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.
We drank bottled water together
And talked business
I think I played the right moves
You were looking over my shoulder
As I went through the motions
Of another night
And it is was alright, because
I thought I knew who everybody was
Just by looking at them
My heart is anywhere but here
And how tired I was
From the past couple of weeks
From the past couple of years
Well it hit me all at once
On a balcony overlooking nothing
With snow falling all around
I called just to say good night
And you hadn't done anything wrong
Really, it's me not you
I can't believe how naive I was
To think things could ever be so simple
And can you live with
What you know about yourself
When you're all alone, behind closed doors
The things we never said but
We always knew were right there
It's got me on my knees in a bathroom
Praying to a god that I don't even believe in
"Dear Jesus.. are you listening?"
If this is the one chance that really matters
Don't let me fuck this up
If you had told me about all this when I was fifteen
I never would have believed it.
And talked business
I think I played the right moves
You were looking over my shoulder
As I went through the motions
Of another night
And it is was alright, because
I thought I knew who everybody was
Just by looking at them
My heart is anywhere but here
And how tired I was
From the past couple of weeks
From the past couple of years
Well it hit me all at once
On a balcony overlooking nothing
With snow falling all around
I called just to say good night
And you hadn't done anything wrong
Really, it's me not you
I can't believe how naive I was
To think things could ever be so simple
And can you live with
What you know about yourself
When you're all alone, behind closed doors
The things we never said but
We always knew were right there
It's got me on my knees in a bathroom
Praying to a god that I don't even believe in
"Dear Jesus.. are you listening?"
If this is the one chance that really matters
Don't let me fuck this up
If you had told me about all this when I was fifteen
I never would have believed it.
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save for the guy with the sarcasm (mentioning sire and all), the rest of you are too caught up with the current am! sellout diatribes to realize that this was written before cowboy even came out. try look past the fact that 90% of clarity is about them selling out and dealing with their old fans and realize that this isn't about them doing just that, but something else, something closer to tom at the time. let us enjoy am!'s pre-"sellout" phase in their music and not morph it into something it's not because we're blinded by where they are now. (ps. i still don't enjoy using the term sellout and against me! in the same sentence)