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"
This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
It was the loveliest party that I've ever attended
If anything was broken I'm sure it could be mended
My head can't tolerate this bobbing and pretending
Listen to some bullet-head and the madness that he's saying
This is where the party ends
I'll just sit here wondering how you
Can stand by your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
You and your racist friend
This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway
Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way
He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking
Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding
This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
It was the loveliest party that I've ever attended
If anything was broken I'm sure it could be mended
My head can't tolerate this bobbing and pretending
Listen to some bullet-head and the madness that he's saying
This is where the party ends
I'll just sit here wondering how you
Can stand by your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
You and your racist friend
This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway
Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way
He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking
Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding
This is where the party ends
I can't stand here listening to you
And your racist friend
I know politics bore you
But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you
And your racist friend
Lyrics submitted by Irrational
Your Racist Friend Lyrics as written by John Linnell John Flansburgh
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The song is basically about a guy at a party who dislikes having to pretend to agree with his friend's (the host's?) racist friend. The racist friend is apparently drunk (He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking) and when the singer starts to leave, he begins to apologize for what he said.
Actually the line, "Can't shake the devil's hand and say your only kidding," more likely means that you can't make racist statements and then later try to play them off as a joke.
It always seemed to me that, whoever wrote the song (whichever band member I mean) had this happen to him, and came home and literally wrote down what happened and turned it into a song. It sounds so natural and realistic, I don't think theres ANY hidden message.
i think that this song epitomizes whats great about tmbg; listening to the song almost makes me laugh, but its really serious and entirely correct. fuck people's racist friends.
A couple corrections: Last line of first verse is "and your racist friend" (no "You") Mid line in second verse is "My head can't tolerate this bobbing and pretending"
J.J. is completely right, its about a great party that the man went to only it was marred by ignorant racist drunk.
actually, i dont think they mean specifilly that the racist was drunk, he could be, but i think they mean that racism itself is a concept inspired by a drunken stupor.
also, the line "cant shake the devil's hand and say you're only idding." i see it as in he's agreeing with the devil and condoning devilish acts, then turning to those who dont agree with the devil and saying "I'm just kidding, i'm really on your side." but you cant do that. if you shake the devil's hand, then there's no turning bac.
all in all, this song is one of my favorite TMBG songs, as it exposes racism for the total crap it is.
Rodan2000
The Specials also did a version of this.
Not exactly true, "Racist Friend" is a totally different song ("If You got a racist friend <br /> now is the time for your friendship to end") - and actually not by The Specials but one of their follow up projects "The Special AKA".
bodyjar also did a great version of this, its a bit faster.
I heard somewhere that it was about Elvis Costello. And it does fit rather well. Elvis Costello made those remarks about James Brown and Ray Charles why drunk and then tried to play it off. Regardless, I love TMBG and Elvis Costello either way.