If could change your days
Arranging them in some sweet new sequence
Like any new arrangement is going to make a difference
Because it is the moment that you are living in

And not the one that follows
That makes the mess you are cleaning in your head
And time still drags you forward
Although you keep resisting

Because you know it is what you leave behind
You will soon start missing and the people you once counted on
Says it's all depending on how you act and how you treat yourself
And that is not very well
So baby, when I call for you

I want you to come and explain yourself to everyone
You nod in an acknowledgment of your frequent mood swings
But what good is an acknowledgment
It still don't change things

We've tried all forms of encouragement
And it's still no better
You can't seem to fake or force a smile
Not even a little one

So baby, when I call to you
I want you to come and lay it out for everyone
Exactly how it was before any of this happened
And why you can't leave it behind

Don't just sit there when I call to you
I told you to come and lay it out for
Don't feel awkward
Lay it out for everyone



Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Track duration: 05:13

"A New Arrangement" as written by Oberst

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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A New Arrangement song meanings
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31 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:Thoughts during Group Therapy.
    Flag meglomegon June 03, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"it is the moment that you are living in
    And not the one that follows
    That makes the mess you are cleaning in your head"

    what an incredible gift he has.
    this whole song is an incredible piece of art.
    Flag Misseveruson March 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Because it is the moment that you are living in
    And not the one that follows
    That makes the mess you are cleaning in your head
    And time still drags you forward
    Although you keep resisting
    Because you know it is what you leave behind "

    This reminds me of how I wish I didn't have to grow older.
    You keep resisting Father Time, but whether I want it or not, it will inevitably drag you in its grasp.

    But- the song. The song in it's whole seems to be about a girl that never speaks her mind, that bottles things up like a confetti shooter while everyone around her waits for a blow.
    It's hard on the people close to her because she's got a lot to say but might not know really how to say it.
    Seems like Conor is just asking her to try.
    To open herself up
    and just

    spit
    it
    out.
    What are thoughts worth if they're bound with silent string?


    Flag electricsweetson February 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:there's something about the way he sings this song that's just really nice. it just makes me think of him trying to get someone he loves to come back (come back literally or just in the sense that they got messed up and he wants them back). he wants them to explain themselves and not hide their feelings.
    Flag CALLEY_roadtojoyon April 09, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is a powerful song. It's about telling people how you feel, and not being ashamed. It's about not hiding in a shell for no one to see, it's about letting things out, and sharing with everyone your pain. It's about letting everyone know what your life was like before you were hurt. It's about letting your fears go, and becoming something that's strong and willing to stand up and lay it out for everyone.
    Flag TragicXon November 08, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's about someone who just keeps everything inside and other people are starting to notice their sadness. The song is encouraging the person to try to relate to people and tell every one how they feel. It's amazing how somehow, everyone can relate to Bright Eyes. I always wonder who the songs are adressed to. A friend, a girl, himself? Maybe just for anyone. Everyday and Everynight is in my opinion the best of all Bright Eyes.
    Flag LaughAtTheEndingon January 03, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Of course I highly believe in the fact that songs always have different interpretations, this is just my belief as to what Conor Oberst had in mind when he wrote it, and what it means to me.
    Flag Cielo298on June 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree with everyone who said it's about a person or group of people who have a friend or loved one who is into something that is self destructive. About wanting them to stop, but they can't, and feeling hopeless. I think it might also be about how the person who's POV this song is describing, knows the self-destructive friend's situation, because they have experienced it themselves. And by knowing how it feels, they also know that in the end, all someone who's self destructive really wants, is for their need to be understood. They just want it to be understood and accepted so that no one nags them about giving it up.

    So by saying: 'so baby/when I call to you/I want you to come/and lay it out for everyone/exactly how it was before any of this happened/and why you can't leave it behind,' The person who's watching this person they're writing about, destruct themselves the way they did, they're trying to tell their friend that they should explain why they do what they do, because no one seems to understand but the person who's writing this song.

    The songwriter is telling his loved one to take away the mask they wear, and show everyone they know what's on the inside, so that they will better understand them. Also because they're all getting tired of feeling that they're being lied to by someone they used to be close with. They're tired of the distance that the self-destructive person is creating, so they blame it on their self-destructive ways, instead of trying to understand what makes them that way, and trying to help them with that, instead of trying to make them stop. The person who's writing this song, understands that all his/her loved one wants is to open up, and reveal the problems that make them act self destructive. They are the only one out of the person's friends who truly understand that it's not the behavior they should worry about, but WHY they are behaving that way. The person who understands the self-destructive person's feelings, is telling them that they must open up eventually, no matter how hard it is, because it is what they truly want. However, the person doesn't listen to his friends advice, and continues in the destructive behavior, as his/her friends continue to misunderstand the situation, still trying to get them to stop hurting themselves, instead of being supportive friends and helping them with whatever it is that causes them to act destructively.

    I agree with a subtle allegory in that it might be the songwriter writing in 3rd person, because usually only you understand yourself, unless someone has been through the same thing, but it is still unlikely for them to grasp what it is you truly want.
    Flag Cielo298on June 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:do you not know what contractions are?
    it's kind of annoying, considering they're used so much in this song.
    Flag charcoalsketchon May 24, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Maybe I only see this because I'm living this now, but I see the singer having gone through a breakup with a lot of regret. If only he could "arrange the days in a new sweet sequence," he could have fixed things with the knowledge he found too late. He doesn't want to move on, but "time still drags [him] forward." The relationship was ended because of the singer's emotional problems and "frequent moodswings," which he acknowledges but can not fix. He can't even "fake or force a smile" to fool her. In the final lines about calling to her, he wants to explain how great they were, how she shouldn't leave him behind. He is in desperation wanting to put everything back "exactly how it was before," though she is already moving forward.

    I definitely see regret, but the breakup may just be a result of my past week. In any case, it has made me feel much better: the reason I love Bright Eyes.
    Flag Aliendudeon May 22, 2006   Link

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