Lyrics for Us Ones in Between as interpreted by Clap Your Hands

Us Ones in Between Lyrics
You are a waterfall
Waiting inside a well
You are a wrecking ball
Before the building fell
And every lightning rod
Has got to watch the storm cloud come.

And I’ve heard of pious men
And I’ve heard of dirty fiends
But you don’t often hear
Of us ones in between
And I’ve heard of creatures
Who eat their babies;
And I wonder if they stop
To think about the taste.

I saw the sun go down
Outside of Arkansas;
And I saw the sun come up
Somewhere in Illinois.
And in the darkness
I taught myself to hate.
But where were you, oh where were you?
And where the fuck did the sun go?

And I am a creature.
And I am survivin’.
And I want to be alone
But I want your body.
So when you eat me,
Mother and baby,
Oh baby, mother me,
Before you eat me.

And you should always pass
When you get the inside lane.
Don’t pull your hair out;
I won’t pull my hair out.
For I have never seen the sun
That did not bury his fears in the side of the world.
And the day is done.

You are a waterfall
Waiting inside a well
You are a wrecking ball
Before the building fell
And I will mutter like a lover
Who speaks in tongues, oh he speaks in tongues.
Oh I speak in tongues.

(She’s your mother; she’s got a lovely tongue.)

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neonblack13
05-14-2006

Rated 0 
this is my favourite by this band. And definitely in my top ten. love "ive heard of creatures who eat their babies, i wonder if they stop to think about the taste"
and its bury its head in the side of the world when the day is done. not bury its fears.

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shampoo suicide
06-21-2006

Rated 0 
Agreed. I've also got (She don't know if he's got a lovely tongue.... He don't know if she's got a lovely tongue...)

Thanks for all these, Clap Your Hands.

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ArnhemKnight117
08-29-2006

Rated 0 
This song's meaning comes to me the easiest of all the songs on this album. The song is about sex be4 your ready; krug mearly used metaphors that can have sexual meaning to paint a different picture. The first verse, wrecking ball be4 buildings fall, and lighting rods having to watch the storm clouds come, is about unwanted pregnancy. The second verse, pious men, dirty fiends, and us ones in between is about how it can happen to any of us, and the creatures that eat their babies has to do with abortion. Stopping to think about the taste being about actually thinking about what your doing, especially on the womens part. The thrid verse is about the mental trauma and the reality of it all, the fustration especially showing in the "where the fuck did the sun go" line. The fourth verse is easy; its about learning about what your doing be4 u do it, especially in sex. Mother me, (teach me) before you eat me (have sex with me). The 5th verse is about paranoia, and learning to cope with mistakes and get over them... and no matter how bad it seems, the world is not going to stop turning... "burry its head inside the world when the day is done." The final verse, is about how nothing is going to change these things, and how he's going to continue to live his life, now that he knows what he knows, as should everyone else (he, I, speaks in tounges).

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thecriticfl
09-28-2006

Rated 0 
I don't like to think this song has such a linear meaning as sex before you're ready. It's poetry. It's how you interpret it, there is not one certain meaning, so ArnhemKnight don't go pushing yours with such certainty. Not everyone thinks or feels the same as you do about certain subjects.

Don't get me wrong, your meanings are viable, but it could just as easily be about any decision someone makes. Its not ONLY abortion and sex. Like I said, I don't believe Krug is that linear.

Nice thoughts none the less.

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ArnhemKnight117
10-05-2006

Rated 0 
thecriticfl, relax, i'm not "pushing" my interpritation on anyone. I agree, it is poetry, and its not linear. When i went to leave a comment on this song, the box says "What does this song mean to you?" and thats exactly what i put in. I'm merly speaking my thoughts on it.

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TheNalv
10-06-2006

Rated 0 
Initially, I got a completely different interpretation. I think that Krug's lover is about to break up with him. She's filled with bad news thats about to hit him all at once, like a well that contains a waterfall, or a wrecking ball that's about to level him, and he knows it. He himself feels like the lightening rod watching the storm approach, as he knows what he has coming. But he loves her and actually tells her to go through with it (You should always pass when you got the inside lane). All the talk about good guys and bad guys and him in between is his confirming that he's not such a great guy, but not a horrible one, either. Still, he understands and accepts his fate (I am a creature, I am surviving) even though he still loves her (I want your body). All he wants is for her to be gentle when she lets him down (mother me/before you eat me). He also comforts her and tells her that he'll be alright (creature/surviving again, but also: Don't pull your hair out/ I won't pull my hair out), because everyone in this world had problems (I have never seen a sun that did not bury its head in the side of the world when the day is done) and he's willing to cope with if it'll make her happy. But I don't know, that's just my interpretation. I know how much Krug hates it when people delve into his lyrics too much. An absolutely gorgeous song.

