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Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Hangman,
Go get your rope
Your daughters weren't careful,
I fear that I am a slippery slope
Now even if I lay my head down at night
After a day I got perfectly right
She won't know
She won't know
(one two three four, one, two)
So play a little careless, you gotta contend
And you can't blame your mother,
She's trying not to say I was your worst mistake
And I wish that I could tell you right now, I love you
But it looks like I won't be around
So you won't know
You won't know
So you won't know
You won't know
So believe in me, believe them
You think I'll let you down
Well, I won't
They can fire everything they've got
And when you think I'm sunk
I will float on and die
I am fine to put your gun to my life
And know I'm scared it won't fire right
You won't know
You won't know
You won't know
You won't know
You're never going to feel as full as we felt
So let's go outside and we'll play William Tell
Taking your time drawing a bead
I'll stand as still as you need
'Cause you're so good at talking smack, you heart attack
But you're the apple of my eye anyway
The smile on your face,
It's on your plate
It's on a silver plate
So they say,
They say in heaven
There's no husbands and wives
On the day that I show up
They'll be completely out
Of their forgiveness supplies
And I can't use the telephone
To tell you that I'm dead and gone
So you won't know
You won't know
You won't know
Yeah, you won't know (go, go, go)
Yeah, you won't know (go, go, go)
Yeah, you won't know
Yeah, you won't know
Yeah, you won't know
You won't
Go get your rope
Your daughters weren't careful,
I fear that I am a slippery slope
Now even if I lay my head down at night
After a day I got perfectly right
She won't know
She won't know
(one two three four, one, two)
So play a little careless, you gotta contend
And you can't blame your mother,
She's trying not to say I was your worst mistake
And I wish that I could tell you right now, I love you
But it looks like I won't be around
So you won't know
You won't know
So you won't know
You won't know
So believe in me, believe them
You think I'll let you down
Well, I won't
They can fire everything they've got
And when you think I'm sunk
I will float on and die
I am fine to put your gun to my life
And know I'm scared it won't fire right
You won't know
You won't know
You won't know
You won't know
You're never going to feel as full as we felt
So let's go outside and we'll play William Tell
Taking your time drawing a bead
I'll stand as still as you need
'Cause you're so good at talking smack, you heart attack
But you're the apple of my eye anyway
The smile on your face,
It's on your plate
It's on a silver plate
So they say,
They say in heaven
There's no husbands and wives
On the day that I show up
They'll be completely out
Of their forgiveness supplies
And I can't use the telephone
To tell you that I'm dead and gone
So you won't know
You won't know
You won't know
Yeah, you won't know (go, go, go)
Yeah, you won't know (go, go, go)
Yeah, you won't know
Yeah, you won't know
Yeah, you won't know
You won't
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Also, the song is obviously about suicide or at least about someone dying. Abandoned by their love, at the edge of suicide, has always been my thought about this song. As I felt that way for a long, long time. But everyone relates to songs differently. Especially if they are vague, which Brand New's lyrics usually are. But this one ain't.
Most likely from the drunk drives perspective?
Hey hey hey! Mr. Hangman,
Go get your rope
Your daughters weren't careful,
I fear that I am a slippery slope
(She died because of his carelessness, being "slippery")
Now even if I lay my head down at night
After a day I got perfectly right
She won't know...
She won't know...
She won't know...
(He's saying that even if he changes his ways and tries the best he can he can't bring her back or prove it to her)
So pray Little Kay, God's just love on a good day.
And you can't blame your mother,
She's trying not to see you as her worst mistake
(Kay is Katie. the next to lines would probably the mom blaming herself, wishing she could've been in the car in front, and wishing Katie hadn't been born so she wouldn't have had to have died so young.)
And I wish that I could tell you right now (...I love you)
But it looks like I won't be around
So you won't know...
You won't know...
You won't know...
You won't know...
(Ok so this and other lines makes me think he's contemplating suicide from the guilt.)
So believe in me, believe them
You think I'll let you down
Well I won't
They can fire everything they've got
What do you think? I'm sunk?
I will float on (...and die)
I have burned that bush that covered my light
And now I'm scared I won't burn that bright
(This line confuses me.. the last part makes me think that he can't live up to expectations that are set, could the song have two meanings? )
You won't know...
You won't know...
You won't know...
(hmm so maybe it doesn't matter that he can't prove himself right cause she still won't know that he tried.)
You're never going to feel as full as you felt
So let's go outside and we'll play William Tell
Take your time drawing a bead
I'll stand as still as you need
'Cause you're so good at talking smack,
You Heart attack
But you're the apple of my eye anyway
(ok i feel like this isn't him talking. almost like a second person is involved. perhaps the person aiming is supposed to miss the apple and hit him instead.)
The smile on your face,
It's on your plate...
