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.
To me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
To me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
When I go fishing
for the words
I am wishing you would say to me
I am really only praying that
The words you'll soon be saying
Might betray
The way you feel about me
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
To me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
When I go fishing
for the words
I am wishing you would say to me
I am really only praying that
The words you'll soon be saying
Might betray
The way you feel about me
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
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Just A Little Lovin'
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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/
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
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I had originally thought that this word was a negative end to a friendship.. and that the singer was talking about a friendship that no longer had meaning to him. I asked a friend of mine what he meant by four letter word and he said "I end" but that's two words.. and so he alluded it to swears.. however.. on taking a closer look and thinking about it.. to me it reveals itself to be about love (which conveniently happens to be a four-letter word). The "When I go fishing..." stanza tips off that he wants "his friend" to say something besides friend.. and that whenever she calls him a friend.. he just wants to friendship to end so the "love" can begin.. that way the song makes perfect sense to me.. but is almost completely the opposite from what I originally thought. Great song..
I agree except I think it's about a relationship that already happened and he wants her to just stop acting so distant and get close to him again. She's doing what many girls do and trying to keep the guy in her life as a friend, but all he wants is for her to want him back again. I think he's sort of going along with it just waiting for the oppurtunity to get back with her, and this song is sort of what's going on in the back of his mind.
The phrase '_____ is a four letter word' is a phrase that references something as being negative (which, in turn, references many swears, i.e. sh*t, f*k, cnt, d*mn). For example, the term 'diet is a four letter word.' Isn't saying that the word diet has four letters in it, it's saying that the speaker strongly dislikes diets.
Many of you have said that this is about a guy that is in a lover type relationship that is ending. Though that may be the situation, I do not see that there is enough evidence in the lyrics to say that definitively.
The term "four letter word" has been around for a while. Normally, when it is use, it is not meant literally. When one says 'I have a few four letter words I would like to tell him' or 'That movie has too many four letter words for me' then the term means ' vulgar insults and/or the using foul language'
With that said...
What I believe this song to mean is, A person (a guy in this case since the singer is male) is in a relationship (does not have to be sexual but could just be a friend) and the relationship has taken it's toll on him. Since there is no mutual benefit in the relationship he feels taxed by it. That feeling that he is being used or mistreated then makes him feel insulted... especially when his friend uses the word "friend" to excuse and condone the mistreatment.
The singer now beyond the breaking point in the relationship makes the decision that the person being sang to is no longer a friend and ends the friendship... if there ever really was one.
Similar to the saying "with friends like these, who needs enemies?"
Just my thought on the song.
This song, while not necessariy negative, is very sad. It's about when someone in a relationship says "let's just be FRIENDS". He is saying that when his girlfriend said that, that the word friend was as hurtful and insulting as four letter word (aka a swear). Also when he says: "end is the only part of the word, that i heard" he is saying how being friends is unimportant to him, because their relationship has ended. He also hopes that she will change her mind and stop wanting to only be friends and get back together. ("that the words you'll soon be saying might betray the way you feel about me.") Definately one of Cake's best songs, both lyrically and musically.
Disagree with one part. Think the four letter word is "Love". He's saying that when she says "we're just friends" he hears "I love you, don't give up". I think it's about being trapped in that situation where he's driven for a woman mostly because she has hurt his ego. He's just wants her to fix it, and he hears and sees what he wants to instead of what she is portraying. I basically agree with you except the curse part...
Okay I read some of these comments, a lot of them are wrong. This one is totally obvious.
It's a break-up song. And she's giving him the old "but I still want to be friends" line. That's why it's like a swear word to him. I don't know why women can't figure that one out, but it's like adding insult to injury. I can't think of how to dumb down "end is the only part I heard" any more. To him it's just ending, he doesn't exactly see it as gaining a friend.
The other verse is completely obvious too. He's basically saying "I wish you would tell me you love me anyway, even if you don't" ... like he would rather be lied to than have to face the truth.
Anyway. To those who had other ideas... the music gives it away.
It's about a guy who likes a girl, more then likely he loves her. She doesn't feel the same way, she sees their relationship as strictly platonic. Thus him saying "end is the only part of the word that i heard" because she's decided that that's all they'll ever be and he knows he can't just be her friend, it's too hard. "Friend is a four letter word" means she's put a negative stigma on this word that should be positive, but it's not enough for him, and so she's made their friendship tainted in his eyes. Like a consolation prize.
"I'm really only praying that the words you'll soon be saying might betray the way you feel about me." - means that he's just aching for her to say she feels something more for him then friendship. He desperately wants her to change her mind.
I had to listen to this song a few times. And then BAM it all became so clear to me. It's an amazing song. Gotta love cake.
I've always thought that if you spelled it F-R-I-END it makes sense, END being the fourth letter. "end is the only part of the word that I heard". Someone he's pursuing telling him let's just be friends, or one person in a reltionship saying we're better off friends than a couple. that's just how I've always thought it to be.
hey from me comming to you sheep is a five letter word
you're all wrong. if you think about what 4 letter words could come out of friend, clearly the answer is FRED. he's singing this song to his friend fred.
I had a hard time figuring out what this song was about. So i cheated a little and checked thier site when they were still offering Q&A. Its been a few years so i forgot the EXACT word they used, but there is a word to classify vulgar words (provided that they are four letters) not sure what it is, but to the speaker, "friend" is a vulgar FOUR LETTER WORD. This made alot of sense to me.
God Bless CAKE ;)
was the word cunt?
like most cake song, this is best understood visually:
two people sitting at a table, eyeing eachother with all the discomfort of a shared secrets. someone's travel bags sit in a corner, carefully packed, and contributing to the mobid mood.
"i only want to be friends"