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.
Do I want this
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface hits the ground,
The masquerade has started now,
And you have faded into the crowd
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface can't be found,
There's no denial you can drown,
But nothing's final so turn around
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
I want this
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Whose influence,
Whose influence, whose influence
Are you under now?
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface hits the ground,
The masquerade has started now,
And you have faded into the crowd
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Liquid courage pouring down,
Sober surface can't be found,
There's no denial you can drown,
But nothing's final so turn around
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far
To get high again?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
I want this
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
Do I want this?
I want this
I want this
Do I want this?
How do you know?
How do you know
Just who your friends are?
How do you know
When you've gone too far?
You always feel so alone,
The real you is never shown.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
So much pressure to fit in,
You never know where to begin.
Whose influence,
Whose influence are you under now?
Whose influence,
Whose influence, whose influence
Are you under now?
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At first I didn't think that much of the song, but the riff component of it grew on me extremely quickly. The "how do you know" bridge was also pretty memorable.
I really, really came to like the verse before the last bridge, where the last "Do I want this?" fades into an echo with the totally awesome riff. Genius.
It's obviously concerning the abuse of some influence, addiction, etc. It has all the signs of some substance abuse and a yearning to escape.
To think that I almost missed out on this album.