This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
"Are we ready to go?"
"From whence shall we expect the approach of danger?
Shall some transatlantic giant step the earth and crush us at a blow?
Never! All the armies of Europe and Asia could not, by force
Take a drink from the Ohio River
Or set a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years
If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher
As a nation of free men, we will live forever, or die by suicide"
There'll be no more counting the cars on the Garden State Parkway
Nor waiting for the Fung Wah bus to carry me to who-knows-where
And when I stand tonight, 'neath the lights of the Fenway
Will I not yell like hell for the glory of the Newark Bears?
Because where I'm going to now, no one can ever hurt me
Where the well of human hatred is shallow and dry
No, I never wanted to change the world, but I'm looking for a new New Jersey
Because tramps like us, baby, we were born to die
I'm doing 70 on 17, I'm doing 80 over 84
And I never let the Meritt Parkway magnetize me no more
Give me a brutal Somerville summer
Give me a cruel New England winter
Give me the great Pine Barrens
So I can see them turned into splinters
'Cause if I come in on a donkey, let me go out on a gurney
I want to realize too late I never should have left New Jersey
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
La da da da da da da da da da da, yeah! Yeah!
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I sense the enemy, they're rustling around in the trees
I thought I had gotten away but they followed me to 02143
Woe, oh woe is me, no one knows the trouble I see
When they hang Jeff Davis from a sourapple tree
I'll sit beneath the leaves and weep
None of us shall be saved, every man will be a slave
For John Brown's body lies a'mouldring in the grave and there's rumblings down in the caves
So if it's time for choosing sides, and to show this dirty city how we do the Jersey Slide
And if they deserve a better class of criminal, then I'm'a give it to them tonight
So we'll rally around the flag, rally around the flag
Rally around the flag, boys, rally once again, shouting the Battle Cry of Freedom
Rally around the flag, rally around the flag
Glory, glory, Hallelujah, His truth is marching on
"I will be as harsh as truth and as uncompromising as justice
On this subject, I do not wish to think, or speak, or write with moderation
I am in earnest
I will not equivocate, I will not excuse
I will not retreat a single inch, and I will be heard"
"From whence shall we expect the approach of danger?
Shall some transatlantic giant step the earth and crush us at a blow?
Never! All the armies of Europe and Asia could not, by force
Take a drink from the Ohio River
Or set a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years
If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher
As a nation of free men, we will live forever, or die by suicide"
There'll be no more counting the cars on the Garden State Parkway
Nor waiting for the Fung Wah bus to carry me to who-knows-where
And when I stand tonight, 'neath the lights of the Fenway
Will I not yell like hell for the glory of the Newark Bears?
Because where I'm going to now, no one can ever hurt me
Where the well of human hatred is shallow and dry
No, I never wanted to change the world, but I'm looking for a new New Jersey
Because tramps like us, baby, we were born to die
I'm doing 70 on 17, I'm doing 80 over 84
And I never let the Meritt Parkway magnetize me no more
Give me a brutal Somerville summer
Give me a cruel New England winter
Give me the great Pine Barrens
So I can see them turned into splinters
'Cause if I come in on a donkey, let me go out on a gurney
I want to realize too late I never should have left New Jersey
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
La da da da da da da da da da da, yeah! Yeah!
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I sense the enemy, they're rustling around in the trees
I thought I had gotten away but they followed me to 02143
Woe, oh woe is me, no one knows the trouble I see
When they hang Jeff Davis from a sourapple tree
I'll sit beneath the leaves and weep
None of us shall be saved, every man will be a slave
For John Brown's body lies a'mouldring in the grave and there's rumblings down in the caves
So if it's time for choosing sides, and to show this dirty city how we do the Jersey Slide
And if they deserve a better class of criminal, then I'm'a give it to them tonight
So we'll rally around the flag, rally around the flag
Rally around the flag, boys, rally once again, shouting the Battle Cry of Freedom
Rally around the flag, rally around the flag
Glory, glory, Hallelujah, His truth is marching on
"I will be as harsh as truth and as uncompromising as justice
On this subject, I do not wish to think, or speak, or write with moderation
I am in earnest
I will not equivocate, I will not excuse
I will not retreat a single inch, and I will be heard"
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
"John Brown's body lies a mouldering in the grave John Brown's body lies a mouldering in the grave John Brown's body lies a mouldering in the grave His soul is marching on! Glory Glory Hallelujah! Glory Glory Hallelujah! Glory Glory Hallelujah! His soul is marching on!"
Sound familiar?
"Yes we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of freedom, We will rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain, Shouting the battle cry of freedom!"
I think "No, I never wanted to change the world, but I'm looking for a new New Jersey" might be a reference to Billy Bragg's song New England where he sings "I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a New england I'm just looking for another girl"
The statement is he is not looking to change the world or looking to change the place where he lives either but looking for another girl.
Since in this song he is not looking to change the world but is looking to change the place he lives perhaps he therefore is not looking for another girl.
Or to be less literal wanting to not focus on his personal problems but something big (new jersey and perhaps the state of the union itself) but not lose touch with the place he lives (hence not change the world).
Probably reading too much into that but there you go.
this song (and the last one, and Titus Andronicus Forever ...And Ever) are about trying to escape New Jersey to Boston, where he thought he would be free of "The Enemy" (essentially, douchebags). New Jersey had failed him so he tried to escape. This song is about him trying ton find a new start. The Battle of Hampton Roads is about him coming back to Jersey after realizing that "The Enemy is everywhere".
dude that's awesome, this band is great.
