Lyrics for Stray Dog Freedom as interpreted by Tfil7

Stray Dog Freedom Lyrics
There's a skinny dog
In a dirty parking lot
And he doesn't bite
But he begs
And he knows what's true
So if you are, he'll follow you
If you're headed home
All the way
So we let him finish
Every dinner plate
And we watched his tail say thanks, thanks, thanks
And we tried to name him
But he ran away
Once he knew his freedom was at stake

This same old shit
So it's how you deal with it
It's the glove that fits
That you wear
So when the wind blows strong
I put a few more layers on
And I tell myself
I don't care
I might make a phone call
To a better man
To ask the questions that I have, have, have
Like how do I get started
And where's it going to end?
Why should I treat a traitor like a friend?

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  • 20 Comments
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quirky_but_kewl
01-28-2007

Rated 0 
i like the simplicity of this song...the almost childish retelling contrasting with the harsh guitars and scratchy vocals....

god, i am quivering with excitement for cassadaga's release....

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charcoalsketch
01-28-2007

Rated 0 
electric guitar? what the fuck.
:| this CD is.. i don't know.

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Tfil7
01-29-2007

Rated 0 
has a little bit of a 70's feel to it doesnt it?

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N8RTOT
01-29-2007

Rated 0 
"electric guitar? what the fuck."

perhaps you've yet to see bright eyes live? conor shreds...

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frenetic
02-02-2007

Rated 0 
new favorite song.

but yeah, electric isn't anything new...

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forgetmyname
02-05-2007

Rated 0 
Ahh this song's gonna be great live..
I can picture a huge epic ending with 10 people on stage in true bright eyes style. It is a little different sound (but no, not because of the electric guitar) but it still stays true to what we love the band for.
Stoked.

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2ST34P
02-19-2007

Rated 0 
I love the distortion he uses in this song.






It has a classic feel to it.

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bmth_own
02-24-2007

Rated 0 
he must have a thing for the stray dog line because he uses it in "gold mine gutted"

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Squee88
02-26-2007

Rated 0 
I love this song... sounds a lot like a ben kweller song

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equations_unsolved
02-28-2007

Rated 0 
oh godddd. dont compare conor to bk. i like them both. but ..yeah.

i like it. i like how conor uses storytelling in his songwriting. like yellow bird, stray dog, ...there was one other one i noticed, but i can't remember.
anyways, yeah. it's very interesting.

and yeah, beaaaauuuuutiful song. one of my favorites for sure :]

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equations_unsolved
02-28-2007

Rated 0 
shit. i thought i was on "soon you will be leaving your man" on that last part. not that this song isn't "beautiful" but its not really my favorite.

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Vae
03-01-2007

Rated 0 
yea not my fav either, but ben kweller adds some sweet vocal undertones.

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JACKIE THE HOBO
03-08-2007

Rated 0 
LOVE THIS FUCKING SONG.
different, so very very different. but give it a chance, kids.
lyrics arent quite up to par, but it sounds so awesome.

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melonata
04-17-2007

Rated 0 
this song is the best! my two favourite singers :)

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ckad79
05-14-2007

Rated 0 
The first part has to do with Iraq and offering people freedom in return for something else...

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AnAcidRevolution
05-23-2007

Rated 0 
i love this song. it reminds me of this cat that always follows me and my friends around and chills with us. He always shows up when we're playing music in my friends back yard and he, oddly, loves getting high( he always shows up within 1 minute of us sparking a doobie ). We always bring him food but when ever we try to bring him inside he just leaves.

i get the sense that he was a beatnik traveller like Jack Kerouac in a past life.

he's been the inpiration of about 6 songs i have written too.

I would give anything to live like the "Stray Dog"

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AnAcidRevolution
05-23-2007

Rated 0 
-the 1st whole verse is pretty self explanatory i dont think anyone needs to translate what it means.

"It's same old shit
So it's how you deal with it
It's the glove that fits
That you wear"

-the narrator thinking about how he is unhappy about the routine of his life

"So when the wind blows strong
I put a few more layers on
And I tell myself
I don't care"

-He is tired of having to constantly protect himself (from relationships, jobs, etc.) and he has to convince himself it doesnt bother him when it really does.

"I might make a phone call
To a better man
To ask the questions that I have, have, have
Like how do I get started
And where's it going to end?
Why should I treat a traitor like a friend?"

-He is going to look for advice on how to live a happier life

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Patrick_Burns
07-18-2007

Rated 0 
There's more meaning to the whole 1st verse, like ckad79's notion that the "Stray Dog" Freedom might be a metaphor for Iraq.

My impression is that the stray dog is a metaphor for our own (domestic) freedom > freedom is a noble and true concept, which is recognizable when one acts in defense of our individual or collective freedom. But in general, US citizens' safe guarding of their own freedoms has lapsed, as in the Patriot Act and succumbing to the politics of fear. In essence, we've let some of our freedoms become emaciated and neglected, like this dog...

There's a skinny dog
In a dirty parking lot
And he doesn't bite
But he begs
And he knows what's true
So if you are, he'll follow you
If you're headed home
All the way
So we let him finish
Every dinner plate
And we watched his tail say thanks, thanks, thanks
And we tried to name him
But he ran away
Once he knew his freedom was at stake

Our freedoms can still re-emerge and triumph, but these days they seems to just come and go, like a stray dog without a home. Anyhow, that's what came to my mind on repeated car-stereo-listenings...

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WonderQuestionLearn
06-24-2008

Rated 0 
To me, the stray dog means everyone loves to be loved and shown affection
but when our freedom is in jeperody (yes spelled incorrectly), we tend to run,
everyone naturally craves freedom.

Evensd omething as simple as a given name takes away some type of freedom.

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RockDuce
02-08-2009

Rated 0 
Not every song is about Iraq.

I don't see the connection.

This song is what it appears to be. A stray dog that knows how to take care of himself and enjoys his lifestyle. Perhaps his history is one of abuse or neglect. It doesn't matter. Humans love dogs and love to feed hungry dogs. Often we expect animals to stay with us after we feed them. Not this dog. The same old shit are the same old problems. Example, when winter comes and all of its misery we deal with it. The depression we deal with it. Put a coat on stop your bitching and get on with it. Life goes on.

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