In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I tumble into space, try to stop the fall
My body ripped and tore, I could have floated in space
Could have floated
I stumble 'round my home, I am on the outside
My legs and arms are lead, feeling love from no one
Could have floated
My head weighs ninety-pounds and I've been down
My friends are aliens and I've been down
Well now I've got no wife
Cut a lizard's tail, it grows back to life
I killed some sleepless nights,
my heart's torn to pieces
Could have floated
I am the funny guy, yeah I've been down
I am the big rock star yeah I've been down
I'll never be the same, cause I've been inside out
And I want to be an animal and take care of my own
My head weighs ninety pounds and I've been down
My friends are aliens and I've been down
I know what it's like cause I've been down
Devil sneaks in and deals and I've been down
My body ripped and tore, I could have floated in space
Could have floated
I stumble 'round my home, I am on the outside
My legs and arms are lead, feeling love from no one
Could have floated
My head weighs ninety-pounds and I've been down
My friends are aliens and I've been down
Well now I've got no wife
Cut a lizard's tail, it grows back to life
I killed some sleepless nights,
my heart's torn to pieces
Could have floated
I am the funny guy, yeah I've been down
I am the big rock star yeah I've been down
I'll never be the same, cause I've been inside out
And I want to be an animal and take care of my own
My head weighs ninety pounds and I've been down
My friends are aliens and I've been down
I know what it's like cause I've been down
Devil sneaks in and deals and I've been down
Lyrics submitted by shadowcml
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"I tumble into space, tryin to stop the fall"
He blindly tumbles into a world of drugs
"My body ripped and tore, I could have floated in space"
Drugs damaged his body, but they made him feel weightless and carefree
"I stumble 'round my home, I am on the outside"
The drug make him stumble alone around his house with little control over his actions, and on the outside because he is outcast from his friends because of his problems
"My legs and arms are lead, feeling love from no one"
His limbs seem to weigh a ton from the effects of the drugs. He feels love from no one cos he is depressed and he doesn't see his old friends any more or they dont want to see him cos of his drug problem
"My head weighs ninety-pounds and I've been down"
Again his head feeling the effects of the drugs and he's been down, he's seen a dark side of life and he's been really depressed
"My friends are aliens"
He feels alienated from his friends.
"Well now I've got no wife"
Maybe metaphorical, or maybe meaning literally that his spouse left him because of his drug use
"Cut a lizard's tail, it grows back to life"
I've always taken this as being the start of him giving up, perhaps because his wife left him and he realise
"I killed some sleepless nights,"
Perhaps this means he took drugs cos he couldn't sleep. Or maybe it just means he killed some sleepless nights thinking bout all his mistakes. Notice it moves into the past tense, reflecting my previous comment
"my heart's torn to pieces" He has a broken heart because he's lost his partner and his friends and he's lonely and depressed cos of what drugs have done to him