I'm told the eventual downfall
Is just a bill from the restaurant
You told me I could order the moon, babe
Just as long as as I shoot what I want
What the last ten minutes have taught me
Bet the hand that your money's on
Where the hell have the 70's brought me
You traded me away long gone

For the love of a god, you said
Not a letter from an occupant

The time that your enemy gives you
Good times are not the ones you want
I've cried five rivers on the way here
Which one will you skate away on?
The tune you'll be humming forever
All the words are replaced and wrong
With a shower of "Yes" and "Whatever"s
You traded me away long gone

For the love of a god, you said
Not a letter from an occupant

Where have all sensations gone?
Where have all sensations gone?
Where have all sensations gone?
Where have all sensations gone?

For the love of a god, you said
Not a letter from an occupant

For the love of a god, you said
Not a letter from an occupant

For the love of a god, you said
Not a letter from an occupant

The song
The song
The song has shaken me

The song
The song
The song has shaken me

The song
The song
The song has shaken me

The song
The song
The song has shaken me

For the love of a god, you said
Not a letter from an occupant

For the love of a god, you said
Not a letter from an occupant



Lyrics submitted by tumblweed15

Track duration: 03:46


Letter from an Occupant song meanings
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26 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:There's also an allusion to Dexys' "Come On Eileen" ("That tune you'll be humming forever"). The singer is saying she's cynical about the guy's promises of love.
    Flag stormvilleon April 03, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:well, english is not my first language, but this song always meant something really strong to me and the meaning came always very clear to me even if it doesn't really match the real meaning of the song. Being quite simplistic and basing it all in my experience as an overlydumped renting artist, the song is another one about spirit and money or money and the poet as I like to call this recurrent situation in my life.

    'You traded me away long gone
    For the love of a god, you say
    Not a letter from an occupant'

    She blamed the breakup to his lacks of moral and not to the several letters this guy got from his landlord asking him to pay the bills, but he thinks that is just a lot of bullshit. Most artists while they're young have to face this. They behave in ways that society is not usually well acquainted with but they're very normal to them. Of course he would have said, landlord and not occupant if this was the case, but then again is just my interpretation as 'occupant' really rings in my head as related to renting a flat, and as for a poetic license or inconscious songwriting I always took it that way.

    I'm told the eventual downfall
    Is just a bill from the restaurant
    You told me I could order the moon, babe
    Just as long as as I shoot what I want.
    What the last ten minutes have taught me
    Bet the hand that your money's on

    here I see the idea of "the dream or the beans" repeating again. She tells him he can dream as much as he wants as long as he becomes a 'professional' artist and not a lazy bohemian that can't even pay his rent... but he really wants to be that bohemian with a love for pure uncommercial art and "bet the hand that your money's on".

    "I've cried five rivers on the way here
    Which one will you skate away on?"

    He has been through a lot already and thinks she's still at the starting point, never stiring away from home, thinking of all the good values that society brainwashed her with. He has tried getting a job and behaving 'normally' as well in the past, it's one of the five rivers... so he thinks she'll just do something he has done already and bet your money he'll call him one day when she finds out he was right in by inch and probably very succesfull by stiking to his own rules.

    I know all this might be completely wrong, but that's what the song means to me and I always think of "fox in the snow" by belle and sebastian when I listen to this one as i think they deal whit the same topic.

    xxx
    Fede
    Flag fedethefixerfoxon January 20, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:Guys, I just had a brilliant idea reading this lyrics.

    Do you think that "You told me I could order the moon, babe/ Just as long as I shoot what I want," means that she can order anything, so long as she shoots what the food is she wants. For instance, 'You can order the high-end steak, dear, but shoot the cow yourself.' The unnamed guy could be telling her to get lost and do whatever on her own.

    What do you guys think?
    Flag ihateyoukennyon December 09, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the girl (i'm guessing neko seeing as i heard she wrote the song) is getting dumped by a guy who is saying its for spiritual reasons. but the truth is she knows he's cheating on her, the letter from an occupant is proof of the other person. its also possibly how she got dumped.
    Flag musicalbaconon May 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's about someone breaking it off with someone else because of some religious argument, and from the POV of the side being broken up, they equate the argument to more trivial things, which kind of explains why party #1 broke up with them int he first place.

    I dunno, it makes sense in my mind.
    Flag clamanityon March 07, 2008   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:It's obviously a breakup song, though Carl throws in his typically obtuse flourishes. The girl can't believe the guy's emotionless breakup that has all the impact of getting a form letter.
    Flag DougMashon October 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:jg89 you are very right....it is a lone from 'River'.(high five for being awesome!)
    I had always assumed that this song was kind of a feminist rant on the idea that women are not respected. That's just my two cents
    Flag AEN80on May 10, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:'Which one will you skate away on' is a play on Joni Mitchell's song 'River' which has a famous chorus "I wish I had a river, that I could skate away on."
    Flag jg89on April 21, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I almost view this song as kind of a showboating tune. Meaning, it was kind of done to show what the band was capable of. Considering that this is the first track the new pornographers recorded....

    And that's not a bad thing really. (will not mention that I am quite anxious to hear kathryn do lead vocals on this song, lol).

    But seriously, I kind of see the lyrics on this song as being truly post modern - in the fact that they requyire the listener to bring meaning to them.
    Flag edwarticaon January 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Alternatively, if he's leaving her for someone else. (Traded me away long gone) then he's making it sound like the new girl is the love of his life (love of a god, you say) instead of just the next meaningless blase flirtation (a letter from an occupant.)

    Just another thought. Newman said it was vague.
    Flag Navelgazer33on May 25, 2006   Link

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