Elliott Smith – No Name #4

Know something about this song or lyrics? Add it to our wiki.
Send "No Name #4" Ringtone to Cell

For a change she got out before he hurt her bad
Took her records and clothes
And pictures of her boy
It really made her sad
Packed it up and didn't look back
"I'm okay, let's just forget about him"
The car was cold and it smelled like old cigarettes and pine
In her bag I saw things she drew when she was nine
Like this one here
Her alone, nobody near
"What a shame, let's just not talk about it"
No, it doesn't look like you
But you did wear cowboy boots
That's your thing
There's no question about it
Once we got back inside
With one ear to the ground
I was ready to hide
Because I don't know who's around
And you look scared
"It's our secret, do not tell, okay?
Let's just not talk about it
Don't tell, okay?
Let's just forget all about it"

Send "No Name #4" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by EnjOy IncUbus

Track duration: 02:30


No Name #4 song meanings
Add your thoughts

17 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:It sounds to me like there is something in this section here that ultimately leads her to decide to go back to him:
    "In her bag I saw things she drew when she was nine
    Like this one here
    Her alone, nobody near
    "What a shame, let's just not talk about it"
    No, it doesn't look like you
    But you did wear cowboy boots
    That's your thing
    There's no question about it"
    There's something about that picture of herself that makes her say "what a shame, let's just not talk about it" and then she goes back to HIM. But what is it exactly? Is it that the pic of her all alone upset her so much that she decided she was better off with HIM than alone? Or that she had become so different from the pic of herself alone (it didn't look like her anymore, except for the boots) that she couldn't even be that person anymore - so that the pic of her alone was empowering but still a person she could not be again?
    What do others think?

    Flag frejaon June 01, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:For a while there I thought he was definitely saying "things she drew when she was mine" and not "nine", which I guess makes this a strange Oedipal kind of thing if it's about him and his mum. But I guess it does fit that it's "nine"... They're packing things up, records, clothes, drawings included.

    Other interpretations I've seen have it as "And you did wear cowboy boots / that's your fame" but 'thing' sounds more accurate and seems more fitting. Darn 4-track recording is so hard to make out.
    Flag m_coldhamon November 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it might about him and his mom leaving the house because she finally makes the decision to bounce. and then they come back instead before the stepfather comes home. and they are both terrified and keeping their guards' on. She even tells him to not tell his stepfather about what they had just done. A failed attempt to leave.
    Flag Brenguyon November 21, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:when i hear this song i picture him and his mom packing up there things and planning their escape, but the music makes it sounds almost like an adventure, like this special exciting moment between him and his mom when they finally get away from I guess Charlie? It seems like he became alot closer with his mom during this episode, sifting through her bag finding photos of her as a kid, i think maybe why elliott recalled this memory in a song is because through all the turmoil of his past there were probably really special moments like this that could only be produced in a scenario like the on elliott was living in, it's really cool and really intimate, gotta love elliott mannnnnn
    Flag davevazquezon March 25, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This might be my favorite Elliott song...Seems pretty obvious what it's about. Lisalynn explained it the way I see it too.
    Flag RottenHorseon February 21, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is one of my favorite Elliott songs....why can people not see how amazing this song is?
    Flag abodyofenglishon January 04, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song makes me feel really warm inside
    Flag bitterbritteron April 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song sounds like it was painful to make. I do know a lot of his songs evolve from metaphors, like Single File, but this one has a quiet reality to it.
    Flag Sinfantile76on March 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He did say he did not write about personal events. He also said that none of his songs ever meant anything, he just "Thought they sounded cool," which we know is a lie. I'm not saying that he did write about personal events, and that THAT was a lie, I'm just saying it's a possibility. He hated the thought of everyone who listened to his music linking it to his personal life.
    My thoughts when I listened to this song were the same as lisalynn's.
    Flag TenderLumplingon September 23, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i don't know, guys.
    elliott always said that he didn't write alot of songs about personal events in his life, but you never know.
    all's i know is that everytime i head
    "but you did wear cowboy boots"
    i want to cry for some unknown reason
    Flag amy_marie00on August 07, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain