Round Here

Allright guys. I saw an episode of VH1 Storytellers or one of those shows, where AD talks about this song. He said that this song is about the band itself and when they were playing coffee shops and open mic nights in the bay area while all their friends were getting high paying, but boring jobs and CC were washing dishes by day and being Counting Crows by night.

Basically the fictitious character Maria is the Counting Crows. They were not sure if CC would ever take off, and thought that they were stuck in a rut.

The reference about the fog is the give away to San Francisco. The song is very well written and can be applied to many struggles in life, so to everyone their own... but this is what the song means to Adam and co.

For me it's about mental illness. I have experienced a close family member go through a breakdown and many of these lyrics ring very true to that.

"she parks her car outside of my house takes her clothes off says she's close to understanding Jesus she knows she's just a little misunderstood she has trouble acting normal when she's nervous"

My family member actually did strip down naked in the mental institution declaring that " this is how god made her". Also, knowing that they are misunderstood.

"She says It's only in my head She says Shhh I know it's only in my head"

recognizing the mental illness....

"But the girl in car in the parking lot says "Man you should try to take a shot can't you see my walls are crumbling?" Then she looks up at the building and says she's thinking of jumping She says she's tired of life she must be tired of something"

Suicidal behavior....

Those are pretty straight forward. But I even think that some of the more ambiguous lyrics could be perceived to support the mental illness interpretation.

"like a ghost into the fog where no one notices the contrast of white on white."

If you've ever tried to talk to someone having an episode they are definitely in a fog. I would often say that after my family member's initial breakdown that it was like being with a ghost of them. The shell is there but the person I knew before is gone. Also, often the mentally ill will have delusional thoughts you can't follow i.e "no one notices the contrast of white on white"

"just like she's walking on a wire in the circus"

The instability like walking on a wire...

For me though, as a loved one coping with it all...

"Round here, she's slipping through my hands......round here she's always on my mind"

most beautiful song ever written. without a doubt. we try to hide our true selves to seem normal and popular. why be normal and popular?? We all have expectations of how to live our lives placed on us by other people. It just makes more sense to live life for ourselves. All in all, we are all a little misunderstood and confused, but that shouldn't make us want to hide our fears due to embarrassment. first nine lines are ridiculous.

This song for me is about my family. And me about 7 years agoj.

"Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog where no one notices the contrast of white on white."

This is about when I would walk around outside at night for hours, without telling anyone. I'm invisible (A ghost in the fog). No one knows I do this.

"And in between the moon and you the angels get a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right."

"I'm outside walking with the moon. I'm struggeling with decisions I have to make. Fictional characters (angels) have a better clue than I do"

I walk in the air between the rain through myself and back again Where? I don't know

"I'm wandering around. "Through myself and back again" refers to reflection (thinking about what I'm thinking). "Where I don't know". I still don't have a clue.

Maria says she's dying through the door I hear her crying Why? I don't know "This is my younger sister when she was 16. She's suicidal. She doesn't tell me this but "I can hear it through the door". I don't know why she's suicidal. She won't tell me.

Chorus "Round here we always stand up straight Round here something radiates"

My family. "Always stands up straight". They are proud.

Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand she said she'd like to meet a boy who looks like Elvis she walks along the edge of where the ocean meets the land just like she's walking on a wire in the circus

"My sister. She has big (unrealistic) dreams at this time. She's looking for the perfect boy. She feels like she's walking on a wire" because she is a "performer/actor" in a circus "her friends are all performers just like her".

she parks her car outside of my house takes her clothes off says she's close to understanding Jesus

"she comes to me alone and opens up (takes her clothes off) and tells me she's close to understanding Jesus. She's knows she doesn't, but she's trying"

she knows she's just a little misunderstood she has trouble acting normal when she's nervous

"people don't understand her"

Chorus Round here we're carving out our names "My family. Everyone's trying to make a name for themselves. To prove something. To set outselves apart"

Round here we all look the same "But we're really just all the same. "

Round here we talk just like lions "We're bigmouthes and act like we don't care about each other. Notice it says "talk" not "do". We're acting like we're tough and don't need each other. This is especially true with my sister and I"

