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Talk to me now I'm older
Your friend told you cause I told her
Friday nights have been lonely
Change your plans and then phone me
We could go and get 40's
Fuck goin to that party
Oh really, your folks are away now?
Alright, let's go, you convinced me
12:51 is the time my voice
Found the words I sought...
Is it this stage I want?
The world is shutting out....for us.
We were tense for sure,
But we was confident...
Kiss me now that I'm older
I wont try to control you
Friday nights have been lonely
Take it slow but don't warn me
We'd go out and get 40's
Then we'd go to some party
Oh really, your folks are away now?
Alright I'm coming...
I'll be right there.
Your friend told you cause I told her
Friday nights have been lonely
Change your plans and then phone me
We could go and get 40's
Fuck goin to that party
Oh really, your folks are away now?
Alright, let's go, you convinced me
12:51 is the time my voice
Found the words I sought...
Is it this stage I want?
The world is shutting out....for us.
We were tense for sure,
But we was confident...
Kiss me now that I'm older
I wont try to control you
Friday nights have been lonely
Take it slow but don't warn me
We'd go out and get 40's
Then we'd go to some party
Oh really, your folks are away now?
Alright I'm coming...
I'll be right there.
Lyrics submitted by Stoney
Track duration: 02:33
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The tune is peppy and upbeat, but there's definitely a hollow current running under it, which fits the mood of the song. I've listened to it a bunch of times and it really evoked a story for me, of a couple that went out in high school but were never really into getting to know each other. They were sort of in it to be in it, and now they're getting back together. They wind up in the same place again by chance. In the beginning of the song, the speaker (Julian) is talking to the girl. He's told her friend he wants to get with her again, and asks the girl to change her plans for him. He tells her Friday nights have been lonely, trying to look back casually and sentimentally on the fairly complicated experiences they shared. He uses her friend, sentimentality, and memories to bait her, as well as saying that he's older now and things will be different - and they are, but not by much.
For me, the second stanza was them talking together, reminiscing about old times, kind of fuzzily remembering one particular night they spent together. They drank 40s to get drunk fast, and had sex. It was obviously a big step for both of them, but they tried to play off as meaningless and drunken - again, contributing to the hollowness. I think throughout the song there's this idea that people play down reality (whether you care about screwing someone, and the destructive elements in your relationship) in an effort to save face. Also, I don't know if anyone gets this, but the language in the second stanza is so playful and casual, it seems to me like under it he's really saying "oh shit, this is a big deal." "F*ck going to that party" reeks of adolescent self aggrandizement, too - kids trying to be cool by doing their own thing or whatever.
The third stanza seemed to me like an actual recollection by Julian of a big moment for him. He pretends not to care about everything, yet he knows the exact time this happened (12:51) - it's clearly a big deal. Not much to say here, except that he hardly ever gives us such an open window into his thoughts - I can picture him hating writing about the cliché of someone's "voice" and "finding the words," yet there it is. It must mean something to him. The fourth stanza seems similar.
When he says "kiss me now that I'm older," I think his attitude towards the girl has changed. I think the recollection makes him think about who he was versus who he is. "Now that I'm older/ I won't try to control ya" is so true. In high school, people in relationships are immature and possessive. He's promising they're not in high school anymore and however serious things end up being, he won't be foolish again. Yet, we go from "talk to me" to "kiss me" - maybe he is still the same pushy guy trying to seduce her.
In the end, they're still the same people they were before, and they make the same mistakes, hence the repetition of the '40s and the party, etc. Because the last lines are "alright, I'm coming/ I'll be right there," we, like Julian, are left in the memory at the end of the song. It gives me the idea that after what happened between them, they can't help but play the same roles they did years ago. They fall into a bad pattern they can't get out of.
Just my two cents! There's so much allusion in this song, and you can see Julian using dialogue in the lyrics to paint a picture of the characters. Love this song!
But I started thinking(maybe even over thinking) about the song and couldn't just accept that this really great song that has such depth in it's music had such shallow lyrics.
