Excuse me, but can I be you for a while?
My dog won't bite if you sit real still
I got the anti-Christ in the kitchen yellin' at me again
Yeah, I can hear that

Been saved again by the garbage truck
I got something to say you know but nothing comes
Yes I know what you think of me you never shut up
Yeah I can hear that

But what if I'm a mermaid?
In these jeans of his with her name still on it
Hey, but I don't care
'Cause sometimes
I said sometimes I hear my voice
And it's been here
Silent all these years

So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts
What's so amazing about really deep thoughts?
Boy, you best pray that I bleed real soon
How's that thought for you?

My scream got lost in a paper cup
You think there's a heaven where
Some screams have gone?
I got 25 bucks and a cracker
Do you think it's enough to get us there?

'Cause what if I'm a mermaid?
In these jeans of his with her name still on it
Hey, but I don't care
'Cause sometimes
I said sometimes I hear my voice
And it's been here
Silent all these...

Years go by
Will I still be waiting
For somebody else to understand?
Years go by
If I'm stripped of my beauty
And the orange clouds raining in my head
Years go by
Will I choke on my tears
Till finally there is nothing left?
One more casualty
You know we're too easy, easy, easy

Well, I love the way we communicate
Your eyes focus on my funny lip shape
Let's hear what you think of me now
But baby don't look up
The sky is falling

Your mother shows up in a nasty dress
And it's your turn now to stand where I stand
Everybody lookin' at you
Here, take hold of my hand
Yeah, I can hear them

But what if I'm a mermaid?
In these jeans of yours with her name still on it
Hey, but I don't care
'Cause sometimes
I said sometimes I hear my voice
I hear my voice
I hear my voice
And it's been here
Silent all these years

I've been here
Silent all these years
Silent all these
Silent all these years...



Lyrics submitted by Novartza

Track duration: 04:11


Silent All These Years song meanings
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92 Comments

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  • 0
    Song Meaning:About a strange little girl she knows, that has been with her in spirit for many years. They have never actually met face to face or spoken to each other, yet they know each other well.
    Flag michelleguon October 30, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Adore it ! , a great masterpiece !!!
    Flag modarxmodaron April 22, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song,I can relate to it. I heard that this is about when she was married to an Enlgishman
    when she was really young.
    Flag Thia007on November 20, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the songs simply about everyone trying to run her life without her having a say in it, and now she's like,"Yoohoo? Yeah, man in the brown? Old woman standing behind him? I'm here too."
    Flag truepisces86on September 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Silent all these years. I mean the title clarifies it and her lyrics further define it. Many people have gone through life feeling invisible and out of place even when they aren't alone. Everyone in her life has controlled her life and who she is but her. Now she's tired of it, so she steps out in the middle of the stage that is "her" life and goes,"Excuse me? Yeah, hi there. Just wanted you to know that I live in this world too." LOl
    Flag truepisces86on September 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the song is simply about being invisible so long. Never having a say in anything, and no one seems to care about your opinion until that one day when you've finally had enough. You stand in the middle of stage which is your world and say "Hey I'm here! Not sure if you noticed or not, but I exist too!" Lol
    Flag truepisces86on September 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I'll never forget hearing this song on the radio when I was thirteen years old and just being drawn in by Tori's beautiful voice. I'd consider it her signature song. I don't want to call it the more-accessible version of "Me and a Gun," but... it does have similar themes, with some hope to offset the darkness and a more radio-friendly instrumentation that just makes it easier to listen to than all the pain in "Me and a Gun." In interviews, Tori's said that she was inspired by the story of The Little Mermaid, which she references in the chorus: a woman who gave up her voice and became something she wasn't in order to earn love, and has to struggle to win it back.

    While I do I think the song describes the story of a specific character (not necessarily Tori herself) living through a pregnancy scare, I think the overall themes -- trying to find your independence while navigating a culture of oppressive relationships -- are deeper than that. The line about being "saved again by the garbage truck" makes me think that she took a home pregnancy test and needed to destroy the evidence, and "boy, you best pray that I bleed real soon" pretty much speaks for itself. She worries about being disowned by her family, wondering if she can survive on "twenty-five bucks and a cracker" if she's thrown out of the house. The lyrics hint that her previous relationships have caused her pain, too -- the line about her "scream [getting] lost in a paper cup" makes me think, possibly, that she was sexually abused after having something put in her drink at a party (or else someone took advantage of her while she was inebriated). She also carries insecurities into her current relationship. She dismisses another girl her boyfriend knows who "thinks really deep thoughts," implying that she doesn't think she herself is intelligent, and notes that when she wears his jeans, they still have his previous girlfriend's name written on them (having your significant other sign your jeans/sneakers with a Sharpie was a cool thing to do in the 90s; dunno if anyone's still doing it now). Still, I think the story has a happy ending when she's confronted by her boyfriend's judgmental mother (in her "nasty dress"), and he "takes hold of [her] hand." She acknowledges the judgment, says "yeah, I can hear them," and doesn't care anymore, because she's finally found someone who accepts her unconditionally.

    But beyond the specifics of the story, I think this song speaks to so many people -- even if they've never been condemned for having premarital sex; even if they're not even women -- because it's about subtle ways in which even our most intimate relationships oppress and hurt us. The fact that in the end, she DOESN'T say something along the lines of "screw all the haterz/I don't need ANYONE but me/whateva, whateva, I do what I want," but rather that she wants to find someone who will love her for who she truly is, makes it so much more realistic and powerful for me. We can't live without relationships, and the answer is never as easy as just cutting it out of our lives and pretending it doesn't exist. Living with the pain long enough to work through it it is what takes real strength, and this song embodies it beautifully.
    Flag venusvictrixon September 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:no point listening to your own inner voice, when there's such a storm of other voices coming at you =)
    Flag whocareswhaticallmeon July 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Stay silent for life ftw
    Flagged whocareswhaticallmeon July 12, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This is a song about the cycle of abuse. a mermaid in a pair of jeans is counter-productive. These jeans of "his" with "her name" still on it - we see his mother referenced at the end of the song - it's clear the mother makes the boyfriend feel the way he is treating his girlfriend "mother shows up in a nasty dress... now you stand where i stand - the jeans are a metaphor for abuse - smothering the beauty and the wonderment of the 'mermaid" . There is a lot going on in this song. The dog has witnessed the abuse and has become violent, the girl gets saved from verbal abuse when the garbage truck arrives (an antithetical hero) at one point, she indicates that she may be pregnant. Makes references to heaven and has 25 bucks "is it enough to get us there" possibly having an abortion, sending the baby up to heaven and ending the cycle of abuse. toward the end of the song, she begins to speak not to the listener but to the boyfriend - one more casualty, you know we're too easy... the baby in question, the girl and the boyfriend are all casualties of circumstance - the sky is falling - the boyfriend is being made aware but she pities him the way she pities herself.
    Flag tannerwilsonon December 12, 2010   Link

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