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There's a letter at my momma's house,
came with a floded flag.
It says Right now, I'm coming home in a body bag.
It's a pride and a pain
that are one and the same.
It's a burning cigarette,
it's a horrible dream.
There's a man in an office who's going through files
and a woman who watches TV.
And she doesn't get the jokes told be late night talk show hosts,
but for some reason she laughs anyway.
There's this soap in my bathroom, and it's all covered in a hairs.
There's this hope in my brain, and it's all covered in prayers.
There's a girl in this town who doesn't know I exist.
There's a wounded sense of pride and a pain in my fist.
There's 12 empty bottles on this table tonight.
There's 4 lungs on fire and 4 burning eyes.
And something will explode, and someone will cry.
And someone will run out and never turn around.
There's a park in this city where I used to go,
but now it's covered with fences and cops and lightposts.
And I'd never go back if anything was the same,
but it kills me to know that it's changed.
There's these kids who have dreams.
There's these dreams that will grow.
Until they get so goddamn big that they explode.
And what's left in the smoke and the falling debris
is grownups like them and losers like me.
And what's left in the smoke and the falling debris
is grownups like them and losers like me.
it's grownups like them and losers like me
it's grownups like them and losers like me
Yeah.
Tonight let's go walking down Clark Street
and look at the new buildings that we've never seen.
We'll stop at the bar and pass out on the floor
Tomorrow we'll forget everything
and we'll replay these days again.
came with a floded flag.
It says Right now, I'm coming home in a body bag.
It's a pride and a pain
that are one and the same.
It's a burning cigarette,
it's a horrible dream.
There's a man in an office who's going through files
and a woman who watches TV.
And she doesn't get the jokes told be late night talk show hosts,
but for some reason she laughs anyway.
There's this soap in my bathroom, and it's all covered in a hairs.
There's this hope in my brain, and it's all covered in prayers.
There's a girl in this town who doesn't know I exist.
There's a wounded sense of pride and a pain in my fist.
There's 12 empty bottles on this table tonight.
There's 4 lungs on fire and 4 burning eyes.
And something will explode, and someone will cry.
And someone will run out and never turn around.
There's a park in this city where I used to go,
but now it's covered with fences and cops and lightposts.
And I'd never go back if anything was the same,
but it kills me to know that it's changed.
There's these kids who have dreams.
There's these dreams that will grow.
Until they get so goddamn big that they explode.
And what's left in the smoke and the falling debris
is grownups like them and losers like me.
And what's left in the smoke and the falling debris
is grownups like them and losers like me.
it's grownups like them and losers like me
it's grownups like them and losers like me
Yeah.
Tonight let's go walking down Clark Street
and look at the new buildings that we've never seen.
We'll stop at the bar and pass out on the floor
Tomorrow we'll forget everything
and we'll replay these days again.
Lyrics submitted by Jemma
Track duration: 03:22
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Holden also often says things like “That killed me”, “She kills me”, etc.—sometimes referring to laughter, I think, but also sometimes to dismay.
Given that Brendan has referenced The Catcher in the Rye (in “The Disaster March“ of course, and perhaps elsewhere), I wonder if the similarity between the above and this song’s lines about the park was intentional.
TLA seem to imply that as you get older you struggle to hold on to your young self (or at least your hopes) and eventually you get to the point where you accept that you are older now and must "accept defeat" and move on with your life (without your dreams). "Losers like me" seems to imply that the Larry Arms are not of the group who let go of their dreams...thus they are seen as immature people who are somehow less than "grown up" ... however they seem to find solace in the fact that they understand this above the others and enjoy the circular motion of their life.
anyway ... i just can't get enough of this song. probably my favorite from the larry arms.
But I could be wrong. :)
but now it's covered with fences and cops and lightposts.
And I'd never go back even if it was the same,
but it kills me to know that it's changed."
this line really resonates with me, and it was the first LA song i fell in love with. I know how that is, as there's places like that when i go visit where i used to live. it really does feel like someone's changing a part of who you are, of who you were, when that happens to someplace that was important to you. it's like they've found a way to change your past by changing the present.
"There's these kids who have dreams.
There's these dreams that will grow.
Until they get so goddamn big that they explode.
And what's left in the smoke and the falling debris
is grownups like them and losers like me. "
so it seems like this whole thing is a big extended metaphor for growing up. that everyone has these huge ideas for the future, and then when everything blows up (when everyone gets older) and all the pieces fall down, the kids either turn into grownups or losers. it doesn't seem like he's saying one is right or wrong in his view, only that society looks at it this way. he is a loser because he's in a band, and he's not a doctor or a lawyer or whatever it is that society's "grownups" are supposed to do. so, i guess that's all i have to say about that. any thoughts?
"There's a park in this city where I used to go,
but now it's covered with fences and cops and lightposts.
And I'd never go back even if it was the same,
but it kills me to know that it's changed. "
that's such a great way to describe the situation. despite our sadness over the things we lose, if we stop to think about it, we'd probably never get the chance to re-experience them anyway--or at least experience them in the way we originally did. he gets this really awesome point about life across in so few words. we all seek to recapture our happiness or youth or whatever, but it just can't be something that's forced. it's a bitch, he seems to say, but that's growing up. also, i really dig the way he extends the explosion metaphor. it's just really kick ass and smart, as his lyrics always are: after everyone's dreams explode, "what's left in the smoke and the falling debris, is grow-ups like them and losers like me."