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When I was young, younger than before
I never saw the truth hanging from the door
And now I'm older--see it face to face
And now I'm older--gotta get up clean the place
And I was greener, greener than the hill
Where flowers grew and sun shone still
Now I'm darker than the deepest sea
Just hand me down give me a place to be
And I was strong, strong in the sun
I thought I'd see when day is done
Now I'm weaker than the palest blue
Oh so weak in this need for you
I never saw the truth hanging from the door
And now I'm older--see it face to face
And now I'm older--gotta get up clean the place
And I was greener, greener than the hill
Where flowers grew and sun shone still
Now I'm darker than the deepest sea
Just hand me down give me a place to be
And I was strong, strong in the sun
I thought I'd see when day is done
Now I'm weaker than the palest blue
Oh so weak in this need for you
Lyrics submitted by Sweet Blue Way, edited by papple
Track duration: 02:41
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Like this one.
this is haunting and beautiful and such an amazing song.
he has been suffering from some kind of addiction...possibly to drugs of some kind.
when he was young, he saw these drugs as some kind of escape, something that would help him get through hard times. he never saw the truth - what they would really do to him, and the long-term impact they would have - hanging from the door.
now he's older, and he has to take responsibility for these actions, and the misuses/mistakes he's made involving drugs. essentially, he has destroyed much of his potential in life, and while it was fun in his youth, he's slowly realizign that he needs to change now. unfortunately, he knows it may be too late.
now that he's looking back, he's realizing that he had a potentially good life ahead of him, until he blinded/jaded himself with the use of drugs. all he wants is a "place to be" - drugs have become comforting for him, and he considers them a safe 'place to be', even though he knows they really aren't beneficial to him.
he knows in theory that he shouldn't abuse drugs...he keeps thinking his body will come to this realization soon. however, he's realized he's in too deep of a mess, and he's only weakening himself with his need for these drugs.
My opinion of the song is that its about a person who is lost. who doesnt know who they are. or their purpose. They feel like the world is overwhelming and scary and messed up.
Obviously no one knows what was going on in nicks head when he wrote this song, but I think thats pretty close to an accurate description, and it fits in my opinion, partly because when I first heard it, it helped me out expressing my own feelings about these issues. What I was going through and all that.
He saw the truth hanging from the door, as in when he was young, he didnt have to worry about war, death, finding himself, violence, jobs, and everything else that living in modern society entails. the truth hanging from the door could symbolize anything really, but I think its the loss of innocence. When you are little, the war in Iraq maybe wouldnt even register with you. And why should it? But if you are an aware astute 20 year old now, the war in Iraq may be much more personal.
Anyone see the final season of the Sopranos where AJ sort of goes through a crisis. That to me is an example of someone who notices the truth hanging from the door.
I dont think he used "green" to talk about inexperience. Green, Greener than the hill. To me when I listen to the song, or this verse, I picture a meadow, a field, where its a utopia. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is bad. The outside world doesnt exist. War, violence, hate, pollution, etc... doesnt exist. Again, I feel he is painting a picture of himself, someone who at one time didnt have to worry about adult matters, could just walk and sleep in a field all day, but now has other things that weigh on his mind and conscience.
Couldnt he also be weak in a need to find himself. After all the song is titled Place to Be, so again, the idea of a song about the pains of growing older, and the need to find himself, I think pretty clearly reverberate heavily on this song.