there for her, and it's her own fault she feels isolated ("I took the burden off of you too", "you're up all night and you never make a sound"). He is throwing in the towel and telling Solange that she has to change how she views him / the relationship ("I've paid my dues, whatever you choose"). If she only came around to his point of view, then she would see that he really did support her and the relationship would be good (or so he thinks). He ends by lamenting how he gave her everything she could want in a relationship, and it still didn't work. Solange seems to agree that she needs to change, or at least says she agrees ("I know it's gonna take time, But you know that I care"). But at the same time she repeats how she was always there for him, implying that she thinks she did everything right and he didn't appreciate it. Sounds like neither of them is really going to give in, and the relationship will just stay stuck there until it eventually falls apart. Certainly both of them are refusing to see things from the other's point of view. |
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| Tame Impala – Eventually Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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If you interpret the lyrics as literally about a breakup, it is one of the nicest breakup songs of all time. Kevin's intentions are so loving and selfless. There is no blame or anger anywhere. He is just conveying his feelings, and repeatedly wishing there was a way to end it without causing pain to his significant other. He would even prefer it if they forgot all about him and the relationship ("turn you back into a stranger"). To completely erase your own memory is about the most selfless thing possible. Maybe he doesn't want the relationship to end; he is still in love but knows he is hurting / holding back his significant other. He knows the best way to make them happy is to cause pain one last time instead of dragging it out. Even if he is ending it for his own reasons, his thoughts are purely on his significant other. Beautiful sentiment, I hope all my breakups can be like this. |
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| Tame Impala – Yes I'm Changing Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Depending on how I feel on any particular day, I interpret this song in one of two ways: 1) The narrator is leaving his significant other because he feels held back by her. He has been struggling with this decision for a while ("my demons cultivate"), but is finally at peace with it ("but it wasn't hate for once") and he is trying to encourage her to look at the bright side ("you can come along", "it's calling yours too"), that she can find "someone beyond that door" to make her happier than he can. He wants her to be happy about it and not try to convince him to stay ("even if I wanted I wouldn't know how"). He was a different person when they got together and he realizes that the person he is now does not fit with what she wants. I think this is the more obvious interpretation. 2) The narrator's significant other is unhappy with who he is, and he is telling her that he is changing into the person that she wants. Again, he has been struggling with it for a while. But instead of struggling with the decision to leave, he has been struggling with his own identity and with her unhappiness with him. He is saying "There's no future left for you and me" as we have been, we need to reinvent ourselves so that "you can come along, with me". Who he was has been making her "blue", but there is "another future" if she stays with him, a future where he is different and she is happy. She is trying to leave him ("I saw it different, I must admit") and he is trying to convince her that the "he" she wants to leave isn't here anymore; if she just waits a little longer he will be fully changed into a man she wants. She has told him who she wants and he can get there intermittently ("I caught a glimpse, I'm going after it"), and soon he will be there permanently. He is the "someone beyond that door" and this song is him calling out for her. Maybe that is just me being optimistic, but I like the second interpretation more. |
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| Death Cab for Cutie – Hold No Guns Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Like the rest of the album, I think it's pretty clear this is about Ben Gibbard's divorce. Sounds like he feels unfairly blamed for the breakup. From his point of view, his wife is competing with him to not take credit for ruining it. He doesn't want to compete ("There are no winners..."). He thinks that he is innocent since his hands "hold no guns", that he has never hurt her. Reading between the lines, there is a clear bitter tone of anger towards her, despite his claims that he doesn't want to hurt her. "Why do you run?" --> he is blaming her completely for the breakup. The second verse is all about how she doesn't appreciate him. "to whom will you place the call In the coldest night of winter?" He thinks that he was the only person there for her when she needed someone, and that no one else could ever do that for her as well as he can ("And friends they always splinter"). She thinks that she is independent ("though you may pretend Pretend that you are selfless"), but he attacks her saying she constantly needs support from others ("You break with but the slightest bend It leaves you lost and helpless"). The line "So to whom will you place the call" is also him saying that he refuses to be there to support her going forward. In other words, he tried so hard to help her with past struggles and she didn't appreciate it. She instead chose to leave him after all he did for her, saying she is independent and will rely on her friends. Instead of him truly holding no guns and willing to remain open to helping her, his bitterness shows by him turning his back on her. If she didn't appreciate him when she had him, then after rejecting him she will be sorry when she realizes how alone she is. Beautiful lyrics from the perspective of someone being left by their spouse. Clearly the breakup is partially his fault, since he is lashing out and blaming her for it. But he doesn't seem to see that, he only sees how she didn't appreciate him and chose to leave him. He is asking her not to run away while showing (probably) why she is running. I can unfortunately relate. |
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