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I was staring out the window
The whole time he was talking to me
It was a filthy pane of glass
I couldn't get a clear view
As he went on and on
It wasn't the outside world I could see
Just the filthy pane
That I was lookin' through
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
I was never focused on just one thing
My eyes got fixed when my mind got soul
And they look like I'm concentrated
On a very clear view
But I'm as good as asleep
I bet you didn't know
Take the lot of it away if you do
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
It was the fact
Being back
Whatever's in front of me
Is better in my back
So I can't see what I'm seein'
In fact
I only see what I'm lookin' through
I had to break the window
It just had to be
It was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
So again I've done the right thing
I was never worried about that
The answer's always been in clear view
But even when the window's clean
I still can't see for the fact
That when it's clean it's so clear
I can't tell what I'm lookin' through
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
I had to break the window
It just had to be
It was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
I had to break the window
It was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
I miss what I should see
Breakin' him or her
Or me
The whole time he was talking to me
It was a filthy pane of glass
I couldn't get a clear view
As he went on and on
It wasn't the outside world I could see
Just the filthy pane
That I was lookin' through
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
I was never focused on just one thing
My eyes got fixed when my mind got soul
And they look like I'm concentrated
On a very clear view
But I'm as good as asleep
I bet you didn't know
Take the lot of it away if you do
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
It was the fact
Being back
Whatever's in front of me
Is better in my back
So I can't see what I'm seein'
In fact
I only see what I'm lookin' through
I had to break the window
It just had to be
It was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
So again I've done the right thing
I was never worried about that
The answer's always been in clear view
But even when the window's clean
I still can't see for the fact
That when it's clean it's so clear
I can't tell what I'm lookin' through
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
I had to break the window
It just had to be
It was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
I had to break the window
It was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
I miss what I should see
Breakin' him or her
Or me
Lyrics submitted by maxivolt
Track duration: 05:32
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A person can only take so much though and if they have not adapted constructive ways to handle their anger or pain by strategically discussing "issues" instead of overly reacting during a heated argument, the pent up emotions that are purposefully silenced will eventually turn into rage. Rather than break something or hurt someone (subsequently hurting herself), she breaks the silence instead. I personally think the "him or her" is probably referring to her parents.
The next cluster seems to be about the advancement of holding back. Instead of constructive discussion, she further retreats and sort of dissociates from the argument and grows numb. When someone says to you that "it goes in one ear and out the other" or "don't you have anything to say?" it probably is because the person has completely separated themselves from not only the situation, but from their body (it seems) and go into this blank stare/trance. She needs that few snaps in the face to break through and into reality again.
"It was the fact being back" could mean that she has snapped back to the fact that the argument still is not over yet desires to escape it. She is being forced to argue/confront/discuss the "issue" and is trying to avoid it at all costs. This could also mean that as an adult, she finds that he methods of coping are not much different than as a child, unfortunately. But hey! Who likes confrontation anyways?
Again, she breaks the silence and decides to open up and speak her thoughts and feelings which is actually more revealing to herself about what it is she is harboring. Sometimes when we keep emotions or thoughts inside and never share with others, we need no words to convey them because there is no need to so you sit with them alone, not fully understanding your emotions, thus yourself. Letting it out is like clearing your head but sometimes what you express is a surprise even to yourself.
"Better to break a window than forget what I had to say." Keeping in what you think/feel does not solve the problem, only compounds it which over time accumulate to where you cannot focus on the one "issue" because you are flooded by them all at once. It's better to speak your mind and break your silence than let it fester and turn to rage. And when that rage finally comes out, you lash out and hurt others and are unable focus or see what the confrontation is about.
To me the windows (there appear to be more than one) represent relationships, and how these effect her perception. There are at least two windows in this song.
The "breaking of the window" is to me a violent, or dramatic act, which results in the complete destruction of the relationship. I saw this because breaking a window is not a normal act, but either an act of anger or of desperation (to escape). I go more along with desperation for this song. The man keeps going on and on, that she has to do something to make him stop, so she can tell him what she has to say, before she violently hurts him, or goes insane.
In the first verse we have the "filthy pane". To me filth symbolises the wrong doing in the relationship. In this verse the man keeps talking on and on, these are his excuses, lies and sorries, because he has obviously cheated on her. But the more he talks the more she can only see the fact that he has cheated on her, the filth.
The second and third verse I don't think is on a particular relationship, but perhaps an observation on her relationships in general.
I'm not sure exactly how to interpret the second verse, perhaps on her being unable to settle with one person, to others it appears that she knows what she wants in life, but actually she is "asleep", just going along with her dreams. ???
I think the third verse is about how when one is in a relationship it is much harder to see what is really going on in that relationship, then when you are outside it. (This is my experience anyway).
The fourth verse is first about her not regretting "breaking the window".
However, the second part of this verse is the most interesting. To me it seems to be another relationship, another window, in which her partner never appears to do anything wrong (which is why the pane is so clear), but whom she feels she never gets to know properly.
haha, I've been listening to this a lot.
second to last verse:
it*
not "t"
last verse:
Or*
not "I"
I was staring out the window
The whole time he was talking to me
It was a filthy pane of glass
I couldn't get a clear view
And as he went on and on
It wasn't the outside world I could see
Just the filthy pane
That I was lookin' through
So I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
I was never focused on just one thing
My eyes got fixed when my mind got soul
And they look like I'm concentrated
On a very clear view
But I'm as good as asleep
I bet you didn't know
Take the lot of it away if you do
I had to break the window
It just had to be
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
I had to break the window
It just had to be, it was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
Or miss what I should see
Because
The fact of being back
Whatever's in front of me
Is colorin’ my view
So I can't see what I'm seein'
In fact
I only see what I'm lookin' through
So again I've done the right thing
I was never worried about that
The answer's always been in clear view
But even when the window's clean
I still can't see for the fact
That when it's clean it's so clear
I can't tell what I'm lookin' through
So I had to break the window
It just had to be, it was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than him or her or me
I had to break the window
It just had to be, it was in my way
Better that I break the window
Than miss what I should see
I had to break the window
It just had to be, t was in my way
Better that I break a window
Than forget what I had to say
I miss what I should see
Or break him or her or me
Especially me