This is going to be long, annoying, and probably unnecessary, but I'm bad at saying things in a few words. =/
I think this song is about a couple that's trying to deal with the adult world when it's thrown in their faces. I think the first verse is about how they've progressed from high-school ("pin your flowers on" sounds like a prom) and moved on. "I can tie my tie all by myself" is growing up.
Then the second verse is talking about how everything they thought they knew is "diving off the balcony" and it doesn't apply anymore. The adult world is making them tired, and now they're strung out and "ruin too easy". I think the couple sort of combats this by clinging to their young lives, as in:
"Sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave"
"Hold ourselves together with out arms around the stereo for hours"
They're just sitting locked up in an apartment listening to pop songs on the radio and ignoring all the responsibility of adult life.
"I'm getting tied, I'm forgetting why" seems just like he realizes that they can't ignore the real world forever, but he doesn't quite realize that.
"But I'll be with you behind the couch when they come on a different day just like this one" Favorite lines in the song. This just reminds me of kids hiding behind the couch when a solicitor or someone comes to the door. They're just hiding from the rest of the world together, not answering the door, pretending no one's home.
"We'll stay inside 'til somebody finds us, do whatever the TV tells us" Acting really childish and just hiding from the adult world, letting the television rule their lives like it used to and just acting really naive, as if everything will go away if they just stay in their own little world.
"Stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz for days" Keep on going thinking they can just live in their own little world, where everything is warm and fuzzy and just peachy, even though outside the apartment, the real world is waiting for them. But they just want to stay inside the fantasy world they created.
"So worry not, all things are well, we'll be alright" is sort of just the narrator reassuring the girl that everything will work out, even when they have to leave their rosy-minded fuzz and deal with the rest of the world.
"We have our looks and perfume on" is saying that even though they have to deal with the real world again, they still have their youth, even if they're 'adults' now. They're still young enough to pretend like they're kids, hiding in their apartment and wishing everything would go away.
At least, that's what I see in it. A lot of The National's songs seem to have darker meanings than I thought they did, but I like to think this one is just hopeful.
This is going to be long, annoying, and probably unnecessary, but I'm bad at saying things in a few words. =/
I think this song is about a couple that's trying to deal with the adult world when it's thrown in their faces. I think the first verse is about how they've progressed from high-school ("pin your flowers on" sounds like a prom) and moved on. "I can tie my tie all by myself" is growing up.
Then the second verse is talking about how everything they thought they knew is "diving off the balcony" and it doesn't apply anymore. The adult world is making them tired, and now they're strung out and "ruin too easy". I think the couple sort of combats this by clinging to their young lives, as in:
"Sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave" "Hold ourselves together with out arms around the stereo for hours" They're just sitting locked up in an apartment listening to pop songs on the radio and ignoring all the responsibility of adult life.
"I'm getting tied, I'm forgetting why" seems just like he realizes that they can't ignore the real world forever, but he doesn't quite realize that.
"But I'll be with you behind the couch when they come on a different day just like this one" Favorite lines in the song. This just reminds me of kids hiding behind the couch when a solicitor or someone comes to the door. They're just hiding from the rest of the world together, not answering the door, pretending no one's home.
"We'll stay inside 'til somebody finds us, do whatever the TV tells us" Acting really childish and just hiding from the adult world, letting the television rule their lives like it used to and just acting really naive, as if everything will go away if they just stay in their own little world.
"Stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz for days" Keep on going thinking they can just live in their own little world, where everything is warm and fuzzy and just peachy, even though outside the apartment, the real world is waiting for them. But they just want to stay inside the fantasy world they created.
"So worry not, all things are well, we'll be alright" is sort of just the narrator reassuring the girl that everything will work out, even when they have to leave their rosy-minded fuzz and deal with the rest of the world.
"We have our looks and perfume on" is saying that even though they have to deal with the real world again, they still have their youth, even if they're 'adults' now. They're still young enough to pretend like they're kids, hiding in their apartment and wishing everything would go away.
At least, that's what I see in it. A lot of The National's songs seem to have darker meanings than I thought they did, but I like to think this one is just hopeful.