The National – Think You Can Wait

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  General Comment:Love dylancampbell's interpretation, but I see the "baby" more metaphorically in this verse:
  
  We've been running a sleepless run
  Been away from the baby way too long
  We've been holding a goodnight gun
  We've been losing our exits one by one
  
  Running a sleepless run to me just says fear. They're terrified. They've been away from the baby--representing what's important, what's innocent and pure, maybe what their relationship used to be. We've been holding a goodnight gun: We've been on the brink, about to end this thing because it's all going wrong. We've been losing our exits, our chances to take a different course than the one we're on now, our chances to make a change, to make things better.
  
  The first verse is in the past tense--his state before he met her, maybe. Maybe she was the island he was looking for. But maybe he's drowning her instead.
  
  What I'm thinking is simple
  I'll sell apples and ice water at the temple
  I won't make trouble
  I'll pull the devil down with me one way or another
  
  ...In this verse I think he means the "pull the devil" line in the opposite way. He's promising he'll be better. He'll do good things for people (or at least not do anything bad). He'll get rid of the devil on his shoulder, be a better man.
  
  But in the end, it's futile. She's all he has, and he's trying to do right by her, but he just can't. As indicated earlier in the song (Did I think you could wait?) he's already lost her.

  Flag ihadalitlweenieon December 08, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:This song seems to evoke someone desperately asking that the "in sickness or health" clause of their wedding vows be honored while he struggles with mental health issues.
  
  But the line "We've been holding a good night gun" makes me uncomfortable. All I keep picturing is someone writing a suicide note that's a parody of Goodnight Moon. "Goodnight gun. Goodnight, goodnight everyone."

  Flag theevilwriteron November 20, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:This is what I got out of this song.
  
  As we go thru life we feel as though we are drifting through it whether or not we know what we want or not, no matter how hard we try, we struggle and this leads to frustration that causes us to break down and cry. We're then just looking for one good solid thing in life to stand on and we find it but then we mess it up or something does. So we fight our demons of ours no matter what because we have to.
  Then we start losing our mind because our life's a mess and we've gone way off course and we would like the person that loves us to wait till we've got our stuff together. So now we're sleepin in the same bed but not really connected together and this has been going on for way too long. And little by little the relationship deteriorates.
  Then we wonder did I screw it up for good? But this is all I have to give at this time, can wait a bit longer.
  Then you think...All I want is a simple life and I'll fight for it. And if this doesn't work I'll try harder but this is all I have to give.
  
  So this song makes me think...In times like these we all hope that we have the right person is by our side and we make it thru them. And we hope as the Beatles say "Love is all we need" and that love is enough.

  Flag kennemonon September 26, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Definitely agree with the general theme here.. I just want to add that I think the echo part has the word 'you're' in it. As in, (you're all I have is all), as opposed to simply (all I have is all). I think this adds to the perspective of the singer asking his wife to be patient with him, because he's trying, and she's all he has.

  Flag dejongnon March 28, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:To me, this song is just like another fantastic song 'wish you were here' by pink floyd in term of the meaning of 'you' which represents the writer or singer oneself.
  
  He planed to be better man and get a more wonderful life in the near future, however, he found that he would not achieve what he had thought. On the contrary, all he did was wasting his time and narrowing the horizon of life (according the words'We've been holding a good night gun We've been losing our exits one by one').
  
  On the other hand, he had grown to be a man rather than a little boy, which pushed him to do something he should do(according the words'We've been running a sleepless run Been away from the baby way too long').
  
  Unfortunately, he just could find out what he should do, or maybe, he absolutely didn't understand what he wanted to do. (Therefore 'I was drifting, crying I was looking for an island I was slipping under I'll pull the devil down with me one way or another'.)
  
  Then he had to ask himself again and again whether he could keep this embarrassed situation and do no anything to change it('think you can wait?').
  
  You may imagine what the answer you will give when you are sinking into such kind of terrible condition.
  
