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Got a message in my head
That the papers had all gone
Richard Manuel is dead
And the daylight's coming on
I've been wandering through the dark
Now I'm standing on the lawn
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
Well it was cold when I woke
And the day was halfway done
Nearly spring in San Francisco
But I cannot feel the sun
You were sleeping next to me
But I knew that you'd be gone
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
Take some time before you go
Think of Monday's coming down
And the people that you knew
The ones that aren't around
You've been fading day to day
I've been moving town to town
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
That the papers had all gone
Richard Manuel is dead
And the daylight's coming on
I've been wandering through the dark
Now I'm standing on the lawn
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
Well it was cold when I woke
And the day was halfway done
Nearly spring in San Francisco
But I cannot feel the sun
You were sleeping next to me
But I knew that you'd be gone
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
Take some time before you go
Think of Monday's coming down
And the people that you knew
The ones that aren't around
You've been fading day to day
I've been moving town to town
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
If I could give all my love to you
I could justify myself
But I'm just not coming through
You're a pill to ease the pain
Of all the stupid things I do
I'm an anchor on the line
Of a clock that tells the time
That is running out on you
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"I'm an anchor on the line
of a clock that tells the time
that is running out on you"
not "you're an anchor".
matthewconte is right...
and once it hits him that richard manuel is dead, he sort of starts to wonder what he's doing with his life... yea, he's got this girl but she doesn't mean anything. one night stand...so she's not going to be there long. he doesn't love her or feel anything for her, really. if he could say he did, it might justify things, but... he can't. she's just "a pill to ease the pain" -- something to fill the void. he notes that, similarly, he's her reminder that "time is running out" for her... if she's waking up every day with a new guy, no steady relationship, no family... and she's running out of time for such things. wasting away her life, if you will. he also notes that he's wasting away his life, waking up to a day "half way done". he notes that it's almost spring, but it doesn't feel like that for him. spring is supposed so signify new life and new beginnings... and he is just living monotonously through the same old, same old. he knows that she's there now, but she will be gone soon. off to live her monotonous life. he asks her to take a moment, before she leaves and to think about the real world -- monday, after the weekend's over, signifies the real world -- to think about all the people that have been in her life, especially the ones that no longer are. he reminds her that she has probably been "fading" away as each day goes on, fading out of contact with all the people that used to matter. similarly he has been "moving town to town," failing to keep in touch with those he used to know, and not making any new meaningful connections with those he meets in each town.
he realizes all of this upon realizing that a member of a band he likes has died... he makes the connection that he is a member of a famous band, also, and it could have just as easily been him. as we often do in such instances, he thought for a split second, "what would the papers say if it were me?"
A long time ago I was coming home from being out all night, drinking with this girl and some friends. Me and the girl came back to my house; this was when I lived in Berkeley. It was about 6:30 in the morning, so the paper was there. I went inside and looked through it before crashing, and it said that Richard Manuel [of the Band] had died; he hung himself in a hotel room in Florida. I just sat there at seven in the morning, still pretty wasted, thinking how impermanent things were. I remember thinking that you just can't let things slip by you, because one day they're gone. The girls that you can't get your act together for, they go off and marry other people. People die. Life is not sitting around, waiting for you."
You start this reflective song with a catchy, upbeat guitar lick.
That's about just aching to let it out. Each chorus starts off with that line: 'If I could give all my love to you ...' It's not until the second line that he adds this caveat: "… but I can't."
I think that this album marked the return of the Counting Crows. It comes quite close to the perfection of their first album.
And this song is their best jam yet. And I agree, the piano is so much fun to listen to. But it's the guitar work, in my opinion, that is the best part. You can tell the band really went balls to the wall on this song, to stretch their skills.
and the day was halfway done.
Nearly spring in San Francisco
and I cannot feel the sun."
I love those lines. When God was handing out musical and lyrical talent, Adam must have been first in line.