Lyrics for Between the Bars as interpreted by EnjOy IncUbus

Between the Bars Lyrics
Drink up, baby, stay up all night
The things you could do, you won't but you might
The potential you'll be that you'll never see
The promises you'll only make
Drink up with me now and forget all about
The pressure of days, do what I say
And I'll make you okay and drive them away
The images stuck in your head
People you've been before that you don't want around anymore
That push and shove and won't bend to your will
I'll keep them still
Drink up, baby, look at the stars
I'll kiss you again between the bars
Where I'm seeing you there with your hands in the air
Waiting to finally be caught
Drink up one more time and I'll make you mine
Keep you apart, deep in my heart
Separate from the rest, where I like you the best
And keep the things you forgot
The people you've been before that you don't want around anymore
That push and shove and won't bend to your will
I'll keep them still

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pandorah85
01-28-2002

Rated 0 
does anyone know what "between the bars" means?

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2 Replies
DADSonACID
02-10-2002

Rated 0 
"between the bars" means, or i think it means, that the person Elliot Smith is singin about is stuck between to things, and kind of feels trapped in this indecision they have jumped into. its a really good song, very poetic, and i like the lyrics, and how they flow together.

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pandorah85
02-14-2002

Rated 0 
that makes sense, the girl is in limbo right now and elliot is trying to comfort her. this song is really romantic, but not in that fake way.

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1 Reply
AirplanesRbetter
05-04-2002

Rated 0 
Obviously, this is a troubled person, trying to get over his troubled, maybe criminal, life. The song is basically his bottle of Johnny Walker Red speaking to him, telling him that he'll make everything better.

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meja
06-01-2002

Rated 0 
haha. just wondering if AirplanesRbetter was referring to the song "miss misery". as i heard before, elliott often writes his songs and gets inspiration in bars. i guess that's why he came up with this song title.

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nyblueguy
06-11-2002

Rated 0 
its about the inner struggles of someone. parts accepted and some denied. Its about change and leaving your skin, like a snake, so to say. Thats what I think. Or rather, thats what it means to me. To be more tolerant of yourself. Love yourself. Everyone has parts of themselves they don't like. No one is perfect

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Sublime24
07-27-2002

Rated 0 
I think he is walking from a bar he was at where he drank, and then is leaving thinking to himself, and arrives at another bar to repeat the process, and he realizes that this is all his life is, goining BETWEEN BARS!...but that is just my opinion, i could be wrong, amazing song either way

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difference_in_shades
08-21-2002

Rated 0 
god, i love this song. it makes me sad, but the lyrics are wonderful. and the music is beautiful. if only elliot was younger...

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CONTROLDbyhatred
09-23-2002

Rated 0 
sounds like a date rape to me.. getting her to keep drinking yet hes trying to get on her.

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JustChutUp
03-06-2003

Rated 0 
id have to agree with CONTROLDbyhatred...

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Sancho Panda
03-16-2003

Rated 0 
when Elliott writes lyrics, alot of times he does it in bars. He'll goto bars and just write about what he sees, so i think the title of "between the bars" refers to that. I think the girl he's talking about is just some random girl, that he's tyring to incorporate into his life. Another good example of him reflecting on how he does this is Shooting Star. I dont think this is about date rape at all... but thats just one panda's opinion.

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Sancho Panda
03-16-2003

Rated 0 
when Elliott writes lyrics, alot of times he does it in bars. He'll goto bars and just write about what he sees, so i think the title of "between the bars" refers to that. I think the girl he's talking about is just some random girl, that he's tyring to incorporate into his life. Another good example of him reflecting on how he does this is Shooting Star. I dont think this is about date rape at all... but thats just one panda's opinion.

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Miaka_chan
04-09-2003

Rated 0 
I think this song is about how alcohol is luring him in. The alcohol is telling him to keep drinking and it'll make him feel better. He goes from bar to bar every night to drink, thus "where I'm seeing you there". It also can be a metaphor for the trap of the routine of always drinking, like a cell. It's like a love/hate song about alcohol.

