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.
This place is a prison
And these people aren't your friends
Inhaling thrills through $20 bills
And the tumblers are drained
And then flooded again and again
There are guards at the on-ramps
Armed to the teeth
And you may case the grounds
From the Cascades to Puget Sound
But you are not permitted to leave
I know there's a big world out there
Like the one that I saw on the screen
In my living room late last night
It was almost too bright to see
And I know that it's not a party
If it happens every night
Pretending there's glamour and candelabra
When you're drinking by candlelight
What does it take to get a drink in this place?
What does it take, how long must I wait?
And these people aren't your friends
Inhaling thrills through $20 bills
And the tumblers are drained
And then flooded again and again
There are guards at the on-ramps
Armed to the teeth
And you may case the grounds
From the Cascades to Puget Sound
But you are not permitted to leave
I know there's a big world out there
Like the one that I saw on the screen
In my living room late last night
It was almost too bright to see
And I know that it's not a party
If it happens every night
Pretending there's glamour and candelabra
When you're drinking by candlelight
What does it take to get a drink in this place?
What does it take, how long must I wait?
Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28, edited by straightconcrete
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Great version of a great song,
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I think this one is pretty obvious. It's the singer's distaste at the emptiness and lack of meaning in life. He's hollowed out by people's inability to have fun without being straight.
'This place is a prison' Earth, life is a prison
'And these people aren't your friends' How can people be your fiends if you're afraid to show your true self in front of them?
'Inhaling thrills through $20 bills' Coke is normally snorted through rolled up money, since everyone caries a bill on them.
'And the tumblers are drained And then flooded again and again' Whiskey is normally drunk from tumblers. They are emptied and filled repeatedly on a night out.
'There are guards at the on-ramps Armed to the teeth And you may case the grounds From the Cascades to Puget Sound But you are not permitted to leave' Reinforcing the 'prison' metaphor here.
'I know there's a big world out there Like the one I saw on the screen In my living room late last night It was almost too bright to see' This is metaphoric. He's saying how he can't believe that he lives on the same planet as those shown on TV. He seems detached from it all.
'And I know that it's not a party If it happens every night' He knows the people who are out all the time have nothing to celebrate. They are just numbing existence.
'What does it take to get a drink in this place? What does it take, how long must I wait?' Admitting defeat here. He's acknowledged the hollowness of this existence, but knows that he is just as much a part of it as everyone else. He knows his reasons for doing it, but continues anyway.