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Who's the boy I like the most
Is it is teasing you he's underage
Could he be waving from a tropical sunset
Static silhouette somehow
Single in his bed someday
Quiet til he fall fall falls
Rome Rome Rome Rome
Focus looking forward the coliseum
Oh no what did I say
What can I say
Rome Rome many tears have fallen here
I'll be driving you look the other way
I am easy to ignore
Shutters open all the way
When the scandal that I see I'll go insane
Distant silhouettes somehow
We shared a cigarette somewhere
I looked to the fall fall falls
Rome Rome Rome Rome
Focus looking forward the coliseum
Oh no what did I say
What can I say
Rome Rome many tears have fallen here
I'll be driving you look the other way
Always and forever more
I called to say I'm on the way
1,000 years remain in the trashcan
I burned the cigarette somewhere
Ashes still it fall fall falls
I stand outside under broken leaves
I know I can't do without
The future's drowned away
Ah I never loved you
And if I loved you
I wouldn't say I'm sorry oh no
I stand outside under broken leaves
Always and forever more
And together getting lonely
I thought I couldn't do this without you
Single in his bed somewhere
Ashes still it fall fall falls
Is it is teasing you he's underage
Could he be waving from a tropical sunset
Static silhouette somehow
Single in his bed someday
Quiet til he fall fall falls
Rome Rome Rome Rome
Focus looking forward the coliseum
Oh no what did I say
What can I say
Rome Rome many tears have fallen here
I'll be driving you look the other way
I am easy to ignore
Shutters open all the way
When the scandal that I see I'll go insane
Distant silhouettes somehow
We shared a cigarette somewhere
I looked to the fall fall falls
Rome Rome Rome Rome
Focus looking forward the coliseum
Oh no what did I say
What can I say
Rome Rome many tears have fallen here
I'll be driving you look the other way
Always and forever more
I called to say I'm on the way
1,000 years remain in the trashcan
I burned the cigarette somewhere
Ashes still it fall fall falls
I stand outside under broken leaves
I know I can't do without
The future's drowned away
Ah I never loved you
And if I loved you
I wouldn't say I'm sorry oh no
I stand outside under broken leaves
Always and forever more
And together getting lonely
I thought I couldn't do this without you
Single in his bed somewhere
Ashes still it fall fall falls
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"Who’s the boy you like the most
Is he teasing you with underage ?
Could he be waving from a tropical sunset ?
Static silhouette somehow
Single in his bed someday
Quiet till it falls falls falls"
A young girl dreams about an actor on television. She of course is way younger than him, so she couldn't be with him now, but one day when she's old enough he'll surely be single and fall in love with her too.
"It ain’t easy to ignore
When your shutters are open all the way
When it’s candlelight I see I go insane
Distant silhouette somehow
We shared a cigarette somewhere
Addict till it falls, falls ,falls"
This is a fantasy about him. She's looking through his window and sees romantic candlelight in his room. She spots him in the room, and winds up going in the house and sleeping with him. Afterwards they share a cigarette. She is both an addict to cigarettes and her celebrity love.
"Always and forevermore
I call to say I’m on the way
2000 years remain in a trash can
Let burn the cigarette somewhere
Ashes till it falls, falls ,falls
I stand outside under broken leaves
I know I can’t do without
The future’s trying to wait
I’ve never loved you
And if I loved you
I wouldn’t say that I’m sorry oh no
I stand outside under broken leaves"
This is the girl later in life, when reality hits her: she'll never have this guy. Perhaps she met him and he was unattentive to her or even a jerk. She throws away all her memorabilia of him and stands outside smoking. She's spent her entire youth convinced she's going to be with this guy and is coping with the fact that her dreams are useless. She tries to convince herself that she never really cared about him, but it isn't something she will ever regret.
"Always and forevermore
We’re together dead and lonely
I thought I couldn’t do this without you
Single in his bed somewhere
Ashes till it falls, falls ,falls"
Now lots of time has passed and they are both long gone. She realized that she never really needed him, like she thought when she was younger. And now in his coffin, he is "single in his bed somewhere."
