In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I stopped the thought before its drip became insistent,
I rubbed it out and loved the spot where it were missing,
She's widely known the only maquereau that pays her taxes,
I got to box her for the money, said it might end up
Reeling and stumbling,
I've got to bump around awhile.
You don't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
You didn't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
You rang the Eskimo to meet you at the station.
Oh, he's like milk to you, half Swedish and half Asian.
And your aphasia strikes out a bargain with the barter yard.
I got to box you for the money, said it might end up
Reeling and stumbling, I've got to bump around awhile.
You don't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
You didn't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me, let me get up on it,
Let me get up on it.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me, let me get up on it,
Let me get up on it.
I could be your baby doll,
I could be your doll, baby
I can be the thing you want,
I could do it all for you,
I could be your baby doll.
I could be your baby doll,
I could be your doll, baby
I could do it all for you.
You don't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
Uh huh, uh huh
You didn't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me.
I rubbed it out and loved the spot where it were missing,
She's widely known the only maquereau that pays her taxes,
I got to box her for the money, said it might end up
Reeling and stumbling,
I've got to bump around awhile.
You don't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
You didn't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
You rang the Eskimo to meet you at the station.
Oh, he's like milk to you, half Swedish and half Asian.
And your aphasia strikes out a bargain with the barter yard.
I got to box you for the money, said it might end up
Reeling and stumbling, I've got to bump around awhile.
You don't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
You didn't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me, let me get up on it,
Let me get up on it.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me, let me get up on it,
Let me get up on it.
I could be your baby doll,
I could be your doll, baby
I can be the thing you want,
I could do it all for you,
I could be your baby doll.
I could be your baby doll,
I could be your doll, baby
I could do it all for you.
You don't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
Uh huh, uh huh
You didn't use words like that.
St. Louise is listening.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me,
Let me get up on it, let me up on it.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me.
Let me get up on it, let me up on it,
let me, let me.
Lyrics submitted by bizzichild
St. Louise Is Listening Lyrics as written by Michael Doughty Mark Degliantoni
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Its about Louise Brooks , a famous silent film star of the 1920's . Mike Doughty says she is his patron saint , and has a tattoo of her on his right arm . There are alot of references to her life in the song , but they are somewhat hard to recognize unless you are familar with her history .
maquereau = brothel-keeper, pimp yardie = member of jamaican organized crime
Was at a Mike Doughty show where someone asked what this song was about and he replied "One word-drugs."
@ST let me get up on it
I can't get enough of this song. It's got a great beat, and his voice is awesome! This even though I have no idea what the lyrics mean.
FYI, maquereau means mackerel in French. Also, aphasia is a brain disorder that affects speech to varying degrees.
Some time ago, a friend of mine and I (not knowing about the Louise Brooks connection) were speculating on what the song was about. I think the conclusion we eventually reached was that it was about a man who hired a prostitute but felt guilty about it later due to his Catholic upbringing.