Lyrics for Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day) as interpreted by fishnet

Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day) Lyrics
I got shot right in the back
And you were there
I said I was never coming back
And you were there you were there
I know the eyelids are under attack
'Cause you were there you were there

And if God is what they made
Cut the hands off believers
Don't get high on what you create

I saw Gaza turn into light
And you were there you were there
All the subtractions made it on time
You were there, you were there
All the nice boys wait for a sign
You were there , you were there
And all the time, the time, the time, the time you were there, you were there

And if love is what they gave
Turn wives into healers
Don't get high on what you create
Oh it might just steal ya

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 33 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
centerfold
10-29-2005

Rated 0 
pretty sure it's i got shot
right in the back
you weren't there
you weren't there

the key here is weren't

Log in to reply
cman
11-07-2005

Rated 0 
i think this song is about the whole isreali-palestinean conflict:

"I saw Gaza turning to bread"

the line about "olives are under attack" could just have to do w/ the how olive branches traditionally represent peace and of course there is never peace in that region of the world.

a lot of the lines speak of war but not in the traditional sense "I got shot in the back" "I said i was never coming back"

a lot of the lines seem to refer to the inability for the two sides to negotiate and make peace: "ran out of knobs" (ran out of doors, a classic metaphor for options, oppurtunities, or chances), "ran out of time, eat time x3"

the title "ibi dreams of pavement" in my mind is about a little boy living in one of the countries dreaming of "a solid road" or a true civilized society w/out living in fear constantly.

it's possible this song has a far more universal meaning that i'm completely missing. whether the refrain is "you were there" or "you weren't there", the latter seeming far more likely, i still don't know who it's meant to confront or what it's really saying.

Log in to reply
stellawasadiver
12-14-2005

Rated 0 
"i know the ISLANDS are under attack"
"its like the PRESSUREwants to attract"

acoustic version has "i saw cranley, turn into light"... another reference to evan cranley... interesting.

Log in to reply
drstrangelove
12-15-2005

Rated 0 
The above lyrics are incorrect. The title is a reference to Ibi Kaslik, a friend of the band. On a side note, Ibi Kaslik, Emily Haines of Metric, and Amy Milan of Stars were once in a band together prior to becoming involved with the Broken Social Scene collective and their respective side projects. Also,I believe Ibi is currently romantically involved with Evan Cranley of Stars (hence the reference to Cranley--"Well, I saw Cranley turn into light(love?)"--on the KCRW session. I should also note that the inclusion of "Pavement" in the title is most likely a reference to the band, not actual pavement. This would also explain the inclusion of the secondary title (A Better Day); which, in my opinion, serves to function as a satirical poke at the disintegration of the indie rock movement.

As far as the content of the song is concerned, Kevin Drew has repeatedly introduced Ibi as a song about “not killing your friends”. Obviously, there is intentional lyrical ambiguity, both in enunciation and the band's tendencies to substitute “established” words and phrases within their songs for others. Here are the correct lyrics (compiled from multiple live versions and the album version):


Well, I got shot right in the back;
And you were there,
You were there.

I said I was never coming back;
And you were there,
You were there.

I know the eyelids are under attack;
You were there,
You were there.

It's like the pressure wants to retract;
You were there,
You were there.

And if God is what they made,
Cut the hands off believers.
Don't get high on what you create...

Well, I saw the geyser turn into life;
And you were there
You were there

All the subtractions made it on time;
'Cause you were there,
You were there.

And all the nice boys wait for a sign;
You were there,
You were there.

And all the time,
The time,
The time,
The time.
You were there.
You were there.

And if love is what they gave,
Turning wives into heathens.
Don't get high on what you create...
Oh, it might just steal you.

Log in to reply
obladi
12-17-2005

Rated 0 
So this is not a political war song? I got that from watching the video but dr.strange doesn't think so.

Log in to reply
cman
12-18-2005

Rated 0 
well if those are the correct lyrics then i was totally wrong about the whole israeilli-palestinian thing.

i was also wondering if the title had anything to do w/ the band Pavement and i guess it does.

the only other evidence for this being a war song is that in a pitchfork media interview kevin drew mentioned that they liked the version of the song w/ the vocals low in the mix because it had this feeling of being in a city while bombs were falling or something. but of course there's the possibility that it's just another part of how he feels about the collapse of pavement or the indie movement. after listening to the album version, here's my take on the lyrics:


Well, I got shot right in the back;
And you were there,
You were there.

I said I was never coming back;
And you were there,
You were there.

I know the eyelids (islands?) are under attack;
You were there,
You were there.

It's like the pressure wants to retract;
You were there,
You were there.

And if God is what they made,
Cut the hands off the meathooks
Don't get high on what you create...

Well, I saw the geyser (Gaza?) turn into bread
And you were there
You were there

All the subtractions made it on time;
'Cause you were there,
You were there.

