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I was waiting for a cross-town train
In the London underground
When it struck me
That I've been waiting since birth to find
A love that would look and sound
Like a movie
So I changed my plans
I rented a camera and a van
And then I called you
"I need you to pretend that we are in love again"
And you agreed to
I want so badly to believe
That there is truth, that love is real
And I want life in every word
To the extent that it's absurd
I greased the lens and framed the shot
Using a friend
As my stand-in
The script, it called for rain
But it was clear that day
So we faked it
The marker snapped
And I yelled, "Quiet on the set!"
And then called, "Action!"
And I kissed you in a style
Clark Gable would have admired
(I thought it classic)
I want so badly to believe
That there is truth, that love is real
And I want life in every word
To the extent that it's absurd
I know you're wise beyond your years
But do you ever get the fear
That your perfect verse is just a lie
You tell yourself to help you get by?
In the London underground
When it struck me
That I've been waiting since birth to find
A love that would look and sound
Like a movie
So I changed my plans
I rented a camera and a van
And then I called you
"I need you to pretend that we are in love again"
And you agreed to
I want so badly to believe
That there is truth, that love is real
And I want life in every word
To the extent that it's absurd
I greased the lens and framed the shot
Using a friend
As my stand-in
The script, it called for rain
But it was clear that day
So we faked it
The marker snapped
And I yelled, "Quiet on the set!"
And then called, "Action!"
And I kissed you in a style
Clark Gable would have admired
(I thought it classic)
I want so badly to believe
That there is truth, that love is real
And I want life in every word
To the extent that it's absurd
I know you're wise beyond your years
But do you ever get the fear
That your perfect verse is just a lie
You tell yourself to help you get by?
Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28
Track duration: 04:54
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Most focus on the beginning or chorus.
It reads:
I know you're wise beyond your years
But do you ever get the fear
That your perfect verse is just a lie
You tell yourself to help you get by?
My interpretation of this verse is that the writer is trying to break the fourth wall as it is in theater by talking directly to the listener. He acknowledges that we all have loved and lost and have had very different experiences that shape us. With that said, he begs the question, somewhat rhetorically to himself and the audience, is "love" the perfect verse that is just a lie? Does lying to ourselves about love, it's existence, it's ability to conquer all, is it just a cop out - a way of sugarcoating the bitterness of the everyday? And when it occurs to you, does fear creep over you? Does it send you into a tizzy of panic because you might have put all your eggs into one basket?
I think this song is a little less happy than most take it at face value. Like any essay or story, the conclusion is supposed to be a summation of the writers thoughts; I think in the final verse we can see what the writer meant to say and how he hoped we would interpret it.
I feel that this song is in fact a metaphor for a relationship that the persona we are understanding the song from sees as being taken from him. Much like our own troubles with coping initially with being left for someone else, his own mind is now attempting to cope by viewing the relationship as a movie.
He "framed a shot, using a friend as [his] stand-in" implies that his girl has left him for a friend. And as sometimes happens, where people make their losses seem a little more tragic than they sometimes are, we even have the line "the script it called for rain but it was clear that day, so we faked it" is a tip of the hat to that notion - while we may end up in a break up on a bright sunny day we like to believe that it was a cloudy and sad day when it happened.
When he says, "I [in this case the "I" being played by the new love interest - his friend] kissed you in a style Clark Gable would have admired, I thought it Classic" further pushes this metaphor: a movie classic has had no equal to that point, it has set a new bar by which to compare all others. Likewise, he is now seeing that the passion between his ex and his friend seems so much stronger than any kisses he had exchanged with her.
This is why I'm sure that the verses dealing with the Hollywood movie-making metaphors are not contradictions of each other, but rather, the metaphors are the sarcastic and angry feelings he has, while the chorus is indicating his true emotions - the hurt he feels, how he now questions whether love is real, and to be honest ("life in every word") rather than hiding feelings or worse, dating someone behind your back.
This song is so perfect, dealing with the 5 stages of grief:
Denial : The marker snapping, telling the "set" to be quiet so he can be left to film his movie
Anger: the Chorus is clearly the stage of anger being put forth. The last addendum to the chorus "I know you're wise beyond your years...your perfect verse is just a lie / you tell yourself to help you get by."
Bargaining: the movie metaphor. If he can no longer be part of the relationship, then he can at least make this movie to have eternally etched in his mine.
Depression: After witnessing the kiss that would even make Clark Gable a fan, and his ex agreeing that she could at least pretend to love again, he goes on to say "i want so badly to believe that there is truth and love is real." His anger has turned to depression, believing there's no longer hope, since truth and love are no longer in existence.
Acceptance: the final verse is a clear indication that he has gotten over the movie-making stage. He has broken out of the denial and sarcasm associated with making the movie, and is addressing his ex in an almost sympathetic manner - he warns her, in a final act of selflessness, that if she stays on this track she will wind up hurt. The warning could be a little more direct, but if he's still hurting and trying to cope, it would be probably the most representative way of someone, anyone that's been in a break up that strikes them like "the london underground"
"I want so badly to believe
That there is truth, that love is real
And I want life in every word
To the extent that it's absurd"
Great Song