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"Ah the night...here it comes again"
It's on with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How'd I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I'm too scared to know how I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiled, "see ya around"
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
And raise my glass 'cause either way I'm dead
Neither of you really help me to sleep anymore
One breaks my body and the other breaks my soul
La Cienega just smiles as it waves goodbye
"Ah the night, here it comes again"
It's off with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How'd I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I'm too scared to know how I feel about you now
How I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiles and says, "I'll see you around"
It's on with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How'd I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I'm too scared to know how I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiled, "see ya around"
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
And raise my glass 'cause either way I'm dead
Neither of you really help me to sleep anymore
One breaks my body and the other breaks my soul
La Cienega just smiles as it waves goodbye
"Ah the night, here it comes again"
It's off with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How'd I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I'm too scared to know how I feel about you now
How I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiles and says, "I'll see you around"
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i think La Cienega is a prostitute. a young one. maybe too young.
he never got her real name, so he named her after the street, where she was standing.
oh, the night here it comes again. it's on with the jeans etc.
he is in love with her, but he knows, he can't have her, so he sleeps all day and drinks all night.
"either way i'm dead"
means that if he will never get her, he will die from sorrow, and if he takes her (i think she loves him too) her pimp will come after her and our dear narrator. Thoughts?
It's on with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt" shows that he feels getting ready to go out as a burden, he's rather stay in and be heartbroken, but wants to appear as if everything is okay, so he makes himself get ready and goes out. The entire time thinking "man, how did I let this happen" it feels like her leaving was expected, maybe they knew from the beginning, and ended up getting too close. She cares about him, too, but is younger and has things she needs to accomplish. It is important to note that "see ya around" is not the same as saying "goodbye", this isn't a relationship that ended badly, but rather one that has just come to an end. Even the alcohol doesn't help him sleep anymore, and she's not there either. The second mention of the "night" has a different meaning. He's not looking forward to going home and trying to sleep, because he knows he's just going to lay there in misery thinking about her. At this point he would almost rather leave his clothes on...he knows whats going to happen if he takes them off and goes to bed. He went out hoping to solve something, to feel better, to forget, and perhaps now is arriving home in worse (emotional) shape than when he left. The "hold you close in the back of my mind" is just his way of pacifying himself. He truly feels good for her that she is moving on and doing what she has to for herself, but is absolutely miserable at the thought of her leaving.
"Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt" I think refers to how great the memories are but it hurts so bad because it's all over.
She doesn't want to see him anymore so he know he's not going to be in her neighborhood again - "La Cienega waves goodbye." This hits home to me as it's always sad when you realize you're no longer going to be going to your girlfriend's/boyfriend's house.
I love the line about "one breaks my body and the other breaks my soul." Basically, he thinks about her all the time. The only way out is to drink, and drink. Drinking breaks his body but continually thinking about her breaks his soul.
Amazing song all around.
He goes out at night, with jeans the jacket and the shirt, drinks and raises his glass... He gets drunk every time and that's breaking his body... while she just breaks his soul. The girl is "the cienega", she just waves goodbye, she says see you around... she's just gone.
Perfect song, really.
He goes out at night, with jeans the jacket and the shirt, drinks and raises his glass... He gets drunk every time and that's breaking his body... while she just breaks his soul. The girl is "the cienega", she just waves goodbye, she says see you around... she's just gone.
Perfect song, really.
"Ah the night...here it comes again
It's on with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt"
- I think this is him remembering the begin of the affair, the little extra effort he made with his appearance, the excitement of this new relationship, the night that he has been looking forward to all day when he gets to see her.
"How'd I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl"
- This is confession at falling for the girl when he obviously didn’t think he would. It emphasises how incredible he sees this girl to be, she won him over when he obviously sees this is as a near impossible thing to do, and he’s asking how she managed to make him fall so deep. It’s also a hint at her being younger than him, he’s saying he should have known better, i.e. an older woman might have been able to trick him, but how could a young innocent girl have such an effect on his emotions, he should have been more in control.
"And I hold you close in the back of my mind"
- This could be a hint that the end of this relationship has come, but that he will never forget her. In his mind they will always be with each other, he will always really belong to her and vice versa. This is also a hint that their relationship/affair will always remain secret, he cannot tell anyone, just bury his memories and his love for her in a place where no one can take it away from him.
"Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I'm too scared to know to how I feel about you now"
- I think these lines signify that he never intended to fall so deep. Perhaps it is forbidden, he is trying to deny the feelings he has for her. It is him reminding himself that no matter how much he loves her, it is because of these very feelings that it had to end.
"La Cienega just smiles..."see ya around"
- His view of her reaction is one of acceptance but it’s a forced acceptance. They both knew from the start they could never be together exclusively. She is putting on a brave face for him.
"And raise my glass 'cause either way I'm dead
Neither of you really help me to sleep anymore
One breaks my body and the other breaks my soul"
- He knows that he must get out of this self pity; even if he had left his woman/wife/long term partner and risked everything for this girl, there would still be no perfect ending as it would cause so much pain. Whatever he does there will be heartache, it’s a lose-lose situation anyway. He realises the amount of heartache this girl and the affair they’ve been having has already caused him as it is. These are almost fake feelings though as it because he loves her so much he has to try and justify the split with whatever reason he can think of to stop himself returning to her. The raising his glass is the realisation that he has to keep smiling and carry on, he has to hide his heartache and carry on as normal, perhaps to his family, wife or friends he could never tell of his affair to.
"La Cienega just smiles as it waves goodbye"
- I think this part is the study of her goodbye, deep down he is searching for something to change this goodbye, he doesn’t want it to be happening. He hates how clinical and matter of fact it is. He hates how she is being the mature one, when he, the older one should be taking that role when instead he is breaking inside. He hates the weakness he feels about himself for having to let her be the one to make the cut, to put on the brave face for him.
"Ah the night...here it comes again
It's off with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt"
- This time when he remarks about the night coming again, it is said in a feeling of monotony, back to the dull nights again. The taking off of the clothes is a metaphor for the lies coming off, a sense of relief almost though there are also stronger connotations of a feeling of sadness at not having this little girl to impress anymore. He no longer cares, the happy, vibrant person he was with the girl has been left behind, he back to his quiet, boring, usual self. It is ‘off’ with the lies, the deceit and the facade but even more so it is off with the contentment, the happiness, the love and the feeling of inner peace this girl brought him.
I think that he calls this girl 'La Cienega' is perhaps that if is a girl he's had an affair with he has been used to having a fake name for her, perhaps on his phone/email/hotels etc. As 'La Ceinega' is spanish for 'marsh' or 'swamp' it could also connate that she is foreign to him and his world yet an exotic and welcome intrusion on his once boring exsistance, however, the translation of 'marsh' suggests this once foreign girl has become his one familiarity. The choice of 'marsh/swamp' could also be a metaphor for her completely consuming him and sucking him into her.