| Modest Mouse – Little Motel Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Isaac Brock always hides deeper meanings within his lyrics using symbolism, look at Cockroach for instance. If you don't really listen to the lyrics of Cockroach, you don't understand how deep the song actually is. Little Motel is no different. It's laced with symbolism from the very beginning – the title. Little Motel. Why little motel? If you think about it, a motel is something you check in and out of as you please. It is accessible whenever convenient for you and its staff caters to your every need. When you leave, don't worry about cleaning up the mess, the motel takes care of it. When he sings, "I hope that you like it in your little motel and I hope that the suite sleeps and suites you well" I think that he is metaphorically speaking about himself. His hurt and pain is beautifully hidden within these lyrics, as it is with so many of his songs. He is a genius like that. "I can see it as time and as sight through smell and that's why it's nice to be by yourself" He is consumed by her, she haunts his memories, she is all he can think about, making it impossible for him to move on, because regardless who he is with, when she is ready to "check back in" he'll open up a room for her, even if one isn't available, so it's best not to move on. Just stay single because he still can't refuse her whenever she decides to come around. At this point in the song, that is what he is waiting for. We treat mishaps like sinking ships and I know that I don't want to be out to drift Well I can see it in your eyes like I taste your lips and They both tell me that we're better than this When you are out to drift, you are left wondering aimlessly and hopelessly alone, lost. He knows that he doesn't want that, but yet, they treat mishaps like sinking ships. One fight, one argument and they abandon ship, let it go down, swim to shore. Then he reverts back to the memory of her - of them- and he knows, they are better than this. They could make it work. And that's what he is waiting for this time. We trade tit for tat, yeah, that for this And I don't think that there was an insult that was missed I can see it in your eyes like I taste your lips and I'm very sorry Here he is saying that they take everything for granted. They clearly had a falling out. He, again, reverts back to the memory he has of them -of her- only this time, when he recalls her eyes and her lips, he is now tasting how damaged she is. He is very sorry and hopes that she will be fixed, which is what he is waiting for this time. The remnants of a shooting star Landed directly on our broke-down little car If only then we had made a wish That we would be missed If one or another just did not exist Okay, now this is where reality begins to actually set in. As beautiful as it is to see a shooting star fly across the sky, it is nothing but ugly rock and ash that causes a lot of damage when it finally lands. He uses the symbolism of the remnants of this ugly, dusty rock falling on a broken car. The damage of the star doesn't really matter that much since the car was already broken. I like to think that their relationship is the star and his heart is the car. "If only then we had made a wish" When they saw that it was crashing down, if they would have done anything to salvage some portion of the relationship, be it some form of friendship or civility, just a wish that what they had would be missed when it was over, but they didn't. And now, what they are both waiting for is the memory of what they had to disappear, to be over. They both want the painful memories of what they almost were, what they could have been, to not exist. That is what they are waiting for. Isaac Brock, you know the lyrics to my soul!!! |
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