"Rome Rome Rome Rome
Focus looking forward the Colosseum
Oh no ! what did I say ? what can I say ?
Rome Rome many tears have fallen here
I’ll be driving, you look the other way"
Rome is her relationship with her idol; he's the Colosseum. Eventually Rome fell, as did her feelings toward him. She spent her youth chasing after him, convinced they'd be together one day, when in reality that was never going to work out.
A lot of young girls fall in love with famous guys and convince themselves that one day they will marry this guy and be with him forever - but there's a million other girls who are convinced that they'll be that special girl too. And in reality, all million girls are nobodies to this celebrity. It's just like with Bieber - he has millions of young girls head over heels about him, but is he dating any of his fans? No, he's dating Selena Gomez. It's a depressing realization and it's one this girl realized too late.
Is he teasing you with underage? (he's older than you and is making fun of it)
Could he be waving from a tropical sunset? (he is in a far away place where you can't get to him)
Static silhouette somehow (static not meaning moving = sleeping, shadow of him and you somehow happens)
Single in his bed someday (he has to go to that far away place)
Quiet till it falls, falls, falls (you have to keep quiet about your relationship cause it's not supposed to happen)
relates to my life.
It seems like someone looking at the new life of a past lover. She is in Rome, and she has a hot, young new boyfriend, but it's only a summer thing, and as the cigarette burns down to her fingers, so summer eventually winds down until it, too, is just ashes. The rhythm and music of the song is kind of pulsating, too, and doesn't really allow you too much time to think; it actually reminds me of the steady beat in your ears when you are running, e.g. running away from thinking, or trying not to think at all. The subject doesn't want to think about the past, or the future, or the 'tears that have fallen here' or the temporary and shallow nature of her love. She is trying desperately to enjoy her present in Rome, and she has all the reasons to, but she can't forget her past so she is stuck trying to outrun it.
c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/phoenix-vincent-thomas-bridge/…
I think the song could be interpreted as someone who has the epiphany that a long standing relationship he is in is a lie. That he was never really in love with the person, and his decision to enter the relationship was formed due to youth and naivety, while being pursued by the other party.
So despite the tragedy of leaving all those years of investment in the relationship to waste (2000 years in the trashcan), he must break it off because if it is to be "always and forevermore" they would be "together dead and lonely"
I especially love the parallel "single in his bed somewhere". It seems to be used in the context of the pursuer at first. This person is a rescuer--someone who falls in love with a person they see as helpless and needing someone--the imagine him down the road, alone, "single in his bed somewhere", and they want to be the person that saves him from that fate. At the end of the song, we learn that the pursuant had the same fear for himself, "I thought I couldn't do this without you, single in his bed somewhere".
This song is full of parallel phrases, used multiple times throughout the song, but with a different context or meaning each time. Very cool!
As for the Rome part, maybe this theory could be consistent with some of the above ideas about the city's relevance?
c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/phoenix-vincent-thomas-bridge/…
Who's the boy you like the most < Is that person who you with this one you like the most?
Is he teasing you with underage?
Could he be waving from a tropical sunset?
Static silhouette somehow
Single in his bed someday
Quiet till it falls, falls, falls < Can you imagine him/her in the rest of your life? In his/her bed? With him/her you'd like to see tropical sunset?
Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome
Focus looking forward the colosseum > another place
Oh no! What did I say? What can I say? > confused
Rome, Rome, many tears have fallen here
I'll be driving, you look the other way> I'll show you another way, point of view
It ain't easy to ignore
When your shutters are open all the way > it's for another one, whith who you're not but you like him/her
it's hard to ignore someone even if you love another
When it's candlelight I see I go insane > you're bemused about this situaction youre with someone and you like somebody else more
Distant silhouette somehow > you see this one who you should not love
We shared a cigarette somewhere > you smoke with them..