  As the singer answered 'I'll try, but I couldn't be better.', in the reality, the indiviuals are really hard to bring out the adequate confidence to affirm that he can overcome anything and get the success. Most of time, the only thing we can do is to try, and we don't know the result at all.
  
  Even though, at last, you actually didn't be better, which can't be the excuse to escape to 'try'.
  
  It's my first song review written by ENGLISH, which is really tough for me, and I'll try hard hereafter. Thanks for reading^_^

  Flag withacidon March 27, 2011   Link

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    I had struggle a bit getting through your points. but its a work in progress, thanks for contributing

    Flag theDrunkPianiston March 31, 2011  
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  General Comment:they sound great together. creates a mood.

  Flag TheWrongGirlon March 24, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:actually, i take that back. it sounds like sharon van etten.

  Flag TheWrongGirlon March 24, 2011   Link

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    Correct!

    Flag ksuwdbootson March 31, 2011  
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  General Comment:gorgeous song. who's the female back up? sounds sort of like chan marshall.

  Flag TheWrongGirlon March 24, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:To me, it sounds like a new father/husband who is asking his wife to be patient with him when he goes a little crazy. It's very easy at that point in your life to feel like you are slowly drifting away from yourself, and your freedom is dwindling ('losing our exits one by one' could mean slowly realizing there isn't going to be an "out" and this your life now, for better or for worse). In this case he knows he is just looking at the negatives in the situation (pulling the devil down with him) and it is only a temporary state of mind (I'm out of my mind).
  
  My favorite verse in the song is:
  
  We've been running a sleepless run
  Been away from the baby way too long
  We've been holding a good night gun
  We've been losing our exits one by one
  
  The fact that he all of a sudden uses "we" instead of "I" here shows an understanding that his wife is going through the same exact thing that he is, one of the reasons he hopes she will understand when he asks her to wait. He's been away from the baby so long that he's forgotten what is really important in his life. The "good night gun" could be due to the fact that new parents are usually more tired and more stressed. This means they have less time to actually spend with one another alone and sometimes they don't feel truly emotionally close anymore. Whereas they used to talk or make love before going to bed, more often now the night simply ends with a "good night", despite the fact that this kills them both inside. It feels almost like there is a gun being put to there heads forcing them to simply say "good night" instead of bursting forth with all of the things they really want to say.
  
  Again, this is just my interpretation and you could easily go a complete different direction with it. Regardless, it's a truly beautiful song.
  
  
  

  Flag dylancampbellon March 23, 2011   Link

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    I agree with most of your interpretation except on the line "we've been holding a good night gun". I think this could of been summed up more simply, you extracted more meaning from it than there was to find. I think it's just about being really stress by your thoughts at night. "sleepless run" Loss of sleep over thoughts on how to solve "our" problems, and like you said, it seems like they can't find any solution "losing our exits one by one"

    Flag theDrunkPianiston March 23, 2011  
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  General Comment:Here's what I heard:
  
  I was drifting, crying
  I was looking for an island
  I was slipping under
  I'll pull the devil down with me one way or another
  
  I'm out of my mind
  think you can wait?
  I'm way off the line
  think you can wait?
  
  We've been running a sleepless run
  been away from the baby way too long
  we've been holding a good night gun
  we've been losing out exes one-by-one
  
  I'm out of my mind
  think you can wait?
  I'm way off the line
  think you can wait
  
  it out?
  (all i have is all)
  think you can wait it out?
  (all i have is all)
  think you can wait?
  
  What I'm thinking is simple
  I'll sell apples and ice water at the temple
  I won't make trouble
  I'll pull the devil down with me one way or another
  
  We've been running a sleepless run
  been away from the baby way too long
  we've been holding a good night gun
  we've been losing out exes one-by-one
  
  I'll try
  I'll try
  But I couldn't be better
  (all I have is all)
  
  (repeat 3x)
  

  Flag petewilletton March 22, 2011   Link

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