I don't actually think there's supposed to be another person involved here, I don't think it's romantic, exactly. It's about the power of addiction, the call of drink. He used to be someone else, someone with potential, but he knows he'll never live up to it because he can't get out of the grip of his addiction. The alcohol lets him "forget all about the pressure of days" and disappear in to another night that goes on too long. The people he's been before were people with ambition, friends, a life, and he can't stand to listen to those voices any more, only the drink can make them silent again. His pain can be relieved and he can experience beauty again through alcohol, but as long as he relies on this he won't ever be free - kisses between the bars of his cell. Of coure, maybe I'm just projecting, but I know Elliot was an addict himself and I know really well what it feels like to start drinking again and know that it'll go on for one more night... how wonderful it is to have that best friend in the world back, and also know that you'll be worse off than where you started in the morning.
I am posting a reply here because no one will read my buried one explaining this, and this is a great song and want to fill in some points from the original post. The song is sung by alcohol (I think he might have said this once in an interview), anyways, like imagine a bottle of whiskey sitting on a table in front of him, the bottle is singing the song to Elliott while he plays it. "I'll kiss you again, between the bars" The bottle is saying that Elliott will take another drink when he stops playing (writing the...
I am posting a reply here because no one will read my buried one explaining this, and this is a great song and want to fill in some points from the original post. The song is sung by alcohol (I think he might have said this once in an interview), anyways, like imagine a bottle of whiskey sitting on a table in front of him, the bottle is singing the song to Elliott while he plays it. "I'll kiss you again, between the bars" The bottle is saying that Elliott will take another drink when he stops playing (writing the song) for a second. (Bars = bars of music), "Where I'm seeing you there," that is where (actually when) the bottle and Elliott keep "meeting" between the bars, then "With your hands in the air", when you are writing a song and stop for a drink you lift your hands out over the guitar and reach for the drink, and in his case just "Waiting to finally get caught" back into his addiction.
Oh one more really cool part of this song I wanted to share, If you are listening to this song with the understanding that alcohol is actually singing the Song to Elliott, listen to how Elliott sings the line "Do what I say", he purposely changes the tone of his voice to make it a really dark sounding command. The alcohol is not really giving him a choice. It really drives home the point that he is in deep with this addiction. Well,you can't write songs like this without actually suffering a lot, he must of really suffered to write...
Oh one more really cool part of this song I wanted to share, If you are listening to this song with the understanding that alcohol is actually singing the Song to Elliott, listen to how Elliott sings the line "Do what I say", he purposely changes the tone of his voice to make it a really dark sounding command. The alcohol is not really giving him a choice. It really drives home the point that he is in deep with this addiction. Well,you can't write songs like this without actually suffering a lot, he must of really suffered to write it for us to enjoy. RIP!
Totally agree. I was just doing something unrelated when this song came into my mind. The lyrics hit me like they never had before, and, sadly, I started seeing myself in it. The first few lines hit me in the gut. It's so true, what you said and what he said.
Totally agree. I was just doing something unrelated when this song came into my mind. The lyrics hit me like they never had before, and, sadly, I started seeing myself in it. The first few lines hit me in the gut. It's so true, what you said and what he said.
@kaffeine_krazy Love this whole interpretation - really unlocked another level of depth to the song for me!
@kaffeine_krazy Love this whole interpretation - really unlocked another level of depth to the song for me!
A few people have hypothesised that the song is a dialogue with a previous lover struggling with alcoholism, (which I also find really compelling) and personally, I see the first signal of that in the first line, where Elliott uses the word 'baby'. Now, that's a totally normal thing to call a lover, but in the context of the interpretation above, I think it's adding quite a subtle layer of emotion.
A few people have hypothesised that the song is a dialogue with a previous lover struggling with alcoholism, (which I also find really compelling) and personally, I see the first signal of that in the first line, where Elliott uses the word 'baby'. Now, that's a totally normal thing to call a lover, but in the context of the interpretation above, I think it's adding quite a subtle layer of emotion.
For me, it brings to mind the image of a baby pining for a bottle of milk, a metaphor which I think works beautifully with the song's themes of vulnerability and dependency. Most would agree that a baby is a bit of a symbol of innocence, so it makes sense if the singer is speaking to a former version of himself, as yet untainted by drugs and alcoholism.
Tragically, in the present day, the only way he can find his way back to that state of wide-eyed adolescence is via the comfort and warmth of the bottle.
Reading that back, it seems pretty tenuous to base so much analysis on one word and I'm sure I'm just going off on a bit of a ramble. Even still, I love the way it links in with the rest of the song as a little detail and hope you do too.
@kaffeine_krazy "Promises you'll only make" is another lyric that supports your thesis here. He's referring to the constant breaking of promises that addicts do to lived ones as well as themselves.
There's a literary theory that I believe applies to music... once the song is out, it's meaning no longer belongs to the author but to the reader (listener in this case) . The song is now yours to interpret based on your life & experiences. Great interpretation in my humble opinion
@kaffeine_krazy "Promises you'll only make" is another lyric that supports your thesis here. He's referring to the constant breaking of promises that addicts do to lived ones as well as themselves.
