i've read all these interpretations and there are some pretty great ones here. what i've conconcluded that it's meaning will vary depending on each person's experience.
i've been the wronged spouse. my husband was unhappy with how much our lives changed when we had our child. he felt he was missing out on all the fun that this new group of single "friends" was having - profuse drinking, hook-ups, etc. instead of communicating with me, he cheated with one of the girls in the group who was bound and determined to take him from me. she broke up with her boyfriend and did and said anything to get him (the skeleton key). when he got caught and ended the affair, he found out how much the girl really loved him. she trashed him to whoever would listen, etc. and reality set in.
so to me, this song is the sobering realization after the affair ended of what he had actually done. you can even take it line by line and apply it to the two women. "i did a horrible thing to my love" - the wife.
then, when the other girl has moved on and he sees how his selfishness affected the wife, the one who really loved him, he sees the other girl in a new light. "don't call me that...", "you're nothing special", etc.
it's a sad song but i really like it and can't stop listening to it. my story has a happy ending, though. time has passed and we have been able to work things through.
@imho I think you got it exactly right. To me its obvious he's singing to one woman and about another. I'm not sure what exactly they're teaching kids as far as reading compression goes these days, but just the fact he uses both "she" and "you" in this song makes it blatantly obvious its more than one woman.
@imho I think you got it exactly right. To me its obvious he's singing to one woman and about another. I'm not sure what exactly they're teaching kids as far as reading compression goes these days, but just the fact he uses both "she" and "you" in this song makes it blatantly obvious its more than one woman.
Maybe its just obvious to me because this song fits my life so perfectly. I've been that guy. My girlfriend and I lost our intimacy, and even our ability to communicate about it. I fell apart, and when another woman opened her arms to me, I jumped into them.
Eventually it became clear that I never really meant all that much to the other girl, She was basically just passing the time with me until she found who she really wanted, even though she claimed to love me.
By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late, and it caused harm to my relationship with my girlfriend that still hasn't been fixed.
i've read all these interpretations and there are some pretty great ones here. what i've conconcluded that it's meaning will vary depending on each person's experience.
i've been the wronged spouse. my husband was unhappy with how much our lives changed when we had our child. he felt he was missing out on all the fun that this new group of single "friends" was having - profuse drinking, hook-ups, etc. instead of communicating with me, he cheated with one of the girls in the group who was bound and determined to take him from me. she broke up with her boyfriend and did and said anything to get him (the skeleton key). when he got caught and ended the affair, he found out how much the girl really loved him. she trashed him to whoever would listen, etc. and reality set in.
so to me, this song is the sobering realization after the affair ended of what he had actually done. you can even take it line by line and apply it to the two women. "i did a horrible thing to my love" - the wife.
then, when the other girl has moved on and he sees how his selfishness affected the wife, the one who really loved him, he sees the other girl in a new light. "don't call me that...", "you're nothing special", etc.
it's a sad song but i really like it and can't stop listening to it. my story has a happy ending, though. time has passed and we have been able to work things through.
awesome song, Margot & the Nuclear So & So's.
@imho I think you got it exactly right. To me its obvious he's singing to one woman and about another. I'm not sure what exactly they're teaching kids as far as reading compression goes these days, but just the fact he uses both "she" and "you" in this song makes it blatantly obvious its more than one woman.
@imho I think you got it exactly right. To me its obvious he's singing to one woman and about another. I'm not sure what exactly they're teaching kids as far as reading compression goes these days, but just the fact he uses both "she" and "you" in this song makes it blatantly obvious its more than one woman.
Maybe its just obvious to me because this song fits my life so perfectly. I've been that guy. My girlfriend and I lost our intimacy, and even our ability to communicate about it. I fell apart, and when another woman opened her arms to me, I jumped into them.
Eventually it became clear that I never really meant all that much to the other girl, She was basically just passing the time with me until she found who she really wanted, even though she claimed to love me.
By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late, and it caused harm to my relationship with my girlfriend that still hasn't been fixed.