1
You said we should look out further
I guess it wouldn’t hurt us
We don’t have to be around all these coffee shops
Now we’ve got that percolator
Never made a latte greater.
I’m savin 23 dollars a week
We drive to a house in Preston
We see police arrestin’
A man with his hand in a bag.
Hows that for first impressions
This place seems depressing
It’s a Californian bungalow in a cul-de-sac
Its got a lovely garden
A garage for two cars to park in
Or a lot of room for storage if you’ve just got one
And its going pretty cheap you say
Well it’s a deceased's estate
Arent the pressed metal ceilings great?
Then I see the handrail in the shower
The collection of those canisters for coffee tea and flour
And a photo of a young man in a van in Vietnam
And I cant think of floorboards anymore
Whether the front room faces south or north
And I wonder what she bought it for
If you’ve got a
Spare half a million
You could knock it down
And start rebuildin’
x3
I guess it wouldn’t hurt us
We don’t have to be around all these coffee shops
Now we’ve got that percolator
Never made a latte greater.
I’m savin 23 dollars a week
We drive to a house in Preston
We see police arrestin’
A man with his hand in a bag.
Hows that for first impressions
This place seems depressing
It’s a Californian bungalow in a cul-de-sac
Its got a lovely garden
A garage for two cars to park in
Or a lot of room for storage if you’ve just got one
And its going pretty cheap you say
Well it’s a deceased's estate
Arent the pressed metal ceilings great?
Then I see the handrail in the shower
The collection of those canisters for coffee tea and flour
And a photo of a young man in a van in Vietnam
And I cant think of floorboards anymore
Whether the front room faces south or north
And I wonder what she bought it for
If you’ve got a
Spare half a million
You could knock it down
And start rebuildin’
x3
Lyrics submitted by shaneboyar, edited by Robert128
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@Robert128 You're right, but I feel there is so much more to this song (maybe you agree and couldn’t be bothered writing it all out, fair enough).
It's about how we treat and think about other people. It’s asking how much do we really care about our neighbours (as in people other than ourselves)? The concept of looking for a house is used as a driver/example of how we are more often interested in looking after ourselves than caring about other people’s stories, love and suffering. I think the storyteller (Courtney, I guess) is saying that she realises that the home and the stories that are left behind are of more significance than whether it has polished floorboards, north-facing rooms etc. And now that she sees the significance of what was there, she couldn't live there/doesn’t want to live there as it isn’t her ‘home’.
This ties into the ‘half-a-million/knocking it down’ idea, that so many of these stories just get destroyed and forgotten about (as Robert128 said).
But the song is also about suburbia, growing up and how you’re meant to live your life. Many of us grow up with our family, go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house etc… Courtney is questioning the whole idea, does it bring happiness? Why is it the right way to live life? By following the same path are you just destined to die in a Californian bungalow and be forgotten about?
As with the whole album, there is also something undeniably Australian about this song. Not just the references but the whole concept. Being Australian and knowing the culture we live within unlocks another layer to this song and the album (not having a go at people who aren’t Australian, just an observation).
This is a very timely song that will resonate with a lot of people.