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lushious418
07-03-2003

Rated 0 
i actually think "between the bars" is referring to the bars of a jail cell, where the woman he is singing to is being confined to a cell with thoughts of who she used to be torturing her, not allowing her to break free. He's kissing her between the bars - the space which allows her face to break through, and offering to hold onto these troubling memories and images which are causing her so much pain...but what do i know?......

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kaffeine_krazy
04-07-2004

Rated +1 
I don't actually think there's supposed to be another person involved here, I don't think it's romantic, exactly. It's about the power of addiction, the call of drink. He used to be someone else, someone with potential, but he knows he'll never live up to it because he can't get out of the grip of his addiction. The alcohol lets him "forget all about the pressure of days" and disappear in to another night that goes on too long. The people he's been before were people with ambition, friends, a life, and he can't stand to listen to those voices any more, only the drink can make them silent again. His pain can be relieved and he can experience beauty again through alcohol, but as long as he relies on this he won't ever be free - kisses between the bars of his cell. Of coure, maybe I'm just projecting, but I know Elliot was an addict himself and I know really well what it feels like to start drinking again and know that it'll go on for one more night... how wonderful it is to have that best friend in the world back, and also know that you'll be worse off than where you started in the morning.

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the green eyes
04-11-2004

Rated -1 
"drink up, baby, look at the stars, i'll kiss you again "

if theres no other person, you are trying to tell me his is gonna kiss himself?

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AccidentProne
04-12-2004

Rated +1 
ever hear of "kissing the bottle." the song is clearly about alcholism.

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I can do the Frug
04-13-2004

Rated 0 
i never thought about it referring to alcholism but that seems very clear to me now.
i've always seen it as a sad sort of love song. like he sees this girl for who she really is-the good and the bad- and he wants to love her regardless. i always took the between the bars part as they're iliterally in transit between bars and he just sees her fully for the first time. i don't know. the alcholism idea makes much more sense. not every song is a love song.

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AccidentProne
04-13-2004

Rated 0 
I think the alcoholism theme becomes clearer if you look at the lyrics as the alcohol or bottle or whatever speaking to Elliott.

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dorareever
04-16-2004

Rated 0 
it's about alcoholism.

pretty clear.

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mikematyus
04-18-2004

Rated 0 
all I know is that it makes me really sad when I listen to this song.

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springheeledCJ
04-18-2004

Rated +1 
I'm gonna have to disagree with the personal alcoholism explaination. I think this song is definitely about two people, specifically Elliott and a love interest. I interpret this as Elliott's way of saying he will stay with this woman, even through her alcohol addiction. He begins by explaining their relationship; "drink up baby, stay up all night... the potential will be that you'll never see the promises you only make" - he is referring to the way she lives her life, and in turn, treats him. The girl is unhappy with herself and perhaps drinks to cope with her self-loathing. Elliott promises to keep "The people she's been before that she doesn't want around anymore." He uses "between the bars" as a pun. On one end, it could mean he will kiss her between bars, as in the ones where you get alcohol, implying that he doesn't mind her drinking and loves her anyway. The other side uses "bars" as a metaphor for the prison of her addiction; he will "kiss her again between the bars," meaning he will stay with her, even through her addiction. He sees her "with her hands in the air, waiting to finally be caught," meaning that she is subtly crying for help, which he promises to provide her. I definitely see this song as Elliott's promise to stay with a woman through her troubles, not as a personal lament about his alcoholism, though it is well-documented.

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2 Replies
NightNeverSleeps
04-19-2004

Rated -1 
have you guys ever considered that "between the bars" refers to a star constellation. i've heard the "bars of Orion" referenced many times, and elliott says "look at the stars" right before "i'll kiss you again, between the bars"

just something to think about; sometimes it's right on the surface (that line at least)

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nopoetic
04-29-2004

Rated 0 
i think everyone's meaning (except the date rape one) have good standing and are all unique to each person. what i get from this song is talking about someone he loves not accepting themselves and not really loveing who they are. i get this meaning because i have a similar experiance with someone i love. its difficult to see that person hate themselves and never truely be happy. its rough but you have to go through life with these things, it makes you stronger. anyway, i love this song and its sad to see this great artist pass away the way he did. im gonna miss the music.

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sneakyninjaboy
05-04-2004

Rated -2 
why doesn't someone just ask Elliott?

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