Sitting around, no work today.
Try pacing to keep awake.
Laying around, no school today.
Just drink until the clock has circled all the way.

It's late afternoon, as you walk through the rooms
Of a house that is quiet
Except for unanswered telephones.
You stand near the sink,
You mix up a drink.
You think you don't want to pass out
Where your roommates could find you again.
Stumble 'round the neighboorhod, nothing to do.
You're always looking for something
To sniff smoke or swallow.
Calling over next door, see what they've got.
But you would settle for anything
That would make your brain slow down or
Stop this circle of thoughts you chase
Before they catch back up with you.
And your parents notice your thinning face,
All the weight you've lost,
All the weight you're losing.
You said "I'm done feeling like a skeleton,
No more sleep walking dead."
You're going to wake from this coma.
You're going to crawl from this bed you've made.
Stop counting on the camera
That hangs around your neck,
Cause it will never remember what you choose to forget.

And you try to find one source of light,
Try to name one thing you like.
You used to have such a longer list,
And light, you never had to look for it.

But now it's so easy, it's so easy to
It's so easy, it's so easy to
Second guess everything you do
Until all you want, all you want is to
Finish this half empty glass
Before the ice all melts away.
This feeling always used to pass,
Seems like it's every day
Seems like it's every night now.



Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Track duration: 03:25

"A Line Allows Progress, A Circle Does Not" as written by Oberst

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


A Line Allows Progress, a Circle Does Not song meanings
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106 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:"try to name one think you like, you used to have such a longer list"

    I definitely can related to that. Living a live with addiction, and it becomes your life, and things you use to enjoy become scarce, nothing making you happy anymore. Love it.
    Flag kimberlovegoodon April 24, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about a girl who is really depressed, I think that it's because of her thoughts, like, she's all the time thinking crap about life I guess, maybe something happened to her. So she drinks to ease the pain, and do drugs and stuff. And she has a camera and she has it like her 'friend' I guess, that she counts on it to remember all the things she forgot while she was drunk or on dope. And she's really sad and now she doesn't eat, doesn't do anything more than feeling like a skeleton. I think this song is named like that because she is sad and depressed and instead of looking for help she holds onto substances and it makes her feel worse but still she does it and it's worse every time, so she makes no progress.

    It makes me cry, I don't know, it's like a pain I feel in my chest every time I hear it. But it's beautiful.
    Flag anntrovatoon April 05, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song can practically make me break down every time I listen. Literally, this song is about a kid with a drug addiction and a messed up life. I personally don' t have a drug addiction, or use at all for that matter, but with the strong theme of desperateness I still feel like this song applies to my life so much. Every day I wonder when it is going to get better and I think back to when I used to be happy. I go through the motions daily, but I'm not really there. I WILL WAKE FROM THIS COMA. I literally broke down the first time I heard "It's so easy, it's so easy to second guess everything you do.." & " This feeling always used to pass, seems like it's everyday, seems like it's every night now." Just wow, Conor is an artistic genius. He really knows how to write his whole heart on paper.
    Flag alexakristineon January 23, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song feels like a person who has lost his meaning in life.

    Sitting around, no work today
    Try pacing to keep awake
    Laying around, no school today
    Just drink until the clock has circled all the way

    This guy has nothing to do.

    You think you don't want to pass out
    Where your roommates will find you again

    This guy is contemplating a quiet death.

    Stumble around the neighborhood with nothing to do
    You're always looking for something
    To sniff, smoke, or swallow
    Calling over next door to see what they got
    But you would settle for anything
    That would make your brain slow down or stop
    Break this circle of thoughts you chase

    Trying to find meaning in his life. Maybe he also wants to chase away thoughts of suicide?

    Because it won't ever remember
    What you choose to forget
    As you try to find some source of light
    Try to name one thing you like
    You used to have such a longer list
    And light, you never had to look for it

    He has lost that one important thing in life hat means everything to him. Life is meaningless now.
    He can't even think of anything he'd want now.

    But now it's so easy to second guess everything you do
    Until all you want is to finish this half empty glass
    Before the ice melts away
    This feeling always used to pass
    But seems like it's every day
    Seems like it's every night now

    His life feels mundane and repetitive now. He doesn't like this one bit.
    Flag askanceon October 10, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:and Tim Kasher just makes it epic.
    Flag ExoM7on June 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Laying around, no school today
    Just drink until the clock has circled all the way"
    -I like how the title mingles with these lines.

    I wish Conor's friend wasn't stuck in such a rut though,
    it's hard to see someone you love deteriorate.
    The habits don't seem like they really heal the emptiness anymore and whatever they though was an escape just keeps growing more unreliable, and everyone sees it but them.

    -the lyrics are so honest and vulnerable too.
    "Because it won't ever remember
    What you choose to forget"

    I think Conor's trying to get his friend to face the facts.
    He sees them thinning out into a skeleton and everyone around him shows concern, but people don't change unless they want to. This was Conor's way of maybe letting out his frustration for his situation, feeling powerless to stop his friend's fate.
    Flag electricsweetson February 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He seems to almost detest drugs? But in other songs he seems completely infatuated with them.
    Flag tayloristallon December 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:so many people say this song is depressing, but i have to disagree.

    You said, "I'm done feeling like a skeleton
    No more sleepwalking dead"
    You're going to wake from this coma
    You're going to crawl from this bed you have made

    it's a turn around, isn't it? a critical moment of realization?
    it's like he's sick of the routine of getting high and crashing and getting drunk and passing out.

    i also think this is about conor, not a friend.
    so many of his songs are sort of autobiographical, and we know conor had a drug addiction...
    Flag geegingeron July 24, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:As someone mentioned the half empty glass being about his life. That leads to a natural double entendre where he finishes his drink because he has nothing better to do, and finishes his life because the feelings of worthlessness due to his depression always used to pass, but never do anymore.

    I still think the song is more about depression than a particular addiction.
    Flag friediceeon June 19, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song decribes the exact feeling you have after doing drugs, and drinking lots of alc. Conor oberst had some problems with coke, and in the lines
    "Try to name one thing you like
    You used to have such a longer list
    And light, you never had to look for it
    But now it's so easy to second guess everything you do"
    The feeling of emptness, and loosing the things you love ae very well portrayed.
    Flag Zarebearon February 26, 2009   Link

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