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Your silver tongue laughs at the clowns of our age
A slow production line of cheap-shots from both sides
Shot from the hip to my seventh rib
A spoiled tomato lies in all that you say
And I was the last of us to know
Sound the alarm for my sentimental ways
Have come in view and we've all got our own knives
Sold to the worst of the devils we know
Our mind and tight skin will be old
But this wasn't meant for us to know
Youth's open shutters
Give way to another
Taken by slight of hand...
And every American
Has the mouth of a pelican
Now can I share that pillow with you love?
They've got us in fits to find a way out
Of this exploded view of a life once so simple
First with the curse that my sentimental ways
Are drawing my innocence to a close
And these were not meant for me to know
A slow production line of cheap-shots from both sides
Shot from the hip to my seventh rib
A spoiled tomato lies in all that you say
And I was the last of us to know
Sound the alarm for my sentimental ways
Have come in view and we've all got our own knives
Sold to the worst of the devils we know
Our mind and tight skin will be old
But this wasn't meant for us to know
Youth's open shutters
Give way to another
Taken by slight of hand...
And every American
Has the mouth of a pelican
Now can I share that pillow with you love?
They've got us in fits to find a way out
Of this exploded view of a life once so simple
First with the curse that my sentimental ways
Are drawing my innocence to a close
And these were not meant for me to know
Lyrics submitted by evapor8ed
Track duration: 02:29
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"Your silver tongue", "A spoiled tomato", etc, this is about how older, "more mature" people look down on the young who are carefree and they're kinda doing it out of a bitterness that they feel like they can longer live like that themselves. I think the point that Mercer is trying to get through in this song is that we don't have to give in to this rotten view of life; we should try to remain the free spirits that we are in our youth and not give in to what we think we are supposed to become as we get older. This is a common theme among many of The Shins' songs, perhaps most notably in Australia.
The first line is about a person who thinks they are above other people so they talk down on them...laugh at them. And so describes the next few lines until the last of the first stanza where he admits he was the last to know of these hurtful words being said, probably about the author. The second stanza seems to be a mixture of saying there are more important things to talk of than negative criticisms, and also that the author has fallen victim to saying negative things too, although he is not proud of it. The third stanza seems to say that like the author and the other person, everyone falls victim to saying these kinds of negative remarks. And the last stanza seems to be blaming the trend to say these bad things on someone, and sugest that just saying these bad things is the tip of the iceberg, and we do bad things as well...there is a larger picture than a few dirty remarks.
that may not have made any sense...if so, I hope it wasnt a waste.
And yet, it seems almost... anti-political. Allow me to explain...
The opening line "Your silver tongue laughs at the clowns of our age" seems to refer to an above-the-influence sort of fiction deity that sees through the propaganda of modern politics (the baised politicians being the "clowns"). These are the same "devils" spoken of later in the song.
The youth of today tend to believe whatever they're told, and so have "open shutters," and are taken by any "slide of hand" that is attempted toward them. They "give way to another": The dominoe effect.
Oh yes, and one last point... "production line of cheap-shots on both sides" obviously refers to the political animosity and slander coming from political parties.
Basically... every line in this song has a not-too-subtle reference to today's politics.
cybercody2000@hotmail.com
"And every American
Has the mouth of a pelican" haha
-The shins lover