Elliott Smith – Can't Make a Sound

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  General Comment:I know it's redundant to say an elliot smith song is about drugs, but this song is about overdosing.
  
  This song is about overdosing and the temptation to die, and nothing else.

  Flag StilettoHighsmithon February 04, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:This song can be interpreted variously - depression, addiction, or whatever. For me this song is about the difficulty of getting over something and making the same mistakes over and over again. It's like he is struggling within himself to change("The slow motion moves me, the monologue means nothing to me") but, for some reason, isn't able to do so and just gets tired of life("I have become a silent movie"). The clown, I think, can just be seen like the person that he wants to be as opposed to the "hero", who is the one that others see or wants to see in him. Incredible song anyway.

  Flag keneilon June 27, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Has anyone heard the alternate version? The end lyrics are slightly different but could drastically change the feel of the song.
  
  "why should you want from another when you're a world within a world"
  
  Here's a link to the song on youtube, check it out.
  youtube.com/…
  
  

  Flag OrganicBeaton May 30, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:i always kind of thought this song was a little ho-hum. then i got shut-out by someone the other day. someone really pulled the rug out from under me, and i was crushed. This song came on random and just hit me like a ton of bricks. Especially the "can't you tell me what's happening" break. Now i've listened to it like a hundred times. Then i looked up the chords and it's pretty complex. Even moreso than your average beatles song. Needless to say, this is Elliot Smith, the freaking master

  Flag Knesebeckon January 11, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I get something different than everyone else with this song. To me he's talking about being on tour and how surreal that is, and how he is forced to take on a persona that has little to do with who he is. I think he's upset about how everyone wants to hero worship his depression, make it out like he's such a sad person and that's all he is, like he can never laugh: the hero killed the clown. But he can't say anything about it. He's stuck going through the motions. And then the on tour part. He's all alone on tour, only has his own monologue. Doing the same things over and over. Plays his set, walks off stage, waits for the encore, comes right back - he stands up to sit back down (something he mentioned more than once in live shows feeling weird about doing). He just keeps going from town to town until they all blend in together and he leaves a piece of himself in every town (Spinning the world like a toy top; Until there's a ghost in every town). But he still can't say anything about how miserable this makes him because this is the life he wanted right? So he retreats into himself even more so he becomes the maker of his own world(Why should you want any other; When you're a world within a world?)

  Flag frejaon June 07, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I don't get why everyone tries to interpret his lyrics as being about depression and drugs, that wasn't all he was about in his late work he even talks about the way people distort there view on him to think that he was a complete sad-sack which he (and the people who knew him) didn't believe was true (although like everyone he did have his down moments)

  Flag tycobb123on March 30, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:"Why should you want any other
  When you're a world within a world?"
  
  I think this is him calling out extroverted people for excluding shy people from their world. He's saying your world has a myriad of things going on why cant you just change your polarity for a minute to hang with me?
  
  "Eyes locked and shining
  Can't you tell me what's happening?"
  
  This reminds me of someone apathetic not having the will power to help their friend.
  Overall this song has to be about the trials and tribulations of a shy person, as Elliot was himself extremely shy R.I.P.
  

  Flag drunkinjunton November 07, 2009   Link

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  Song Meaning:I think the song is about abuse,the abuse he suffered at charlies hands - "Can't make a sound" "The Hero killed the clown"-the death of his innocence as child. I may be wrong about this,but it's just the meaning i drew from it. I don't think any of us will ever really know what most of his songs were really about,but none the less whatever the meaning behind this piece of music it's still one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard beautiful but fragile at the same time much like the man himself.

  Flag SomeLoveron September 18, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:the first time i listened to this was when i was told he had died
  we had his latest album and we played it in the record store
  and i think i speak for everyone in the room at the time but we all wanted to literally scratch out eyes out to make us feel less hopeless
  
  someone turned it up really loud
  and someone screamed
  
  it was so surreal
  it might have been yesterday
  or it feels that way

  Flag cheesesandwichon May 31, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:It's about shutting yourself off from the world.

  Flag Siroccoon May 08, 2009   Link

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