Back washed thoughts and you made me talk
No you made me listen
There's a feeling
From Ada to Irene
There's something, there's nothing
You haven't seen
Tiny TV's on at 3, so serene no place to be
Alone
So come on over yea
Lets sit down a little while
Some wine you will find the same things

By the time you read this, you kicked it in the sun
It was all that you could do, how could you refuse
And you kicked it in the sun
It was all that you could do
And you kicked it in the sun
It was all that you could do, how could you refuse
And you kicked it in the sun
It was wrong and it was rude
But you kicked it in the sun
It was wrong and it was rude, how could you refuse
And you kicked it in the sun

It's alright now I'm getting over getting mine
It's alright now I'm getting over getting mine

He seemed so unashamed of how he operated
Corresponds to the facts that you want
Despite his expectations he turned out mediocre
His master plan was so so
We're special in other ways
Ways our mothers appreciate

That net does not
Make me feel safe
All those holes make me nervous

He woke up late that morning
Went to the window and saw the sun had stopped its shining so so
We're special in other ways
Ways our mothers appreciate
We're special in other ways
Ways our mothers appreciate



Lyrics submitted by prod

Track duration: 07:33

"Kicked It in the Sun" as written by Doug Martsch

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Kicked It in the Sun song meanings
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23 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is trying to describe, not one person in particular, but a kind of person . I had trouble linking the three distinct parts together, but, in my opinion, it's about the people we know that waste any potential they have for a good life. sooner or later we will all realize that we might not end up anywhere near where we want to be in life, but it's up to us, from that realization on, to decide what to do with it. let it go to waste, or make do, reassuring ourselves with the uflattering reality that, well, at least our mothers still appreciate us.

    I interpret "kicked it in the sun" to mean 'Kicked it (his life) [into] the sun' and widdled his life down to even less than what it is described as in the beginning. When the writer asks, "How could you refuse?" it's a sarcastic way of saying, "poor you, but how could you NOT have turned out a wreck?" And finally "by the time you read this" means 'By the time you realized that your life was stale and you'd only find the same things over and over from now on.
    Flag TinyDancer1on August 14, 2011   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:"Backwashed thoughts
    And you made me talk
    No, you made me listen"

    Thinking about a relationship which is over, and how they really opened up, heard and was heard.


    "There's a feeling from Ada to Irene (Neighbourhoods in Boise)
    There's something
    There's nothing you haven't seen"

    Jaded-ness and a feeling of identifying with others who share it.

    "Tiny TV
    On at three
    So serene
    No place to be alone"

    Not very wealthy, sitting up late (perhaps no 9am job to go to) no real hassles or troubles, however
    he feels the turmoil in his head which is about his stagnant life, how his insides feel contrast his daily existence.


    "So come on over, yeah
    Let's sit down a little while
    Some wine
    You will find the same things
    The same things
    The same things
    The same things
    The same things"

    Come on over, why not? Getting to know someone, to drink and talk and relax and fuck, this is life, in me you will find things similar to you, we're not unique, we've done this before with other people, but here we go again, I still want to.

    "By the time you read this
    You kicked it in the sun
    It was all that you could do
    How could you refuse?
    And you kicked it in the sun
    It was all you had to do
    And you kicked it in the sun
    It was all you had to do
    How could you refuse?
    And you kicked it in the sun
    It was wrong and it was rude
    And you kicked it in the sun
    It was wrong and it was rude
    How could you refuse?
    And you kicked it in the sun"

    They didn't care enough they blew him/you/them off for something inconsequential and you/they/he feels he could have offered them a better time.

    "It's alright now
    I'm getting over getting mine
    It's alright now
    I'm getting over getting mine"

    This song is a reflection, they don't feel terrible now about the things that happened even if they once did, but he's also saying this relationship was a big one (he got his) as in this was something special to him.

    "He seemed so unashamed of how he operated
    Corresponds to the facts that you want
    Despite his expectations
    He turned out mediocre
    His master plan was so-so
    We're special in other ways
    Ways our mothers appreciate"

    We do our best but in the end for most of use our hopes and dreams fade into a casual acceptance of the lives we have, which are "mediocre", however each and everyone of us is unique and special even if our mothers are the only ones who see the ways.

    "That net does not make me feel safe
    All those holes make me nervous"

    It's not enough as something to hold onto.

    "He woke up late that morning
    Went to the window and saw the sun had stopped its shining
    So, so"

    More feelings of being jaded, nothing matters, life goes on.

    "We're special in other ways
    Ways our mothers appreciate
    We're special in other ways
    Ways our mothers appreciate
    We're special
    We're special "
    Flag ckeaneyon November 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:fuck girl, just linger a little while will ya? chiiiiiiiiiiiill
    Flag gochnatiaon January 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the beginning is about how "there's nothing you haven't seen." everything is backwash, and these two people are old enough that they (figure that they) have experienced everything, so all they have left is to sit through a rehashing of "the same things," day in and day out. Doug's like, "yep, everything's the same, whatever" and is fine with that realization. Other person is a bit more distressed and discontent, and Doug's telling them, "yeah, I know it's all the same things over and over, but let's have some wine and be happy with it, nothing else you can do anyway." She's not willing to accept it, so as an attempt to change things up, she "kicks it in the sun."

