In This Home on Ice

I have a slightly different take on this song. I'm not sure that this is about a relationship. I think it is more of a critique of our society.

As Levitateme mentioned, ice is thin and can easily crack, thus it is not a strong foundation to build a home on. Although we currently have a beautiful country, its foundation could be seen as shaky due to our controversial foreign policies. Hence "Home on Ice."

In the first verse, "You talk like a noose" could be interpreted as statements made now will eventually hang us in the future.

The second verse seems to say that when the writer looks back at what we have accomplished, he thinks that it really doesn't amount to much ("All that we had salvaged from the fire Was a waste of time")

I also think the third verse refers to governmental policy. The writer doesn't buy what the news is selling him "Should I trust all the rust thats on tv? I guess with some distaste I disagree." Instead he has his own opinion of our foreign policy ("quite a fashionable dispassion for the dispossessed under-stressed gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme"). The U.S. is apathetic towards the needs of other countries and simply wants to gain power by whatever means necessary. This is exemplified further through the next line ("Now that we fattened the cow And set out to plow unknown enemies")

I think the next line refers to witnessing the dominance of the US in wars on TV, such as the recent "Shock and Awe" of the war in Iraq (""Wow!" shouts the startled crowd "Now now did you see what i did see?"") and the writer is impressed with the destruction ("The ravaged cabbage drifts on dark red skies And it looks so nice Gee it looks so nice")

The writer wishes we built a great country through a strong foundation "Shout just let it on out Confusion becomes philosphy Down we're reaching the town where we dont have to stand around and look over our shoulders"

But in the end accepts that this country is what we have made it ("Hell i never knew was what we made it Lets just take it slow in this home on ice")

I have a slightly different take on this song. I'm not sure that this is about a relationship. I think it is more of a critique of our society.

As Levitateme mentioned, ice is thin and can easily crack, thus it is not a strong foundation to build a home on. Although we currently have a beautiful country, its foundation could be seen as shaky due to our controversial foreign policies. Hence "Home on Ice."

In the first verse, "You talk like a noose" could be interpreted as statements made now will eventually hang us in the future.

The second verse seems to say that when the writer looks back at what we have accomplished, he thinks that it really doesn't amount to much ("All that we had salvaged from the fire Was a waste of time")

I also think the third verse refers to governmental policy. The writer doesn't buy what the news is selling him "Should I trust all the rust thats on tv? I guess with some distaste I disagree." Instead he has his own opinion of our foreign policy ("quite a fashionable dispassion for the dispossessed under-stressed gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme"). The U.S. is apathetic towards the needs of other countries and simply wants to gain power by whatever means necessary. This is exemplified further through the next line ("Now that we fattened the cow And set out to plow unknown enemies")

I think the next line refers to witnessing the dominance of the US in wars on TV, such as the recent "Shock and Awe" of the war in Iraq (""Wow!" shouts the startled crowd "Now now did you see what i did see?"") and the writer is impressed with the destruction ("The ravaged cabbage drifts on dark red skies And it looks so nice Gee it looks so nice")

The writer wishes we built a great country through a strong foundation "Shout just let it on out Confusion becomes philosphy Down we're reaching the town where we dont have to stand around and look over our shoulders"

But in the end accepts that this country is what we have made it ("Hell i never knew was what we made it Lets just take it slow in this home on ice")

There are a few errors with these lyrics:

"The guests with some distaste they disagree" is wrong, it's "I guess with some distaste I disagree"

not "With quite the fashionable" instead "With quite a fashionable"

not "startled crowd "Now now did you see what" it's "startled crowd "How now did you see what"

I think I caught all of them...

This song is really beautiful, and I think that unlike a lot of the other CYHSY songs it really does mean something, except maybe the line about the ravaged cabbage. Of course, I could be overlooking an obvious metaphor, but yeah.

A couple clarifications about the lyrics (because I am so very anal): Alec says "I guess with some distaste I disagree", not "The guests with some distaste they disagree". You would know this if you looked in the liner notes. Also, he says "With quite a fashionable dispassion..." not "With quite the fashionable dispassion". Finally, there are a few spelling mistakes and he says "How now did you see what I did see..." yada yada and so on.

Apologies again for being so anal, but I am quite the perfectionist.

ice breaks some times. fragile, kinda hard to stand on, let alone build a home on.

perhaps about a very confusing, shaky relationship (not necessarily a romantic one.) at least the first two stanzas, maybe.

I like "levitateMe's" view. good pixies song too. I was just posting because if anyone knows how to play guitar and knows how to play any of these CYHSY songs, do it! I wish i could play all of them!

The first verse is about his relationship with a girl way out of his league, who's talking about suicide (the noose) and confusing him, because he didn't know she was depressed. He's obviously a hipster, because of the 'dance all night' part (haha, that amuses me greatly).

In the second verse he realizes she wasn't serious about committing suicide. She was just trying to get his attention, and she leaves a suicide note (presumably saying she's going to step in front of a car or jump off a bridge) and waits for him to come "save" her, and he says trying to save her is a waste of time because she just does it again.

The next verse is about him watching a program on some channel that's not necessarily very trustworthy, maybe about suicide again, and this time his girl really does commit suicide, and when he reads the note this time it says "And I dont care if you dont like it or just don't see", because she knows he stopped believing her.

The last few verses he realizes he's not really anything without her, so he jumps (off something- maybe onto ice or something) as a crowd watches, and they're all startled because nobody thought he would really do it. As he jumps, he sees the sunset one last time and wonders if he made a mistake, and begins to scream and the crowd is confused, but it's too late to do anything.

Overall a very sad song for me.

I would have to agree with TheBot, It seems like a commentary on society--very similar to the theme of 'Upon this tidal wave of young blood', though this one is more about our culture with the media in general, while 'tidal wave' is more about the medias exploitation of teen idols who arent really solid role models...

i heart this soong sooo much.

This was the first CYHSY song I heard and it's my favourite. It's really beautiful.