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.
Hold your head up high,
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause no one's safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
Someone that you trust turned out to be a tricker,
Smoking cigarettes, getting stoned on liquor,
Getting really dizzy, only getting sicker,
Small problems now only seem bigger.
America's a safe place,
If you're gonna leave it,
And the rhetoric is there,
If you're gonna read it,
And the hollow masses,
The machines defeated,
And the rich look down to arrive on the bleeding.
Hold your head up high,
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause no one's safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
Hardly enough,
It gets tough when you're running,
So you bust out the homeless,
When they start coming,
In LA, Broadway, it's wicked when they're watching,
And your backup and your backup and your backup ain't working.
There's no food, so you're spurred into action,
Set up and go to no satisfaction,
Ice and snow is the city passion,
When you walk in the shadows, girl, there's no protection.
Hold your head up high,
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause there's no one safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
OK, well,
This is the city of Los Angeles,
And it never sleeps,
It may look like it,
But it doesn't.
It lives and breathes nocturnally,
So when you've got no place to sleep at night,
And you're all huddled up,
And you're cold,
Well, this song goes out to the city's forgotten.
Hey, Tim, take us on home...
Underlying reason, well she can't keep it going,
In the middle of the night,
They found her frozen,
And the Wal-Mart sign,
Keeps on glowing,
And the winds of change keep on blowing.
Hold your head up high,
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause no one's safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause no one's safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
Someone that you trust turned out to be a tricker,
Smoking cigarettes, getting stoned on liquor,
Getting really dizzy, only getting sicker,
Small problems now only seem bigger.
America's a safe place,
If you're gonna leave it,
And the rhetoric is there,
If you're gonna read it,
And the hollow masses,
The machines defeated,
And the rich look down to arrive on the bleeding.
Hold your head up high,
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause no one's safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
Hardly enough,
It gets tough when you're running,
So you bust out the homeless,
When they start coming,
In LA, Broadway, it's wicked when they're watching,
And your backup and your backup and your backup ain't working.
There's no food, so you're spurred into action,
Set up and go to no satisfaction,
Ice and snow is the city passion,
When you walk in the shadows, girl, there's no protection.
Hold your head up high,
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause there's no one safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
OK, well,
This is the city of Los Angeles,
And it never sleeps,
It may look like it,
But it doesn't.
It lives and breathes nocturnally,
So when you've got no place to sleep at night,
And you're all huddled up,
And you're cold,
Well, this song goes out to the city's forgotten.
Hey, Tim, take us on home...
Underlying reason, well she can't keep it going,
In the middle of the night,
They found her frozen,
And the Wal-Mart sign,
Keeps on glowing,
And the winds of change keep on blowing.
Hold your head up high,
Cause tomorrow you may die,
Cause no one's safe around here,
No one's safe around here.
Stand your ground,
Til you're the last one in town.
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i fuckin love this song. i dont know anything about like homeless ppl or w/e and i've never slept on the street b4 but I love this song. i agree with st. martani "in the middle of the night they found her frozen. and the wall mart sign keeps on glowing" great line. i especially like the part where (lars?) is yelling "this is the city of los angelas..." great song