    I imagine that's her trying to throw off the day-in-day-out cycle. Dunno, if the sun's the symbol of the same thing happening over and over again every day of a repetitive life, then kicking it in the sun is just some act of radical change to try to make things different. She wants something different, something special, and went off and abandoned her life to change things but in the end it's all so-so. Turns out there really is nothing special about any person's life events but there's the suggestion that maybe there is something worthwhile in the depth of the connections with other people, whether these are or aren't anything "special".
    Flag eleventyon February 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the song is about god and life.. the part:

    He woke up late that morning
    Went to the window and saw the sun had stopped its shining

    he is talking about god.. he woke up late that morning
    so he didnt turn on the sun

    seriously
    Flag The_Reynoldson May 27, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:As far as the 'You went and kicked it in the sun' bit goes, it seems as if he's saying this person abandoned the serene life of TV at three for something that seemed more lavish and exciting. 'The sun stopped its shining' seems like a last laugh sort of thing. 'You left for something fleeting and now all you have is this big giant used-to-be-sun thing. Hope it was worth it all' Or that's what I got from it.
    Flag Idonotsleepon March 20, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Well..I'm not so sure what the first half of the song means lyrically (kicked it in the sun), but the last half has significant meaning to me personally, and when I realized what Doug was talking about I was really surprised that he could write such amazing things in this song.

    The two repeated phrases "It's alright now
    I'm getting over getting mine" may sound depressing, but I came to the same conclusion about two weeks ago. I think it represents the inevitable conclusion of life, really. Especially for younger people, or teens, I think we constantly strive to attain perfection in some sense. Either through relationships, or by creating the perfect image for ourselves (egotistical basis for high school), or finding the perfect job, always searching for a better version of our images - I want to win the nobel prize, I want to leave behind a great legacy, I want to live in the penthouse at the top of a giant scyscraper devoted entirely to me [think Donald Trump ;)]. And sometimes the frustration of never reaching that point really gets you down, and then you have your friends and relatives reassure you..telling you "oh its just a rut, you'll get out of it", only to find the same problems over and over again.

    No one ever finds happiness for long. It is only fleeting, and when things change (as they inevitably will), people seek that sense again. Or even when they find it, they want more, like trying to dig a hole in the ocean (isaac brock lyrics).

    These lyrics are great:
    "He seemed so unashamed of how he operated
    Corresponds to the facts that you want
    Despite his expectations
    He turned out mediocre
    His master plan was so-so
    We're special in other ways
    Ways our mothers appreciate"

    This is evokes very strong memories for me..it almost defines my life up to this point. Perhaps for many others, we have our own "master plans", or ideas that we can condition our minds to be someone special. Then out of growing frustration and the realization that your quest to be artificially superior or significant is folly, you come back to just trying to be yourself and to stop caring so much about your image. "He seemed so unashamed of how he operated - Corresponds to the facts that you want", talking about trying to please others "despite his expectations he turned out mediocre" - showing the result of your master plan..and "we're special, in ways our mothers appreciate", is a way of saying that you don't have to look for that sense of uniqueness, because you have it in you already. If people could just let go of that drive, I think they'd find that they have everything they need already.
    Flag citizen22on March 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:wow.. some typos in there.. sorry, i don't know if it was me or if they cut my comment short!
    Flag The_Reynoldson February 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:to me.. this song is about god. built to spill and modest mouse write a lot of songs with opinions on god work and fun stuff like that. for example.. first the song is talking about how life can be peaceful, but at the same time, it gets boring. "there's nothing you haven't seen" "so serene" "no place to be alone" "you will find the same things". the way i see it, doug writes a lot of apathetic lyrics, as well as isaac.. so anyways.. in the first part he is talking about things that make you feel good in life, but become a monotony. the second part.. "by the time you read this,," well i think he is talking to god.. i mean think about it.. "you kicked it in the sun" "it was all that you could do" god is up there and wont do anything else.. and he couldnt refuse because being there is way better than being here on earth :] "it was wrong and it was rude" i don't think it's fair of him to leave us here while he is just watching us do all the job. "it's alright now i'm getting over getting mine" after a while.. you realize that complaining about how life is unfair, and you get used to it.. get used to not being completely happy. and finally..
    "He seemed so unashamed of how he operated
    Corresponds to the facts that you want
    Despite his expectations
    He turned out mediocre
    His master plan was so-so
    We're special in other ways
    Ways our mothers appreciate"

    this part makes me think about god and how his master plan is not that good.. for us. we are not as good as he thought we would be.. and we turned out to develop a stronger love for our parents or sons for example.. or we're not as big and special as him.. but we humans are pretty unique if you ask me haha. well that's what i think of the song.. and i love it :]
    Flag The_Reynoldson February 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think I agree with eremetic3, who brought forth some revealing information about this song.

    It seems like a troubled relationship, doomed to not work out, and so you just let it go. No one likes to this -- whether you have to tell someone it's not working, or be the one being told. Either way, it sucks.

    You feel down, out, bitter, unappreciated, etc....

    But we're special in other ways -- ways our mothers appreciate.

    My sentiments exactly about the unsafe net. Those words can be so uncomforting sometimes, but they're the truth.
    Flag Riobardon December 12, 2007   Link

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