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It was 100 degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree whose tears didn't care
They just hung in the air and refused to fall
And I knew I'd made a horrible call and now the state line felt like the Berlin Wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
'Cause I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood and it decayed from the start
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
I braved treacherous streets and kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all
'Cause at night the sun in retreat made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring us both
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
I'm a war of head verses heart and it's always this way
My head is weak and my heart always speaks before I know what it will say
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
There were churches, theme parks and malls but there was nothing there all along
They just hung in the air and refused to fall
And I knew I'd made a horrible call and now the state line felt like the Berlin Wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
'Cause I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood and it decayed from the start
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
I braved treacherous streets and kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all
'Cause at night the sun in retreat made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring us both
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
I'm a war of head verses heart and it's always this way
My head is weak and my heart always speaks before I know what it will say
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
There were churches, theme parks and malls but there was nothing there all along
Lyrics submitted by Si_duffers
Track duration: 03:26
"Crooked Teeth [DVD]" as written by Benjamin Gibbard, Christopher Walla
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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“It was 100 degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree whose tears didn't care
They just hung in the air and refused to fall”
The verse seems to say that even though tears should be coming out, they’re not because there are no real feelings of loss, which relates to the chorus that you can’t find something that was never there.
“And I knew I'd made a horrible call and now the state line felt like the Berlin Wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
'Cause I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood and it decayed from the start”
For me these verses are about the break up call, and the distance that separates the two people, and the last verse speaks for itself, even though he tried to love the other person it just wasn't possible and he settled down for something less than extraordinary and of course, was meant to die from the start.
And you can't find nothing' at all if there was nothing' there all along
I braved treacherous streets and kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all
'Cause at night the sun in retreat made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring us both
This to me speaks of trying hard for a relationship to work out but in the end there was no heart in it, just something shallow based only on sex maybe…
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
I'm a war of head verses heart and it's always this way
My head is weak and my heart always speaks before I know what it will say
So they’re saying goodbye drinking at this bar but they have to end it once and for all even though it’s difficult that’s why they stay there for so long. And the last part is brilliant for me because he says that even though they should work out as a couple because everything seems to be right between them, he has no actual feelings so his heart wins and decides to end everything looking for something that feels more real.
Great song!!!
He uses this very common story of someone staying in a relationship, despite the fact that it isn't "real", to illustrate his broader point that most people stay where they're born, get in bad relationships, and let it ride because that's just what "normal" looks like.
The line of "There were Churches, Theme Parks & Malls" describe the fact that those three things are found around most places people live. Just another way to drive home his bigger point of complacency and not taking risks.
I'm not entirely sure of what the song really means, but there's a scenario that generally comes to mind when I listen to it. In my mind, the narrator and his girlfriend or a girl he's romantically involved with are on some sort of road trip. They may have gone on this road trip for the purpose of saving their relationship or rediscovering the reasons they initially fell for one another. While they are traveling together, the narrator gradually realizes that he and this girl are not really in love or meant for each other, and he comes to peace with this to a certain degree.
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
ahh i love when he sings that.