To me this song is about falling in love again. The "million miles away" and the "signal in the distance" are representative of an old painful relationship. The memories are still there, but are pretty far away now. "To whom it may concern", either the former love isn't for the speaker anymore, or this could be the first line to the new person the speaker is feeling something for, like the start of a letter, and saying everything else from here on is for you. "I think I lost my way". This is also to the new love. Talking about how he was alone for so long, or didn't know how to love anymore from whatever in his past is now a million miles away. "Getting good at starting over everytime I return" that's about returning to that feeling that he actually can love someone. Maybe the speaker has felt this way on a few occasions, or has had this happen a few times now since that relationship first ended.
The chorus is pretty self explainatory then if you take the first part to be a valid interpretation. Learning to walk (love) again. He's waited long enough to get over it so why not give it a shot. "Learning to talk again, can't 'you' see I've waited long enough" He's working his way through the new relationship with this person he actually loves, or maybe just actually learning to talk to someone because he isn't alone anymore. Talking to a friend is completely different than talking to a lover, and talking to yourself about that lover.
The second verse I think is either going back to the first relationship. The paper mountains could be the letters written in a relationship, or even memories that are burned away when the relationship ends. (Kind of the metaphor of the Snows of Kilamanjaro or something). Or perhaps it is talking about how both of the people in the relationship have this past where they've had to destroy the memories of their relationships to get on and fall in love again, but I think it is more him asking himself the question "do you remember those days?"
The best part is "I think I've found my place, can't you feel it growing stronger, little conquerors". They did it. They beat the memories of their old love, or whatever that made them so lonely before. Gives me goosebumps, man.
The last part is just the celebration of the love I think. "I never want to die, I'm dancing on my grave" it all just goes back to conquering the emotions that kept you lonely for however long you didn't have someone. There's other stuff in there about the relationship too. The first decline (the first fight, or feeling it might not be right). "A whisper to a riot" the faint tinge of love that turns into full blown head over heels love. "The sacrifice, the knowing to survive" Knowing that the speaker must make sacrifices to keep the new relationship going. There's a bunch of stuff you can pull from it.
I think a lot of people could relate to this.
I also kind of took it as a recovery piece. Perhaps from alcoholism. I know the guys in the band have had some troubles with drugs and what not. Living life while not on something could be like learning to do everything all over again. You're a completely different person sober. I like my first interpretation better, but I can see how there are a lot of things that can be pulled from this little song which in my opinion is the best on the new record, and probably the best Foo song since Best of You which has awesome personal meaning to me.
To me this song is about falling in love again. The "million miles away" and the "signal in the distance" are representative of an old painful relationship. The memories are still there, but are pretty far away now. "To whom it may concern", either the former love isn't for the speaker anymore, or this could be the first line to the new person the speaker is feeling something for, like the start of a letter, and saying everything else from here on is for you. "I think I lost my way". This is also to the new love. Talking about how he was alone for so long, or didn't know how to love anymore from whatever in his past is now a million miles away. "Getting good at starting over everytime I return" that's about returning to that feeling that he actually can love someone. Maybe the speaker has felt this way on a few occasions, or has had this happen a few times now since that relationship first ended.
The chorus is pretty self explainatory then if you take the first part to be a valid interpretation. Learning to walk (love) again. He's waited long enough to get over it so why not give it a shot. "Learning to talk again, can't 'you' see I've waited long enough" He's working his way through the new relationship with this person he actually loves, or maybe just actually learning to talk to someone because he isn't alone anymore. Talking to a friend is completely different than talking to a lover, and talking to yourself about that lover.
The second verse I think is either going back to the first relationship. The paper mountains could be the letters written in a relationship, or even memories that are burned away when the relationship ends. (Kind of the metaphor of the Snows of Kilamanjaro or something). Or perhaps it is talking about how both of the people in the relationship have this past where they've had to destroy the memories of their relationships to get on and fall in love again, but I think it is more him asking himself the question "do you remember those days?"
The best part is "I think I've found my place, can't you feel it growing stronger, little conquerors". They did it. They beat the memories of their old love, or whatever that made them so lonely before. Gives me goosebumps, man.
The last part is just the celebration of the love I think. "I never want to die, I'm dancing on my grave" it all just goes back to conquering the emotions that kept you lonely for however long you didn't have someone. There's other stuff in there about the relationship too. The first decline (the first fight, or feeling it might not be right). "A whisper to a riot" the faint tinge of love that turns into full blown head over heels love. "The sacrifice, the knowing to survive" Knowing that the speaker must make sacrifices to keep the new relationship going. There's a bunch of stuff you can pull from it.
I think a lot of people could relate to this.
I also kind of took it as a recovery piece. Perhaps from alcoholism. I know the guys in the band have had some troubles with drugs and what not. Living life while not on something could be like learning to do everything all over again. You're a completely different person sober. I like my first interpretation better, but I can see how there are a lot of things that can be pulled from this little song which in my opinion is the best on the new record, and probably the best Foo song since Best of You which has awesome personal meaning to me.