Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?

This may be the most literal, straight-up pop song Elliott Smith ever made -- and that's not a bad thing considering the source. I think it's fairly obvious that the narrator is more or less weighing his position in life -- assumedly that of a semi-famous rock star -- against what he feels inside and the expectations of those around him. Elliott said at least once about his Oscar nomination that he was happy that his mother would be proud of his accomplishment, hence the title of this song. The line about a silver lining in the corporate cloud' can be seen as a near-direct reference to his Dreamworks contract in that he was always something of a "prestige artist," or one who would lend legitimacy to a record label through his talent but probably wouldn't move many discs. The "heavenly host" is almost certainly a stewardess, and the airplane setting -- up in the clouds, probably on tour or some sort of press junket -- comes in sharp contrast to the note of desperation the narrator hits in the third verse. "If I call (I've seen this ascrawl'; either way, it works) to keep it together/like you say I can do" means just what it says -- this is a fragile guy who maybe wasn't meant to carry the mantle he's been given by the press or the fans or whomever. Like I said, this is possibly Elliott's most obvious song, but it's a great, great pop song -- definitely one of my favorites.