In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You are a splendid butterfly
It is your wings that make you beautiful
And I could make you fly away (I could make you fly away)
But I could never make you stay
You said you were in love with me (you said you were in love with me)
Both of us know that that's impossible
And I could make you rue the day (I could make you rue the day)
But I could never make you stay
Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I'll do
Not for all my little words
Now that you've made me want to die
You tell me that you're unboyfriendable
And I could make you pay and pay (I could make you pay and pay)
But I could never make you stay
Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I'll do (it doesn't matter what I'll do)
Not for all my little words
It doesn't matter what I'll do (it doesn't matter what I'll do)
Not for all my little words
It is your wings that make you beautiful
And I could make you fly away (I could make you fly away)
But I could never make you stay
You said you were in love with me (you said you were in love with me)
Both of us know that that's impossible
And I could make you rue the day (I could make you rue the day)
But I could never make you stay
Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I'll do
Not for all my little words
Now that you've made me want to die
You tell me that you're unboyfriendable
And I could make you pay and pay (I could make you pay and pay)
But I could never make you stay
Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I'll do (it doesn't matter what I'll do)
Not for all my little words
It doesn't matter what I'll do (it doesn't matter what I'll do)
Not for all my little words
Lyrics submitted by Anne Arbour
All My Little Words Lyrics as written by Stephin Raymond Merritt
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I feel like the most important line in the song is "it is your wings that make you beautiful." It isn't just that it can't work out, it can't work out for the very reasons he is in love.
@judahnielsen Wow, now I get it! The beloved has wings, so they're deeply independent, constantly moving from flower to flower and can never be made to stay in one place. It makes them beautiful because it's who they are, they where made to leave a trail of broken hearts whereever they go... :(
I feel like there should be a disclaimer on this song or something. That final stanza murders me brutally. The banjo juxtaposed with the strings kicks me when I'm down. This comment doesn't make sense.
@enjoytheeighties love you
@enjoytheeighties love you
These lyrics drive home the futility of unrequited love. You can make the person 'rue the day', you can hurt them horribly, you can make them feel like shit, and you can tell them you hate them -- but at then end of the day, they won't come back to you.
What is beautiful about this song is that the futility covers each end of the spectrum. Even if you wrote 'the sweetest song you ever heard', they would not return. Or alternatively, if you hurt them, it will still do nothing.
the combination of cheesy and real is what makes it work. perfect capture of emotion - hackneyed and true (which in itself might be a cliche?)
"You said you were in love with me Both of us know that that's impossible"
they're lovers and he's madly in love with her (or him), but at the same time he can see through her: deep down he knows she doesn't love him. few things are more heartbraking than having someone and at the same time not really. not their hearts.
Amazingly simple
Unboyfriendable...love it
One of the most beautiful songs ever...
Sometimes, you know it can't ever work, but it doesn't make you want it any less.
its kind of cheesy at the beginning. but at the end. wow. yes. wow.
Hits the nail on the head of wanting a relationship but knowing it won't work.
I love this song.
Wow! This song describes everything. The singer feels useless but by accepting it all, he is very mature.
I could never make you stay...
true, its sung by LD Beghtol, not the writer Stephin Merritt