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barrons
11-28-2006

Rated 0 
i don't think spencer writes stories ... he writes surreality
i think you're all pigeonholing this song a bit too much

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clarion113
01-16-2007

Rated 0 
Some songs have a meaning, some have a feeling. This song has a feeling.

For my part, it has nothing to do with sex before your ready, abortion, or any of the other stuff mentioned by arnhem.

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Sunset Rubdown
04-22-2007

Rated 0 
i agree with thenalv

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Jack_Strife
04-26-2007

Rated 0 
There's actually a line missing from this. At the very end, he sings:

"He doesn't know if she has the wedding rings on. She doesn't know if he has the wedding rings on."

Love this song.

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justicehawver
05-07-2007

Rated -2 
I think Spencer Krug is talking about the political "center" in America.

"I've heard of pious men,
I've heard of dirty fiends,
But you don't often hear of the ones in between"

Specifically, he's talking about Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

"I saw the sun go down outside of Arkansas,
And I saw the sun come up somewhere in Illinois"

The Clintons were from Arkansas. When Bush won the Presidency in 2000, "the sun went down," and he "taught himself to hate." But, with Obama's candidacy, the sun is coming up again. Obama represents the political "center", and what most people want from politics -- positive energy and vision.

The fourth verse is a bit more obscure, but I think he's talking about government and politics. He needs them to survive, and but he hates himself for it. Governments can both "mother" (the welfare state) and "eat" (war) their children.

The rest of the song is self-expanatory -- when you get "the inside lane," take it. Come together and change the world!

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thejones2
05-08-2007

Rated 0 
why would spencer, a canadian, care that much about obama? i really dont think that is the secret meaning behind this song. i agree it has to do with personal relationships.

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justicehawver
05-08-2007

Rated -1 
I don't think it's "secret," but pretty overt. Canadians probably care more about American politics than Americans do.

There's additional evidence that it's a political song in the final verse when he says:

"And I will mutter like a lover who speaks in tongues,
oh he speaks in tongues, oh I speak in tongues."

Political rhetoric sounds like someone speaking in tongues. And although Krug doesn't want to submit his idealism to the political reality -- that political rhetoric makes murder sound justifiable and thievery noble -- at least Obama invokes that idealism when he speaks (i.e. he has "a lovely tongue").

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camkid2
05-13-2007

Rated 0 
beautiful, beautiful song. i also think that it's about intra & inter personal relationships rather than politics.

"For I have never seen the sun
That did not bury his fears in the side of the world.
And the day is done."

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camkid2
05-13-2007

Rated 0 
*its head

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justicehawver
05-15-2007

Rated 0 
You know what, you're right. And "Puff the Magic Dragon" is about a boy and his dragon.

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brilliFAN
05-24-2007

Rated 0 
I adore this song.

Interestingly, when they sing it live, there's another verse over the piano coda thing-
"He don't knoweth she's got the wedding rings on,
She don't knoweth he's got the wedding ring on."

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MountWroclai
05-25-2007

Rated 0 
I love this song so much. Especially when he says " and i saw the sun go down outside of Arkansas
and i saw the sun come up
somewhere in Ilinois." i think its beautiful.

To me this song seems like hes just driving somewhere far away from home and all these thoughts are running through his head, and hes just going through different times in his life.

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Sunset Rubdown
05-31-2007

Rated 0 
i just can't express my love for this song

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Sunset Rubdown
06-13-2007

Rated 0 
he says
he don't know if shes got the wedding rings on
she dont know if he's got the wedding rings on

saw a video of him live and thats clearly what he says
if anyone knows how to play this song i'd appreciate it if you told me

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Sunset Rubdown
06-13-2007

Rated 0 
and i highly doubt its political

ok im done lol

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Sunset Rubdown
06-13-2007

Rated 0 
and i highly doubt its political

ok im done lol

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Serilazareth
06-14-2007

Rated 0 
This reminds me of the divorce my Dad and Stepmom are going through right now. My sister and I are the ones in between. Maybe the divorce is eating us?

And he asks me every time I see him if she's still wearing the wedding ring.

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DeadHazzy
07-17-2007

Rated 0 
When I found out that my friend had died, I couldn't get this song out of my head.

Especially the part-
"And in the darkness
I taught myself to hate.
But where were you, oh where were you?
And where the fuck did the sun go?"

I just felt like she was the sun and now that's she gone I'm going to hate so much and I can't stop.

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invertebrae
12-03-2007

Rated 0 
@justicehawver, maybe that end line about the wedding rings could imply that hillary clinton and barack obama secretly got married?

...ryan

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