My personal interpretation of the lyrics is that Julian is trying to comment on the fickleness of change and the futileness of trying to change one's behavior. The beginning of the song lays the groundwork for the singer's pushy relationship with his potential lover. The singer is emotionally reckless and very depressed I think. He thinks that getting drunk and having sex with this girl he has been longing for will change the way he feels about his life. This leads to some sort of epiphany for the singer right before he and his girl have sex.( This is 12:51... part)
But after this the song resets itself into the same place it started both musically and lyrically. Only difference is that singer is more considerate of his girlfriend's plans and feelings in this verse. The song ends with Julian flatly and unemotionally singing the same lines he did before his life outlook changing sex. He is still going out and getting drunk of 40s and having sex with his girlfriend in her parents house. Nothing has changed for him despite his change in behavior.
But this is Julian Casablancas' lyrics were talking about so nawwww this song is about getting drunk and trying to get laid in high school.
It's about an older guy who is falling in love or has taken an interest in dating a younger girl. I'm guessing the girl is around 18, 19 years of age, but is still living with her parents ('Oh really, your folks are away now? Alright, let's go, you convinced me') while he is around early to mid-twenties tops. ('We could go and get 40's, Fuck goin to that party').
'12:51 is the time my voice
Found the words I sought...
Is it this stage I want?'
He's asking himself if he should do this, if he should pursue this relationship and take things further. He knows that if he has sex with her, they'll be entering a new stage in their relationship. Then he talks about how the world is 'shutting down on them' (parents not allowing it, friends against it, etc.) and that it's intense, sure; but they were/are confident in what they did and their relationship.
On the next lines, he's saying, 'hey I'm older, but I'm not going to control you or pressure you into anything'. Even though he's sightly older, he's reassuring her that he's not going to push anything on her, he'll let her make her own decisions and choices. The he tells her to take things slow on him, because he's new to the experience of dating someone a little younger (or dating someone he really likes) but he doesn't want her to 'warn him' because he wants to learn and make his own decisions as well on his own. (He doesn't want warning sings or worry about the relationship, he just want to enjoy it despite anything.)
At the end, it seems their relationship will work, but they know they are taking a risk on it. They are going to make the best of it no matter what happens and just have fun.
This is my opinion about the song, but on a lighter note: I LOVE the beat of the song! It's a shame it's only around 2 minutes with 30 seconds, wish it was longer! So catchy, probably one of my top 5 from the Strokes. :)
It's sort of a story that gives morals at the same time. Two people had a relationship, something went bad for physical reasons, maybe the guy pushing for sex or something. Anyways, they meet up, reconcile sort of, go back and have sex and what not, the world 'shutting out" for them...but basically they realize their feelings for each other, and the song is about those brief, powerful moments where you see how much someone/something means to you, even after past problems, etc.
He's saying, 'we were tense but we was confident' because that's exactly how it is.
He's saying that he's older and that it's not a big deal and then he's saying let's skip the party and just hang out and then later after they've slept together, he's fine with going out together and being together in general.
Great song!
To music is my boyfriend: i think they were together before but it didn't work out couse they were too young and he tried to control her, and now they're more mature and ready to try again and go all the way
I literally went through the story-like lyrics. I was on the phone with this girl that I kind of liked,
and we always kind of hinted at doing stuff with eachother. THen one FRIDAY night, she called me while I was
getting ready for a party, and I literally stopped putting on my tie and cologne, and was like "yeah, let's just have some drinks
to the two of us."
The sense of meloncholy that you hear in the song is the sense of guilt mixed with the desire-driven excitement you have...
I felt the EXACT feeling that Jules describes in this... He parents were out of town... i hung up the phone, and looked at my
alarm clock to see the red glow of 12:51 in the digital lettering.
At that moment, I understood what was so magical about that certain time. 12:51 on a digital clock is a mirror image.
If you would put a mirror where the colon is between the numbers, you would have a perfect reflection of the 12:51.
The second paragraph is about how he is still a little aprehensive about having sex, but really wants to spend time with her
The third and forth paragraphs are about there first time, he decided he wanted to have sex but didn't know if it was the right time and place, when he says he was tense but confident, it means he was exctied and sure of himself.
The fifth and paragraphs mean that he is no longer worried about how far they go physically, he doesn't hold her back, is no longer worried about ahving sex. Basically the song is about deciding to have sex. lol