And all the nice boys wait for a sign;
You were there,
You were there.

And all the time,
The time,
The time,
The time.
You were there.
You were there.

And if love is what they gave,
Turning wives into heroes
Don't get high on what you create...
Oh, it might just steal you.

the stuff w/ the question marks are things that could possibly be the actual lyrics but i also just put in what i could definitely hear as the right lyrics on the album.

BSS is a strange enough free-form sort of band that the lyrics might change from one performance to another.

Log in to reply
backy
12-20-2005

Rated 0 
i went to their concert and kevin drew introduced the song like this: "THIS IS A SONG ABOUT KILLING YOUR BEST FRIEND"

that just about sums it up i guess.

Log in to reply
backy
12-20-2005

Rated 0 
i went to their concert and kevin drew introduced the song like this: "THIS IS A SONG ABOUT KILLING YOUR BEST FRIEND"

that just about sums it up i guess.

Log in to reply
The_Variable
12-28-2005

Rated 0 
Whoever thought that a song about killing your best friend could be so damn beautiful.

Log in to reply
DevastatorJr.
01-12-2006

Rated 0 
This even sounds like a Pavement song, Summer Babe or Trigger Cut or something else off Slanted & Enchanted. Very clever...

Log in to reply
fiiish
01-19-2006

Rated 0 
The correct lyrics are " turning wives into healers " .
I love this line although I'm not sure of its meaning.

Log in to reply
Waveslave
01-20-2006

Rated 0 
The correct lyrics are posted on the website now:

i got shot right in the back
and you were there
i said i was never coming back
and you were there, you were there
i know the eye lids are under attack
cause you were there, you were there
its like the pressure wants to retract
cause you were there
and if god is what they made,
cut the hands off believers....
don't get high on what you create
i saw the gazza turn into light
and you were there, you were there
all the subtractions made it on time
you were there, you were there
all the nice boys wait for a sign
you were there , you were there
and all the time, the time, the time, the time you were there, you were there
and if love is what they gave
turn wives into healers........
don't get high on what you create
oh it might just steal ya.........

Log in to reply
The_Variable
02-03-2006

Rated 0 
Thank you Waveslave!

Log in to reply
Bandwitch
02-22-2006

Rated 0 
this song is amazing
what am i saying
every bss song is..

Log in to reply
proxima
03-16-2006

Rated 0 
i always thought the word pavement in the title would allude to the band, since the song in itself has a little pavementsy ring to it.

Log in to reply
litteracy
03-26-2006

Rated +1 
From ibikaslik.net:

'“Ibi Dreams of Pavement,” by Broken Social Scene, is an anthem written for me, yes. It’s about my friendship with Kevin Drew, nostalgia for purer times and a song about betrayal and treachery.'

Log in to reply
molofan
03-26-2006

Rated 0 
I always thought that the "Pavement" in the title refers to the ambiguous lyrics and strange vocal delivery, both of which sound a lot like Stephen Malkmusl.

Log in to reply
ratanx
04-15-2006

Rated 0 
Isn't the first line "I got shot riding the rails"? A sort of ref to Pavement's Summer Babe, which says "Every time I sit around I find I'm shot."

Log in to reply
Snapman
05-21-2006

Rated 0 
Great song this, one of Broken Social Scene's finest, if not their best. Catchy as hell.

Log in to reply
rfs
06-13-2006

Rated 0 
This is a brilliant track...you can't help but be carried along by the huge sound and wonderful tune.

Log in to reply
Way_AE
08-08-2006

Rated 0 
When I went to their show, they definitely said "Geyser" and not "Gaza"

Log in to reply
articulates
09-16-2006

Rated 0 
i really do believe that this is a political song.

ibi is short for ibtesam, an arabian name meaning "smiling".

"if love is what they gave/ turning wives into heroes/ don't get high off what you create/it just might steal ya"
i'm not sure, but maybe they're reflecting on ethnocentrism. if the middle eastern tradition of beating their wives was changed, the survivors would be heroes. but the husbands still love their wives, there's just no respect for women there. and you can't think that you live in the perfect world (americans in the us), or it's gonna consume you, you damn ethnocentrist.

Log in to reply
Dropbeat
12-12-2006

Rated 0 
are you serious? youre still commenting on this song after someone posted an official interpretation from the person who it was written for?

Log in to reply
articulates
12-15-2006

Rated 0 
so serious.

"Well, “Ibi Dreams of Pavement” was written for our friend who’s a writer"

oops.
whatever
i still think i made a good connection

Log in to reply
brasky09
09-06-2007

Rated 0 
For the love of god. Its

"You WEREN'T THERE"

Listened to the song plenty and saw it live where he clearly enunciated the n't at the end of weren't.

Log in to reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here