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.
If I had the brains, here's what I'd do
Build a time door and visit my youth
This cigar burn is for effect
In the future you won't forget
When you're trapped in that airtight room
Flick the red switch but not the blue
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That'd be the rip-cord in my destiny
I know how it sounds, trust me on this
Your life to be hangs on this one choice
Keep your Hilti near, you'll know when
Twenty minutes of oxygen
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
If I had the brains, that's what I'd do
Build that time door and poke my head through
It's too late now and I'm still dumb
Twenty minutes of oxygen
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
Build a time door and visit my youth
This cigar burn is for effect
In the future you won't forget
When you're trapped in that airtight room
Flick the red switch but not the blue
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That'd be the rip-cord in my destiny
I know how it sounds, trust me on this
Your life to be hangs on this one choice
Keep your Hilti near, you'll know when
Twenty minutes of oxygen
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
If I had the brains, that's what I'd do
Build that time door and poke my head through
It's too late now and I'm still dumb
Twenty minutes of oxygen
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
Lyrics submitted by diabolusmagus
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
This song is set in a science fiction universe, with a hapless spacehopper trapped in an airtight room with 20 minutes of air left him. While railing agsinst his predicament, he muses on the possibility of building a device to allow him to visit a younger version of himself and provide sufficient warning to prepare for and escape from this trap (the "rip-cord in my destiny"), in the form of a cigar burn (as a reminder) and an exhortation to keep a "Hilti" (a type of power drill) on his person.
I really like the image/phrase "ripcord in my destiny" - something that instantly slows the action and takes you out of danger.
I also like the term "time door" rather than "time machine" - it's instantly obvious that it's basically the same thing, but it sounds like the singer actually knows what he's talking about.