It's autumn in Gothenburg
I'm walking home to my suburb
Rain falls hard on the city
On every homeless kitty

Oh please god bring relief
Even if it's only brief
That she says the dreamer just make-believe
But I thought she said maple leaves

So we talked for hours
And you cried into my sheets
You said you hated your body
That it was just a piece of meat, I disagreed

I think you're beautiful
But it's impossible
To make you understand
That if you don't take my hand
I lose my mind completely
Madness will finally defeat me

She said it was all make-belief
But I thought you said maple leaves
And when she talked about the fall
I thought she talked about the season
I never understood at all

I thought she said maple leaves
And when she talked about about the fall
I thought she talked about Mark E Smith
I never understood at all
I never understood at all
I never understood at all


Lyrics submitted by r0cketbabyd0ll, edited by cheathwo

Maple Leaves Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © Spirit Music Group

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Maple Leaves song meanings
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21 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    this wordplay is excellent, and the mention of Mark E. Smith is really damn funny

    dbarker02on May 15, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    The strings are actually a sample from "Do You Wanna Dance" by the Mamas and the Papas. I love how Jens uses samples in his music--they just fit so well!

    I love his linguistic creativity too, oh the puns!

    Gmaj7on November 06, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    has anyone ever read the unbearable lightness of being. there is a section in the book called "misunderstood words." i think they address the exact same thing, the role and inadequacy of language in a relationship. i love them both.

    efleezleon July 19, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Wait. When she talked about "the fall" she wasn't talking about the season or Mark E. Smith...so what was she talking about? Haha.

    zxcvb99on September 15, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think this is about a person who is in love with a depressed girl. The girl is talking about how much she hates herself and how her life is falling apart, but the narrator fails to realise this (and also concentrates more on how they feel about her, not how she feels about herself). I think the style of the lyrics is very typical of Jens Lekman; while the narrator sounds somewhat humoristically naive (thinking that she is talking about the band when she's talking about "the fall"), it is yet very honest and human (mishearing, seeing things from a slightly different perspective than the other).

    songsongsongon January 11, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i absolutely love this song. he has the most amazing voice, and he's so gorgeous!

    tinselhearton April 08, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    To me this song is about the perplexities of this guys relationship with whoever this woman is. He says it all in the last few lines...

    "I never understood at all"

    This girl think she is ugly, and sometimes he doesn't understand what she is saying.

    Great song, and good play on words.

    The_Variableon December 30, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    So we talked for hours and you cried into my sheets you said you hated your body that it was just a piece of meat, I disagreed

    I think you're beautiful but it's impossible to make you understand that if you don't take my hand I lose my mind completely Madness will finally defeat me

    This song is so meaningful. I long for someone who is as compassionate at jens to come along... to wear their feelings so broadly.

    I never understood at all

    viva con amoreon March 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Awesome song. I love the strings. And the drums, and his voice, and everything else too. Does anyone who has the album know why there are 2 different versions of this song? (EP version + 7" version.) They're basically the same. I think I like the EP version better, but anyway... Jens Lekman rocks.

    rhymeswithorangeon March 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    completely fabulous!

    apollo IVon March 25, 2006   Link

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