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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  • +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

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