In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Got this feeling that today doesn't like me
Oh the air tastes like flowers and paint
There's a sink full of bottles and cutlery
And the car has got a list of complaints
I just wish I were a toothbrush or a solder gun
Make me something somebody can use
We can wish on the pop of a light bulb
Or those photos lying yellowed and curled
Loose in boxes near abandoned electronics
In the corners of the basements of the world
Guess our wishes don't do dishes or brake repairs
Make them something somebody can use
Got a face full of ominous weather
Smirking smile of a high pressure ridge
Got more faults than the state of California
And the heart is a badly built bridge
Seems the most I have to offer, doesn't offer much
Make it something somebody can use
Make this something somebody can use
Oh the air tastes like flowers and paint
There's a sink full of bottles and cutlery
And the car has got a list of complaints
I just wish I were a toothbrush or a solder gun
Make me something somebody can use
We can wish on the pop of a light bulb
Or those photos lying yellowed and curled
Loose in boxes near abandoned electronics
In the corners of the basements of the world
Guess our wishes don't do dishes or brake repairs
Make them something somebody can use
Got a face full of ominous weather
Smirking smile of a high pressure ridge
Got more faults than the state of California
And the heart is a badly built bridge
Seems the most I have to offer, doesn't offer much
Make it something somebody can use
Make this something somebody can use
Lyrics submitted by FakeEstate
Utilities Lyrics as written by John K Samson
Lyrics © MOTHERSHIP MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
I love this song. I dont know the comp version, but I love love love this version, so I can't imagine one that was better. The images that he constructs here are beautiful and poignant, and I can completely understand the wish to be good for something. Sometimes a person feels useless or like they're contributing nothing, especially when there's so many things wrong in the world, and this is the perfect song to sum up a wish to do more than you feel you're managing. Wishes don't do dishes, or solve world poverty, or stop bombings, but we continue to hope that our wishes do something good.
Guess our wishes Don't do dishes Or brake repairs Make them something Somebody could use
Emotional, real, i love these lyrics, i love this song.
And yet, every time I hear it, I think about quoting them to a friend, and their response being 'why are you quoting this as if it applies to you.'
Maybe I'm the one 'using' people. :/
got more faults than the state of california...wow...is this song out anywhere besides his CBC performance?
I could be reading this incorrectly so forgive me if I am. California is suseptible to earthquakes, which are centered around the many "fault lines" that snake through the state.<br /> <br /> If you were reading fault as a negative, not as a piece of geography, I think you may be mistaken.
That song is incredible. And to answer your question, no, it's not out yet. But when I saw them last year in Montreal, they played a full band version. it was amazing.
One of John K's best songs and the version on "Reunion Tour" is so frustrating! The studio version from the "Help: A Day in the Life" comp is perfectly fine and I wish they'd just kept it. Sad.
I think I like the live version better.. But I'm sure the Reunion Tour version will grow on me quickly.
This song means so much to me. I don't even think I know where to begin. It's like he's admitting to the day that he doesn't always have something to offer it.
Well, the whole album has been leaked, and they did a lot of post production work on this one - They did a good job of it too.
Just another reason why John K Samson is a lyrical genius. This song is so sad. It's about the melancholy that seeps into us when we're feeling useless and the objects surrounding us seems just as useless as us.
I would love to hear the comp version but I can't seem to find it anywhere. If anyone has it do you think you could send it to me? It would be much appreciated.