But we sacrifice like lambs

"But in reality we would do anything for the other person. We just don't say so"

Round here she's slipping through my hands "I'm not getting through to her"

Sleeping children better run like the wind out of the lightning dream "Sleeping refers to unaware. Unconscious. In a dream with very real danger. She, my sister, better get herself out of this situation that she is unaware is going to hurt her"

Mama's little baby better get herself in out of the lightning "She needs to get out of this situation"

She says It's only in my head She says Shhh I know it's only in my head

"She does think the danger is real"

But the girl in car in the parking lot says "Man you should try to take a shot can't you see my walls are crumbling?"

"This is a friend that has issues like her dragging her into alcoholism"

Then she looks up at the building and says she's thinking of jumping She says she's tired of life she must be tired of something

"Now that she's an alcoholic, she's more suicidal than ever. I still don't know why so I say as a question, "she must be tired of something?".

Round here she's always on my mind (self-explanatory)

Round here hey man got lots of time "I've got lot's of time to think"

Round here we're never sent to bed early And nobody makes us wait Round here we stay up very, very, very, very late

"This refers to how how we can't sleep because we're always thinking. Therefore we stay of very, very late".

i imagined like, and actual love story between this strange girl who comes to this snobby town where everyone is the same and want to be perfect- round here where we all stand up straight... and this guy ends up falling for this girl but shes still and outcast in this place and then she kills herself.

but i do think its about conformity, and how we are afraid to be individuals. we act like if we fit a certain mold, then we are 'right'- but there is no mold that every human being should be expected to fit. and the people who are individuals are looked down upon but thats only because they are all afraid of this individual because it is unfamiliar to them and people fear what they dont understand.
and this one girl in the song is so sad and ends up wanting to kill herself because she thinks life is worthless if shes surrounded by people who will never accept her and she seems to know even if she tried to change she couldnt. but i do think this guy loves her because it seems she shows him that conformity isnt what we should aspire to because none of us can fit this mold and we all feel like were worthless because were all trying to be something we arent. but he calls this girl beautiful even though he doesnt understand her- and i love this message because its like we dont all have to be the same to see the beauty each other.

he's free and yet now the structure is gone

This song is amazing. The chorus where he says "round here, she's always on my mind" gives me the chills everytime i here it on the album version. There is so much feeling behind it, and i think everyone knows what it's like to always have someone on their mind, especially when that is painful

This song cuts way deep. Honestly, how dreadful is it to feel so much sorrow in one's life. Although this song is full of so much sadness, it's remarkable how human beings are able to feel emotional pain. As weird as it seems, we are blessed with the ability to feel pain

Although not intended this song is about West Point.

Every morning we step out to formation where we contrast gray against gray.

Angels have seen the transitions of the Honor Code, the scandals, the crumbling differences between wrong and right. The Honor Codes means nothing on crumbling stone, but takes full meaning when inscribed on our hearts.

We walk through ourselves and back again when we parade and walk tours, but in between the rain.

As we live and work in our rooms we hear many things through our doors. Everyone here cries out about wanting to die at one point.

Here we always stand up straight Something really radiates from WP

On R-Day we all came here with a suitcase in our hands And as New Cadets and Plebes we walk fine lines trying not to get hazed, and balance cadet life.

On R-Day we all removed our civilian clothing and replaced them with uniforms. In Beast many people turn to God for support. We all spaz out sometime.

Just like our names carved out on our name tags, we are all here to try to carve our name out. The names of many Grads are carved out in stone around here.

We all talk like lions, like warriors, but in battle we sacrifice like lambs.

98% Lose their G/F while at WP

Children better run when they hear the thunder of war, out of the nightmare's of war.
We will get flashbacks of combat, but its all in our head.

Again, WP drags everyone down at some point and we think of bailing out, as we look up the buildings that look like a fortress.

Round here she is always on our minds, We have 46 months worth of time We are never sent to bed early No one makes us wait And the night before we stay up very very very late.

This is such a beautiful song. its one of my favorite songs ever. Counting crows are such a great band, i wish they would put some more stuff out.