There's a literary theory that I believe applies to music... once the song is out, it's meaning no longer belongs to the author but to the reader (listener in this case) . The song is now yours to interpret based on your life & experiences. Great interpretation in my humble opinion
I don't actually think there's supposed to be another person involved here, I don't think it's romantic, exactly. It's about the power of addiction, the call of drink. He used to be someone else, someone with potential, but he knows he'll never live up to it because he can't get out of the grip of his addiction. The alcohol lets him "forget all about the pressure of days" and disappear in to another night that goes on too long. The people he's been before were people with ambition, friends, a life, and he can't stand to listen to those voices any more, only the drink can make them silent again. His pain can be relieved and he can experience beauty again through alcohol, but as long as he relies on this he won't ever be free - kisses between the bars of his cell. Of coure, maybe I'm just projecting, but I know Elliot was an addict himself and I know really well what it feels like to start drinking again and know that it'll go on for one more night... how wonderful it is to have that best friend in the world back, and also know that you'll be worse off than where you started in the morning.
This.
This.
I am posting a reply here because no one will read my buried one explaining this, and this is a great song and want to fill in some points from the original post. The song is sung by alcohol (I think he might have said this once in an interview), anyways, like imagine a bottle of whiskey sitting on a table in front of him, the bottle is singing the song to Elliott while he plays it. "I'll kiss you again, between the bars" The bottle is saying that Elliott will take another drink when he stops playing (writing the...
I am posting a reply here because no one will read my buried one explaining this, and this is a great song and want to fill in some points from the original post. The song is sung by alcohol (I think he might have said this once in an interview), anyways, like imagine a bottle of whiskey sitting on a table in front of him, the bottle is singing the song to Elliott while he plays it. "I'll kiss you again, between the bars" The bottle is saying that Elliott will take another drink when he stops playing (writing the song) for a second. (Bars = bars of music), "Where I'm seeing you there," that is where (actually when) the bottle and Elliott keep "meeting" between the bars, then "With your hands in the air", when you are writing a song and stop for a drink you lift your hands out over the guitar and reach for the drink, and in his case just "Waiting to finally get caught" back into his addiction.
Oh one more really cool part of this song I wanted to share, If you are listening to this song with the understanding that alcohol is actually singing the Song to Elliott, listen to how Elliott sings the line "Do what I say", he purposely changes the tone of his voice to make it a really dark sounding command. The alcohol is not really giving him a choice. It really drives home the point that he is in deep with this addiction. Well,you can't write songs like this without actually suffering a lot, he must of really suffered to write...
Oh one more really cool part of this song I wanted to share, If you are listening to this song with the understanding that alcohol is actually singing the Song to Elliott, listen to how Elliott sings the line "Do what I say", he purposely changes the tone of his voice to make it a really dark sounding command. The alcohol is not really giving him a choice. It really drives home the point that he is in deep with this addiction. Well,you can't write songs like this without actually suffering a lot, he must of really suffered to write it for us to enjoy. RIP!
Totally agree. I was just doing something unrelated when this song came into my mind. The lyrics hit me like they never had before, and, sadly, I started seeing myself in it. The first few lines hit me in the gut. It's so true, what you said and what he said.
Totally agree. I was just doing something unrelated when this song came into my mind. The lyrics hit me like they never had before, and, sadly, I started seeing myself in it. The first few lines hit me in the gut. It's so true, what you said and what he said.
@kaffeine_krazy really really well done....this song is so haunting and now even more so...thanks for your interpretation
@kaffeine_krazy really really well done....this song is so haunting and now even more so...thanks for your interpretation
@kaffeine_krazy I always thought the bars were like bars on a music sheet with music notes and lyrics....
@kaffeine_krazy I always thought the bars were like bars on a music sheet with music notes and lyrics....
@kaffeine_krazy Love this whole interpretation - really unlocked another level of depth to the song for me!
@kaffeine_krazy Love this whole interpretation - really unlocked another level of depth to the song for me!
A few people have hypothesised that the song is a dialogue with a previous lover struggling with alcoholism, (which I also find really compelling) and personally, I see the first signal of that in the first line, where Elliott uses the word 'baby'. Now, that's a totally normal thing to call a lover, but in the context of the interpretation above, I think it's adding quite a subtle layer of emotion.
A few people have hypothesised that the song is a dialogue with a previous lover struggling with alcoholism, (which I also find really compelling) and personally, I see the first signal of that in the first line, where Elliott uses the word 'baby'. Now, that's a totally normal thing to call a lover, but in the context of the interpretation above, I think it's adding quite a subtle layer of emotion.
For me, it brings to mind the image of a baby pining for a bottle of milk, a metaphor which I think works beautifully with the song's themes of vulnerability and dependency. Most would agree that a baby is a bit of a symbol of innocence, so it makes sense if the singer is speaking to a former version of himself, as yet untainted by drugs and alcoholism.
Tragically, in the present day, the only way he can find his way back to that state of wide-eyed adolescence is via the comfort and warmth of the bottle.
Reading that back, it seems pretty tenuous to base so much analysis on one word and I'm sure I'm just going off on a bit of a ramble. Even still, I love the way it links in with the rest of the song as a little detail and hope you do too.
@kaffeine_krazy "Promises you'll only make" is another lyric that supports your thesis here. He's referring to the constant breaking of promises that addicts do to lived ones as well as themselves. There's a literary theory that I believe applies to music... once the song is out, it's meaning no longer belongs to the author but to the reader (listener in this case) . The song is now yours to interpret based on your life & experiences. Great interpretation in my humble opinion
@kaffeine_krazy "Promises you'll only make" is another lyric that supports your thesis here. He's referring to the constant breaking of promises that addicts do to lived ones as well as themselves. There's a literary theory that I believe applies to music... once the song is out, it's meaning no longer belongs to the author but to the reader (listener in this case) . The song is now yours to interpret based on your life & experiences. Great interpretation in my humble opinion