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"
Sweet and somber pigeon wings
Can't we all recall when mama and papa
Were the sweet toothed christmas ball
I said, picture as holiday family
Yeah of course I was small and I all I knew was my grandpa
But I really didn't know him at all I said,
My blood, my cousins, my calvelry
Yeah a piece of them gone but still I feel them strong
When I reach for david cause my granpa is gone
I shout out, I got love for the family!!
Yeah my mother is a doll and my brother can stop any brawl
But uhm, I pucker up I'd like to kiss you all
I said
but open your eyes, a new song cause the family is wrong
So don't lecture me, don't lecture me
But as far as I can see
A step mom yeah the widow's palm is what's crushing me
And this family
it's beyond my time, yeah it's beyond my time
Haaayyyyeah!!
Can't we all recall when mama and papa
Were the sweet toothed christmas ball
I said, picture as holiday family
Yeah of course I was small and I all I knew was my grandpa
But I really didn't know him at all I said,
My blood, my cousins, my calvelry
Yeah a piece of them gone but still I feel them strong
When I reach for david cause my granpa is gone
I shout out, I got love for the family!!
Yeah my mother is a doll and my brother can stop any brawl
But uhm, I pucker up I'd like to kiss you all
I said
but open your eyes, a new song cause the family is wrong
So don't lecture me, don't lecture me
But as far as I can see
A step mom yeah the widow's palm is what's crushing me
And this family
it's beyond my time, yeah it's beyond my time
Haaayyyyeah!!
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
He doesn't have a stepmom. I'm 90% sure of that. My ex-girlfriend has a big family that's very tightknit, and sometimes when someone new comes into this kind of family, they cause drama. This one woman tried to basically "take over" the family and become more popular, like she was ascending in royalty or getting more popular in high school or something. And she disrupted the entire family. This could be what he means, that this woman is crushing the family that he is close to but also feels estranged from (as aron pointed out). I just get the feeling that he is immersed in this family environment, and the line "its beyond my time" makes me think that all the workings of the family go beyond him and his age, like they are too old or complex for him to grasp or for him to really affect. That's kind of how it is in a big family. I really love this song. I think it captures the feeling wonderfully.
And I agree that this CD is amazing, personally "for my brother" or "the 21st would be my favorite(s) on the cd, but this one is up there. I also love the live versions. I like live "Blue Sunshine" better than the album version. Blue October should really try to get this album in stores for easier access for fans. Sometimes people don't get things unless they're right there and they think "what the hell, why not"
Maybe when they get more popular...
Best Buy where I live has all of their albums.
OK WTF PEOPLE!?!?! does no one like "The Answers"? This is the best song on the whole thing and the live versions are unbelievable.
The song is simple.
Its about his family that he seems estranged from but he still loves nonetheless and still turns to them for support.
Im thinking he might not like his stepmom....lol
Its about the unconditional love that a child gives his family. He thinks that they are all fighting for him and that he belongs with them. as he matures and becomes aware of himself as an idividual he realizes that they dont really no him. he sees that there is no common ground between him and his family. they seem to over-look the fact that there is no understanding in thier relationship and they can live and even be happy with that. but he cant. he starts to have problems and become more complicated and fucked up because of the web of lies he spins to mask the deep cut in his life given by the ignorance of his family. this web soon becomes a dummy, a life-sized figure of him, there is no room in his family for the true him and the lie. it is now his time to leave. it is now beyond his time to leave.
or maybe thats just my situation. sometimes i mix up my life with justin's past. amazing song. i love the instramental at the end. its almost like the violin and guitar are gracefully fighting over what to do neat. they seem to represent the riseing turmoi in his head. does he break the hearts of his family and live. or does he nicely grow old bald and fat quietly in his mother's basement eating, laughing, and living on que.
What I took from the song was a story about growing. I get the feel that he's singing the praises of his perfect family in the first verse, the second verse is pretty much the same but the middle of it has a hint of bad. And then the thirst verse is all about a family falling apart and changing (Open your eyes... a new song 'cuz the family's wrong, So don't lecture me.) I feel like as he gets older and the family changes, he's realizing they are not perfect.
DISCLAIMER I have just obtained a copy of Justin Furstenfeld's book Crazy Making. It's not very detailed, but it contains all the lyrics to all current (The Answers - Approaching Normal) Blue October songs, and his inspiration behind them. As I said, it's not very detailed, but it's his words on every Blue October song that is in the book. I know everyone interprets a song differently from everyone else, but having the original intent behind the song will be helpful to people who don't fully understand a song. Also, any grammatical errors are not made by me, I'm putting down Justin's words exactly how he writes them. So yea... enjoy :)
Sweet and Somber Pigeon Wings: "My Grandfather's funeral, my first experience with crazy making. I still hate wut she turned my Papa into"
In my humble opinion, "The Answers" is Blue October's best album yet. Every song is so deep and beautiful. Justin's writing is really amazing.
This song is one of my favorites off the album, mainly for the last few lines:
Open your eyes... a new song 'cuz the family's wrong, So don't lecture me. But as far as I can see, the stepmom, yeah the widow's palm is what's crushing me, and this family. It's beyond my time It's beyond my time.
My dad remarried when I first started high school, and she was horrible to me and my younger brother. It seemed like everyone was "lecturing" us on how to get along better with her, but she seemed hellbent on dividing out family.
"It's beyond my time" makes me think of being a kid and not having control over certain circumstances that happen to you. Like the phrase "it's beyond me", which basically means, "it's beyond my understanding" , our family members sometimes do things that don't make any sense. Maybe they don't realize how much it affects other people in the family, especially younger ones who can't fully make decisions for themselves.
Anyway, this is one of the most beautifully written songs I know (besides Blue Sunshine). It really stirs up painful memories for me, but I love listening to it. I've said it before, but Justin is such an amazing writer.