It's on a silver plate
(Head on a plate refers to dead. Again guessing the intentional death)
So they say,
They say in heaven
There's no husbands and wives
(i am not positive on this one. maybe he doesn't mean literally, maybe he means just the union of two people? it could possibly be he saying she'll never have someone promise to be faithful to her... )
On the day that I show up
They'll be completely out
Of their forgiveness supplies
And I can't use the telephone
To tell you that I'm dead and gone
So you won't know
(ok so i think this is the summary. If he died he could "go to heaven" and tell her, look i died to, to mend things with you in the way i thought was right. but when he gets there he's denied, so she never would know he did that.)
i'm not sure if any of this is near correct. but Jesse is a lyrical genius. i wouldn't underestimate him.
so pray little kay, loves just god on a good day
and you can't blame your mother
she's trying not to see you as her worst mistake
i think these lines at least relate to 'Limousine'
Go get your rope
Your daughters weren't careful,
I fear that I am a slippery slope
Now even if I lay my head down at night
After a day I got perfectly right
She won't know...
She won't know...
She won't know...
So pray, little Kay, love's God on a good day.
And you can't blame your mother,
She's trying not to see you as her worst mistake
And I wish that I could tell you right now, that I love you
But it looks like I won't be around
So you won't know...
You won't know...
You won't know...
You won't know...
So believe in me,
Believe that you think I'll let you down
Well I won't
They can fire everything they've got
And when you think I'm sunk
I will float on and on
I have burned the bush that covered my light
And now I'm scared I won't burn that bright
But you won't know...
You won't know...
You won't know...
You're never going to feel as full as you felt
So let's go outside and we'll play William Tell
Take your time drawing your bead
I'll stand as still as you need
'Cause you're so good at talking smack,
You heart attack
But you're the apple of my eye anyway
My smiling face, it's on your plate, it's on a silver plate.
So they say,
They say in heaven
There's no husbands and wives
On the day that I show up
They'll be completely out
Of their forgiveness supplies
And I cant use the telephone
To tell you that I'm dead and gone
So you won't know
You won't know...
You won't know...
You won't know...
The relation to Katie Flynns death is obvious throughout this song and many others. Katie and her family were returning from a wedding in a limousine when they were struck and killed by a drunk driver. Hence the line "in heaven there's no husbands and wives etc".
Hey Mr. Hangman go get your rope. - He feels incredibly bad about abandoning his child and wishes to take his own life.
Your daughter's weren't careful. - Pregnancy.
I fear that I am a slippery slope. - He feel's like he's becoming more and more of a bad person.
Now even if I lay my head down at night. - There's an old saying about bad people: How can you sleep with yourself at night???: so he might have trouble sleeping at night for all the stuff he's done that he regrets.
After a day I got perfectly right.
You won't know.. You won't know.. - Maybe this mean's that after he matured, got his act together it was too late. Often abandoned kid's resent the parent that abandoned them. The older they get the more they hate them and the less they will try to communicate with them.
So pray little Kayla, you've got to contend. -A lot of the time a single parent struggle's to raise a child. So there's less option's for the future. So he's saying that she has to step up and believe.
And you can't blame your mother.
She's trying not to see you as her worst mistake. - In the situation of divorces the hatred between ex's can extend into even the kids. My gf's mom hates her because she remind's her of her ex-husband. And raising a child single is a great hardship so some people look back and would rather of not had to deal with that, and they put the blame on the kid because the kid is a daily reminder of the so called "Mistake".
And I wish I could tell you right now I love you.
But it looks like I wont be around. - Seem's to me like he wishes he could talk to his daughter (I think the Kayla is his daughter) but either he's being refused visitation or the daughter doesn't want to see him. And it seem's to me like either he's dying or wishes to take his own life so after either thing happen's she won't know.
Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Hangman
Go get your rope.
Your daughters weren't careful.
And I fear that I am a slippery slope.
Now even if I lay my head down at night.
After a day I got perfectly right.
She wont know...
She wont know...
So pray little Kayla, you've got to contend.
And you can't blame your mother.
She's trying not to see you as her worst mistake.
Well I wissh I could tell you right now I love you.
But it looks like I wont be around.
So you wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
So believe in me, believe me.
You think I'd let you down.
Well I wont.
They can fire everything they've got.
And when you think I'm sunk.
I will float on and on.
I have burned the bush that covered my light.
Even though I'm scared I won't burn that bright.
Well you wont know.
Well you wont know.
You wont know.
You wont know.
We're never gonna feel as full as we felt.
So let's go ouside and we'll play William Tell.
Take your time drawing a bead,
I'll stand as still as you need,
'Cause you're so good at talking smack.
You heart attack,
But you're the apple of my eye anyway.
My smiling face,
It's on your plate,
It's on a silver plate.
So they say.
They say in Heaven there's no husbands and wives.
On the day.
That I show up they'll be completely out of their forgiveness supplies.
And I can't use the telephone.
To tell you that I'm dead and gone.
So you wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You wont know...
You....
There's some yeah's and and's before some of the You wont know's. but they're almost inaudible and honestly a little pointless to make an issue of getting them right because the most important thing about that is the You won't know.
Awesome fucking song by the way, I love how Brand New alway's has the ability to give me the chills. And each of the song's are so emotion filled which is rare now day's because most bands just play what they think is cool. Music is an art, art is expressing yourself not trying to make money or becoming mainstream. The Devil and God are raging inside me is the best fucking ablum I've ever heard. Btw all of you that like Brand New should check out a band called Dredg. Song's like Jamais Vu, Hungover on Teusday, Sang Real, Bug Eye's. The best ablums I'd say from them are El Cielo and Catch without arms. Well worth looking these guy's up.