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You've got a nerve to be asking a favor
You've got a nerve to be calling my number
I know we've been through this before
Can't you hear me, I'm calling out your name?
Can't you see me, I'm pounding on your door?
You've got a nerve to be asking a favor
You've got a nerve to be calling my number
Can't you hear me, I'm bleeding on the wall?
Can't you see me, I'm pounding on your door?
Can't you hear me when I'm calling out your name?
When I used to go out, I would know everyone that I saw
Now I go out alone if I go out at all
When I used to go out I'd know everyone I saw
Now I go out alone if I go out at all
When I used to go out I'd know everyone I saw
Now I go out alone if I go out at all
You've got a nerve to be asking a favor
You've got a nerve to be calling my number
I'm sure we've been through this before
Can't you hear me, I'm beating on your wall?
Can't you see me, I'm pounding on your door?
You've got a nerve to be calling my number
I know we've been through this before
Can't you hear me, I'm calling out your name?
Can't you see me, I'm pounding on your door?
You've got a nerve to be asking a favor
You've got a nerve to be calling my number
Can't you hear me, I'm bleeding on the wall?
Can't you see me, I'm pounding on your door?
Can't you hear me when I'm calling out your name?
When I used to go out, I would know everyone that I saw
Now I go out alone if I go out at all
When I used to go out I'd know everyone I saw
Now I go out alone if I go out at all
When I used to go out I'd know everyone I saw
Now I go out alone if I go out at all
You've got a nerve to be asking a favor
You've got a nerve to be calling my number
I'm sure we've been through this before
Can't you hear me, I'm beating on your wall?
Can't you see me, I'm pounding on your door?
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From either perspective, it is then implicit from the lyrical content that the other party's actions have resulted in the transgression's being revealed to the other partner in the relationship, and likely to all of their friends (hence the title, "The Rat".) I tend to see it as being most clearly from the perspective of the individual who is not in the relationship (the mistress or .. Sancho?). This is likely because I have recently been this person. But I think it can easily be seen the other way (if I wrote the song, I probably would have tried to make it work either way.) For brevity I only explain the first perspective.
When looking from the outside into such a situation, it is the tendency of most people to think of it in terms of the feelings of the partners of the relationship; however, try to assume the perspective of the mistress (or Sancho) for a second, and suppose you actually have feelings for the party in the relationship (if you're going "well I would never do that," suppose you didn't know they were in a relationship until several weeks after having met the person. Yeah, kind of sucks, doesn't it?) Suppose also that you, the cheater, and their partner have many of the same friends. The cheating partner always goes to social functions with their boyfriend/girlfriend, who expressly does not ever want to see you because of what happened. Furthermore, many of your previous friends now dislike you because of it. Both of these circumstances would explain the lyrics "When I used to go out, I knew everyone I saw, now I go out alone...".
Communication and physical interaction are sporadic in general, they can cease without warning for days at a time ("can you hear me now, I'm calling out your name, can you hear me now, i'm .."), but since the cheating has been revealed, you have not heard from this person in a very long time. You are left to wonder if this person (the cheater) will ever talk to you again. When they do, your feelings are similar to the one's expressed in "you've got a nerve to be calling my number, you've.." Suppose they call you to ask you to not say something or to lie when asked about something. This makes you pretty angry.
I think The Rat can be seen as a symbol representing "sancho" or "the mistress", in addition to symbolizing the one who divulged. The person not in the relationship feel as though they are "scurrying around in the dark" like a rat, and that they are also being treated like a piece of garbage. Their feelings are constantly belittled in comparison to the people in the relationship. Noone seems to care that much. (As I said one time in a frustrated text to a friend, "Sancho gets NO representation, GAHH.")
I do also like leonspruce's interpretation of the lyrics.
There relationship consumed one another, so much so, that his friends and contacts were lost. Eventually she leaves him (maybe she cheats, maybe she decides she wants to be more independent and on her own). He is completely devestated because he loves her so much, but there is nothing he can do to keep her with him. She's gone.
Left with nothing but a broken heart, he tries to endure even though realizing he has not only lost his love but he has also lost a lot of friends, status and social skills.
She eventually calls one day, and she regrets what she has done. This song exemplifies his anger and feelings about this call.
This song really met the anger I was feeling. I was so hurt at the time, out of control, really, but I didn't understand why it was so bad, so explosive- and that was made the whole thing all the more frustrating.
But, the lines about going out and knowing people, and later on not knowing anyone- they brought to the surface why I was so mad. I started to see how much I had changed myself to be with this loser cheat, to the point where without him I was a version of myself, not a whole person. That line really was kind of how I was. I allowed myself to be alienated by our relationship and I was pissed.
I thought back to all the things I had done to keep the relationship going, even at the expense of myself, because he had asked me to, and I was like- wow, that was some nervy shit and I fell for it. I wanted to go to his house, pound on the door and scream at him- if you didn't want me in the end, why did you have to go and change me? I really wanted to f*** him up.
I didn't, which I think this song helped with. This and liquor. But boy, did i want to.
B. And I'm just being picky here, but I'm 100% gay, and the he/she stuff could just as easily be he/he. I know the Walkmen are straight, etc, but just wanted to highlight how universal the song is, it can hit any type of relationship. She/she, for that matter. I think I'm the world's only gay -Walkmen- fan (fill in that blank with any number of bands) but it's something to think about, innit?
B. And I'm just being picky here, but I'm 100% gay, and the he/she stuff could just as easily be he/he. I know the Walkmen are straight, etc, but just wanted to highlight how universal the song is, it can hit any type of relationship. She/she, for that matter. I think I'm the world's only gay -Walkmen- fan (fill in that blank with any number of bands) but it's something to think about, innit?
but ok the song to me actually seems like he did go through this relationship/battle with a girl, she didn't like him, and he did, but now he is completely over her, and she is trying to run back to him, and he is thinking, you seriously have the nerve to try and want me back when we were already through the last time and you wanted nothing to do with me, so i now want nothing to do with you, i tried to tell how i felt before but you wouldnt listen, so now he is pissed off and is just like "fuck off" too everyone at the moment