You take your clothes off
Right after school
The tea is on
The flame is blue

And you hope it won't take
All afternoon
The TV's waiting
To talk to you

It's your naked body
On white velor
But there's no feeling
Just weight on you

But you get nauseous now
As he speaks to you
Such proper language
For acts so cruel

He says, we all follow the rules
We can't very well go
And break them now can we?
For you, for you, for you

Your older sisters
I had them too
But you're my favorite
You know it's true

You look like your mother
In that thin disguise
Your parting mouth
Your shining eyes

And the way that you hate me
And the length of your hair
It's the reason I make you
It's the bond that we share

'cause you were all trying to endure it
You could easily go and make your own life somewhere
Couldn't you? Couldn't you? Couldn't you?
Couldn't you? Couldn't you? Couldn't you? Couldn't you?"

With the sun beams bright
You keep your eyes shut
Your alarm clock lies
Get to school on time

But you're a bag of warm fluid
You're the corpse in the class
You walk so near to your locker
You lay so low in the grass

Did you get that coat from the principal?
Did you get that bruise on the bus?
You should wash your hair more
You should look more like us

But I saw you walking once
Under powder blue skies
You looked cold still
Your collar was high

And I tried to talk to you
But you walked right by
I don't know which I said then
"Hello" or "Goodbye"

And yet we're all trying to be pure
But it isn't a very easy thing, now is it?
To do, to do, to do, to do, to do, to do
Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?
Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?



Lyrics submitted by PLANES, edited by brooch184, Woot100, Mellow_Harsher

Amy in the White Coat Lyrics as written by Conor Oberst Oberst

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Amy in the White Coat song meanings
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172 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    This song is so haunting. I get chills from listening to it. It's really quite sad. Aside from the fact that "Amy" is a victim of molestation, her disgusting father makes her feels as if it is her obligation to let him molest her. "We all follow the rules, We can't very well go and break them now, can we?"

    On top of that, she has a terrible school life where she is picked apart and critisized.

    It's truley heart-wrenching that when (the singer) attempts to talk to her, she ignores him and keeps walking. I imagine she isolates herself because she doesn't know how to react to kindess or friendliness, which is a shame.

    The worst part is that this sad song is true for many girls in the world today.

    Lozerellaon October 12, 2008   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    what a haunting song... pretty obvious it's about a father molesting his daughter. but it's interesting because it doesn't make the father out to be a completely bad person, since it's told from his p.o.v. hence the line, (and i think it goes) "you know we're all tryin to be pure... but it isn't a very easy thing now, is it?". very good song.

    deliriumtriggeron July 03, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I know what you mean by intense... sometimes I can't stand to listen to it, the way his voice is barely above a whisper as if singing a lover to sleep but uttering lines like "you're a bag of warm fluids" or "your older sisters, I've had them too". It actually makes me feel a little sick, but that's part of the beauty of the song.

    Lunetiaon September 05, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    the first time I heard it, I couldnt make out exactly what was said, and thought conor was just being nasty and blunt 'Your older sisters, I've had them too'. but when I realised what it was actually about, oh it hurts to listen to it. It seems wrong to like a song so much thats so horrible. 'But there's no feeling, just weight on you'

    thatswhatImeanton March 23, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    This has always been one of my favourite songs by Conor, but a couple months of a go I listened to it, really LISTENED, and I understood, and it broke my heart. Very rarely do songs make me cry. This was one of the few exceptions. Until about an hour ago, I thought it was her principal molesting her, because of the line about him, but then someone mentioned her father, and it all clicked together even more. Such a tragic song.

    Oh, and I thought you should know, the line is "You looked cold still, your collar was high", not "your colour was high." :]

    staticGHOSTon January 06, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I thought I already commented on this song...?? anyway for me it's the saddest song he ever did. It's full of compassion for everyone of the characters, and the line at the end could be referred to the abused girl feeling guilty even if she doens't have any reason why (something that happens often to abused people methinks), the boy that would like to do more for her but he can't, the people she knows at school that are somehow mean with her, and even the father that is guilty but tormented. It's easy doing a song about incest and rape saying "ah the poor victim, lets kill and/or put in prison that bastard", but doing something so subtle, and hopeless, and compassionate, and sad...it's another thing completely. I like how he describes the girl not taking care of her appearance, she is depressed because of her home life and probably she does everything not be attractive since her experience of sex has been warped and full of sorrow. I like the whole desperate routine feeling of the lyrics, I like the kinky-sad-guilty-sympathetic whispering. I like the longing for something better than gets frustrated by how sucky reality really is... wonderful.

    dorareeveron April 16, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i love this song so much. it hits so close to home.

    "i don't know which i said then, hello or goodbye." the way i see that line is she may have killed herself. "hello," that he wanted to talk to her, maybe start a friendship but "goodbye," it was his last time seeing her. i don't know, i can't really explain it.

    asdfghjkl!on August 12, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song hits home and reminds me of certain family members who have been through an experience such as this. kills me when i hear it. really makes me picture their faces.

    you go through high school or even elementary school teasing and degrading other children and now (@ 22 years old) it kills me to know i was such a..child when i was younger. heh. when the fact of the matter is..you have no earthly idea what that individual could be going through the moment they walk in the door of their home.

    poisonmyselfon May 21, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This just breaks my heart.

    jesssicaraaeon July 02, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I like how he pronounces some words like broken, like when he sais ''pure'', like if it is so hard to be pure you can't even pronouncethe word

    sorry for my english :3

    jjoyon July 02, 2011   Link

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