Addict till it falls, falls, falls > you see how your first relationship's breaking
Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome
Focus looking forward the colosseum
Oh no! What did I say? What can I say?
Rome, Rome, many tears have falling here
I'll be driving, you look the other way
Always and forevermore
I call to say I'm on the way
2000 years remain in a trash can> all you built in this 1st relationship''2000 years''are in a trash can now
Let burn the cigarette somewhere > Let it go
Ashes till it falls, falls, falls
I stand outside under broken leaves > you dont know how to say you don't love them
I know I can't do without > you know you will be missing something of them
The future's trying to wait
I've never loved you
And if I loves you
I wouldn't say that I'm sorry oh no > if you ever loved them you would never say ''i'm sorry''
I stand outside under broken leaves
Always and forevermore< again for this second love, real love
We're together dead and lonely
I thought I couldn't do this without you
Single in his bed somewhere
Ashes till it falls, falls, falls
again..
I don't know, something about the symbolism seems gender neutral enough that the song could be interpreted in this way. It's a "gay" fling but they don't want to admit it, and it doesn't matter too much to the story of heartbreak anyway. They fell for each other in "the Roman way," romantic, emotional, and homosexual. But many "tears have fallen" there... There is much heartbreak, and usually secret heartbreak, from these summer Roman flings. The "broken leaves" also support this -- fall is coming, and what life there was in summer (green leaves, feelings of almost-but-not-quite-love) has now broken.
It seems reinforced by the repetition of them sharing a cigarette. To me that seems like a very subtle way of showing intimacy in public. I'm not sure if anyone's read it, but this song makes me think of Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (in which a male-male love much as this one crumbles like cigarette ashes, in the secret neighborhoods of Paris)
That's just my $0.02; I can't think of any more striking reason of why there would be so much focus on the word Rome (I don't think PeppermintB has it exactly right, because there's not a lot of focus on the *fall* of the Roman empire, it seems to be discussing Rome-as-it-was).
That's just my take, although I can also see the writer as being the boy teasing an older girl. For the sake of decency, lets assume the writer is 19 and referring to a 17yo.
it kinda makes me sad too. remembering all the good times at a younger age that i can't ever relive with people, and places i've been to.
i don't know what the song really means, it does sound like some love and lost like other comments have explained, but this song has a lot of personal meaning for me in the sense that it makes me think of a lot of different things. not a lot of songs can do that, everything has to be perfect, lyrics tone and delivery, and Phoenix hit it out of the ball park for me on this one.
beautiful song, great band, just amazing!!!
To me, it's about a longterm relationship that was troubled, but to top it off, the other partner cheats with a man that she's idolized(static silhouette of the other guy waving from a tropical sunset) and that the singer casually knows(the reference to sharing the cigarette somewhere). The singer finds out about them and is haunted by his brief encounter with the other man. When he sings about always calling to tell his partner that he's on the way, it's his way of making sure that the other man isn't there when he gets home and that he cannot ever trust her again(always and forevermore). They almost break-up and he tries to say that he never loved her, but it's not really true(I've never loved you and if I love you...). Somehow, they end up staying together, but the trust is gone and they are destroyed inside. He uses the Roman empire as a metaphor for their relationship as slowly decaying and breaking down for numerous factors(her cheating, his misspoken words, their lack of trust) as the actual Roman empire did over a long period of time. Their relationship is a facade of ashes and will crumble, much like the Colosseum still stands and is doomed to eventually crumble, but for now they are together.
It's interesting that another band, The Decemberists, would also use the Roman empire to describe the dissolution of a relationship in Record Year for Rainfall. Anyway, Rome is a wonderful and beautiful song!
"I stand outside under broken leaves
I know I can't do without
The future's trying to wait
I've never loved you
And if I loves you
I wouldn't say that I'm sorry oh no
I stand outside under broken leaves
Always and forevermore
We're together dead and lonely
I thought I couldn't do this without you
Single in his bed somewhere
Ashes till it falls, falls, falls"