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You can tell Gayle, if she calls
That I'm famous now for all of these rock and roll songs
And even if that's a lie
She should've given me a try
When were kids on the field of the first day of school
I would've been her fool
And I would've sang out your name in those old high school halls
You tell that to Gayle, if she calls
And you can tell Jane, if she writes
That I'm drunk off all these stars and all these crazy Hollywood nights
That's total deceit
But she should've married me
And tell her I spent every night of my youth on the floor
Bleeding out from all these wounds
I would've gotten her a ride out of that town she despised
You tell that to Janey, if she writes
But boys will be boys and girls have those eyes
That will cut you to ribbons sometimes
And all you can do is just wait by the moon
And bleed if it's what she says you ought to do
You remind Anna, if she asks why
That a thief stole my heart while she was making up her mind
I heard she lives in Brooklyn with the cool
Goes crazy over that New York scene on 7th Avenue
But I used to wait at the diner, a million nights without her
Praying she won't cancel again tonight
And the waiter served my coffee with a consolation sigh
You remind Anna, if she asks why
Tell her it's all right
You know it's hard to tell you this
Oh, it's hard to tell you this
Here's looking at you, kid
That I'm famous now for all of these rock and roll songs
And even if that's a lie
She should've given me a try
When were kids on the field of the first day of school
I would've been her fool
And I would've sang out your name in those old high school halls
You tell that to Gayle, if she calls
And you can tell Jane, if she writes
That I'm drunk off all these stars and all these crazy Hollywood nights
That's total deceit
But she should've married me
And tell her I spent every night of my youth on the floor
Bleeding out from all these wounds
I would've gotten her a ride out of that town she despised
You tell that to Janey, if she writes
But boys will be boys and girls have those eyes
That will cut you to ribbons sometimes
And all you can do is just wait by the moon
And bleed if it's what she says you ought to do
You remind Anna, if she asks why
That a thief stole my heart while she was making up her mind
I heard she lives in Brooklyn with the cool
Goes crazy over that New York scene on 7th Avenue
But I used to wait at the diner, a million nights without her
Praying she won't cancel again tonight
And the waiter served my coffee with a consolation sigh
You remind Anna, if she asks why
Tell her it's all right
You know it's hard to tell you this
Oh, it's hard to tell you this
Here's looking at you, kid
Lyrics submitted by lowapr
Track duration: 03:42
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His "relation" to Anna is the exact opposit to the other lost girls. She tells mutual friends that she's having those crazy parties and so on, but he knows that she is lying in the same way he is to others.
She wasn't sure about him back then, so he fell for another girl instead. He knows what she is doing, so instead of lying to her in the same way, he explains why he left her, and tells her its all right.
I haven't watched casablanca, but that part seems brilliant.
From this song I sort of get the vibe of "I could have anybody, but I love the girl who moved on."
With regards to the title, I think that the singer is accepting that Ana moved on, but knows that he will always love her. Since the song is so conditional (...if she calls, if she writes, if she asks why), I can't help but wonder whom he's speaking to in the end. I think "it's hard to tell you this" is directed to himself, saying that it is difficult to accept, and "here's looking at you kid" is a silent monent of dedication. I picture him drinking alone but still toasting to her.
The song is one last goodbye to those girls and all the pain he's been holding onto. He can't carry it around with him anymore. It's difficult for him to forgive - he can't even say it. The best he can manage is 'tell her it's alright' and a vague line from a movie 'here's looking at you kid'.
Maybe he realised that he was giving too much without ever directly asking these girls for anything in return, maybe he found someone who gave as much as he did or maybe he's still alone and he's just looking for some peace.
What wonderful piece of musical intelligence to come out of a generation filled with a whole bunch of crap.
But as to "the thief" who stole his heart while his waiting waiting for Anna to make up her mind, I feel a sense of regret in that last stanza, even if it's not direct because there's clearly a feeling of letting go of an ex lover of some sort. But the connotation of the word thief is not all that pleasant, it comes with theft, and taking something that doesn't belong to you. So even though he was waiting for her, and she never gave him an answer (at least not at the appropriate time), the thief, whoever it may be is just on his/her path to becoming another name that strikes emotional dread and heartbreak for the protagonist of the song. Even going with the ending of Casablanca, when she gets on that plane, the phrase, "here's looking at you, kid" isn't filled with a happy ending, or a solid,stable one for that matter either. It ends in a melancholy tone that maybe one day those names will leave your memory and everyone else's and maybe one day, that thief can be your love, and the pain and heartbreak given by an ex was just worth it all at the end of the day.
That's my take on it at least.
This song seems to take on more meaning the more girlfriends I part ways with. Because of mutual friends, their name seems to always be peeking around the corner waiting to find you vulnerable, and it always seems to arrive at the worst time. Some people, like the waiter in the diner, get it and sigh with you. The song for me reminds me of how stupid I have been to invest so much into some women, only to have them rip my heart out. And of course, in some cases, I simply moved on. But somehow hearing about their lives, whether good or bad, always seems to strike a heart chord. And thus, guys join rock bands and play until their fingers bleed and then get drunk. As was mentioned above, those names Janey, Anna, etc. could easily be replaced by other names. I think that is why this song is loved by so many people. Its not a happy song, but its a song of truth.