In their interview with Spin, Patrick Stickles said he wrote most of the album after going through a bad breakup and watching a ton of movies/reading a ton of books about the Civil War. So it is very well plausible that he is "looking for another girl".
I was really bored, so I looked up just about every reference in this song.
I-84 runs from Massachusetts through Connecticut and NYC into Pennsylvania. It's probably the most used road to get between Boston and NYC.
You forgot the part where the Fung Wah is more widely known for its devastatingly bad safety record, so the "who knows where" part is likely a nod to them getting into fatal and horrific accidents every so often.
This song is not patriotic, at least not in the way the Battle Cry Of Freedom, which it references, is. True the song ends with the "rally round the flag, glory hallelujah", but given the context of the song, he's being ironic when singing this. When Lincoln delivered the speech quoted at the start of the song (1838), the United States was young and untested, but also it was a time of promise. America could be anything then. Yes, evils like slavery did exist then and the horrors of the Civil War were to come, but the idea of the country was still new and people like Lincoln could wax poetic about its greatness and longevity without just sounding like one of today's pompous cable news pundits. Titus Andronicus sings about there time and there slice of the American dream, and it seems obvious by the way he describes scenes from life in modern New Jersey and New England, that all the potential for greatness America once possessed is now gone. And what's left over is a fairly nihilistic, albeit realistic, view of life (e.g. "Give me the Pine Barrens so I can see them turned into splinters."). Rather than preach about lofty ideals like Truth, Justice, the American Way, yadda-yadda, he says he's not looking to change the world, just "looking for a new New Jersey." The only difference one can hope to make in this post-great USA is to do it on a personal level, the people around you and the places you inhabit. Basically, this song is a lament about how the United States went from a nation of great promise to just another big country. When he sings the rally around the flag bit, it's with a complete lack of patriotic feeling, because patriotism has become a sentiment of a bygone era.
I think you're being too literal. The album is about the american civil war and a breakup. As the opening track, this is just after the breakup. Rally round the flag refers, to me, to getting your mates around you to help you through it.
@CBPodge I disagree that the opening track is just after the breakup. The first two verses -- especially the line "I'm doing 70 on 17; I'm going 80 over 84" -- seem to indicate that this is at the beginning of the relationship, when he moved from NJ to Boston. Depending on his route, the 17 could be the first leg of the journey. The 84 is definitely the last leg into Boston, so the fact that he mentions them in that order suggests that's the direction he's headed.<br /> <br /> Also, the line "there'll be no more counting the cars on the Garden State Parkway" tells me he's leaving New Jersey behind.
I know the line 'Tramps like us baby we were born to die' is a reference to Springsteen's 'Born to Run', but is the bit about 'deserves a better class of criminal' a Dark Knight reference or is that purely coincidental?
According to Wikipedia, it is an intentional reference to the Dark Knight.<br /> <br /> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheMonitor%28album%29
^Knew that line sounded familiar it probably is a reference to that Billy Bragg song.
However, doing a little internet stalking revealed that lead singer Patrick Stickles was a literature major at Ramapo College in New Jersey and went to graduate school at Harvard (and probably lived next door in Somerville which he mentions in the song by name and zip code). So the trip is quite literal, but there is allegory of present day America tied into Civil War references about how we can only defeat ourselves and are all slaves to something. Well done, Patrick.
The first line is probably a reference to Simon and Garfunkel's America: "Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike"
And, trivially enough, the first line of "A New England" ("I was 21 years when I wrote this song/I'm 22 now, but I won't be for long"), the Billy Bragg song that also gets a shout-out in this one, is also a Simon & Garfunkel reference ("Leaves That Are Green").
The first stanza is absolutely perfect. I can't believe these guys are going to play Harrisburg, PA. Must see.
yeah, i live in harrisburg, but i was out of town that day (actually i got to see the xx play in baltimore, so it wasn't a total loss). wish i was able to get to that show. a few of my friends went; they said it was amazing.
I can't believe there's not more comments on this. It's a really interesting song. If you do a YouTube search for this song's title, you'll encounter an Obama speech from '08 that really sort of spells out a significant part of what this song is about. "A More Perfect Union" refers to the flexibility of the US constitution, in that its interpretation and, therefore, the union itself, can, and is expected to, evolve as times change. The "new New Jersey" line alludes to this, where he's expecting for things to evolve and get better from where they are now. Where these iconic, somewhat negative images of New Jersey are going to be gone soon, as the state's culture will evolve just as the country itself will. The second half likens the Obama speech, with its regard to slavery and how America overcame that, to the more contemporary issues, where we have a black president for the first time, and that's an enormous step in our history, but many people still can't and will never accept that change. But that change is moving the country forward, just as the changes away from slavery, which were, of course, so decisive, moved America forward in the 19th century. Here, he's taking the side of the opposition and likening them to those who supported slavery, with the references to weeping under a lynched Jefferson Davis and how, even in the more liberal and somewhat tolerant New Jersey, you're faced with this element of racism and intolerance and cannot escape it. Moving past the racism to confront the real issues. Just my interpretation, at least.
The speech at the beginning enhances the whole song, but especially the back half to the end. The guitars accompany the rally cry ending with unbridled moxie that gives the song a unique patriotic feeling. If that doesn't get you excited, you were probably born in Canada.