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You and I are like oil and water
And we've been trying, trying, trying...
Ooooh to mix it up
We've been dancing on a volcano
And we've been crying, crying, crying
Over blackened souls
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that can shelter this weather
I've been smiling with anchors on my shoulders
But I've been dying, dying, dying
Oooh to let them go
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that could shelter this weather
Babe this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
We tried to believe everything would get better
We've been
Lying to each other
Hey babe
Let's just call it, call it, call it
Oooh what it is
Oil and water (wouldn't be the first time)
Oil and water (wouldn't be the first time)
Oil and water (wouldn't be the first time)
And we've been trying, trying, trying...
Ooooh to mix it up
We've been dancing on a volcano
And we've been crying, crying, crying
Over blackened souls
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that can shelter this weather
I've been smiling with anchors on my shoulders
But I've been dying, dying, dying
Oooh to let them go
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that could shelter this weather
Babe this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
We tried to believe everything would get better
We've been
Lying to each other
Hey babe
Let's just call it, call it, call it
Oooh what it is
Oil and water (wouldn't be the first time)
Oil and water (wouldn't be the first time)
Oil and water (wouldn't be the first time)
Lyrics submitted by MakeYourSelf101
Track duration: 03:50
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so many times incubus expresses the emotion equally great through lyric and through the music itself. they just meshed it so well with this song. and it's such a simple song, yet unbelievably profound because of how it found the perfect balance between the sadness and acceptance of a failed relationship that just wasn't meant to be.
However, this part:
We've been dancing on a volcano
And we've been crying, crying, crying
Over blackened (soles)
I think it's more like, in this relationship, they asked for whatever they've been dealt. You dance on a volcano and your feet get dirty with soot- what did you think would happen? Yet the act surprised and cry that they didn't get a different outcome.
I don't know who thinks Incubus lacks originality with this album.. their lyrics continue to amaze me time and time again. If you want bad lyrics, check 3Oh!3.. yuck.
Oil and water don't mix (even when they try, line 3), because oil floats on water. Chemical story.
Really nice lyrics, one of the better songs on L&G
You and I are like oil and water
And we've been trying, trying, trying...
Ooooh to mix it up
(This portion sets the scene for the song - It's about two people that have been working harder than they could imagine to make a relationship work, but the two are too different, such as oil and water, to make it. The repetition of "trying" highlights this fact, creating a sense of desperation and frustration)
We've been dancing on a volcano
And we've been crying, crying, crying
Over blackened souls
(The two in question don't want to acknowledge the situation - they are treading dangerous ground in admitting that they will not work. But there is love and emotion left - again with the repition of "crying" it shows how much is at stake for both parties and how much emotion has gone into the relationship and its attempt to salvage it)
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that can shelter this weather
(This has happened before, but they have stuffed the feelings away, hiding behind a facade of happiness. The parasol represents something pretty to show the outside world - he could have used umbrella, but that is a parctical item whle a parasol is just for show. They are hiding their turmoil behind a pretty facade, but nothing that pretty could hide the storm that exists between them.)
I've been smiling with anchors on my shoulders
But I've been dying, dying, dying
Oooh to let them go
(This is similar to the parasol idea. He's "smiling" to the outside world to make everyone believe he is happy, all while carrying this tremendous emotional burden on his shoulders - "anchors." Repetition again happens here with "dying," stressing the desperation and the longing to finally admit to everyone, including himself, what he really feels)
Babe, this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
There is no parasol that could shelter this weather
Babe this wouldn't be the first time
It will not be the last time
We tried to believe everything would get better
(The two have tried to acknowledge their fate before, but stay together with the hopes of working it all out. But two personalities cannot change, and despite their belief that they canmake it work, it just cannot)
We've been
Lying to each other
Hey babe
Let's just call it, call it, call it
Oooh what it is
Oil and water
(They cannot lie to themselves anymore. "Let's just call it what it is" is beinging their fate out into the open - they are not the right people for each other. I believe their relationship is ended after this. Repeating "call it" is saying something to the effect of "calling it a day" and ending it. They are too different. There may be much love between the two, but the are not meant to be. They can never "mix")
i think brandon's melancholy tone and calling her 'babe' represents that they still care about each other immensely, but no longer function together as a couple. In saying 'it wouldn't be the first time, it will not be the last time ' he is rationalizing their fate and stating what they both know but have so far been too scared to voice. It gives me the feeling that it is about a couple that have been together for a long time, and who in the beginning seemed a good fit, but over time have both changed and are heading in different directions with their lives and no longer 'mix' . I think it captures the difficulty and frustrations of trying to resurrect the feelings and compatibility experienced at the beginning of a long term relationship, and the fear and uncertainty experienced when faced with the concept of severing ties with the person that has been such a huge part of your life for so long, loosing that security and comfort.
I also think the line 'we've been dancing on a volcano' acts as a metaphor for something that is bubbling under the surface, waiting to erupt. Much like the underlying issues which both parties may be tip toeing around. However these issues cannot lie dormant forever and eventually they will erupt if the couple keep trying to suppress them, and the effect will be devastating. if they break off now, they may at least have a change of remaining friends.
'blackened souls' is used to further eventuate the feelings of anguish that both are experiencing staying together. it suggests that the memory of their relationship may be poisoned if they stay together much longer as they will begin to resent each other for holding each other back.
This song is really meaningful to me. it is exactly what me and my ex boyfriend of four years went through. Everytime i listened to it when we were still together i cried because it described the feelings of frustration and confusion i was experiencing, and it is what made me finally admit that despite all our trying things were not going to go back to the way they used to be and it was time to 'call it what it was'. The best song on light grenades by far!