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.
bag full of oily rags, fifty cent lighter
dreams of retirement in Cancun burning ever brighter
there's a lot of ways to make money in this world
but i can't recommend insurance fraud.
burned out shell of a Volkswagen,
blood stains on the driveway,
torn up Mercedes, by the side of the highway
big plans, big plans
let me tell you something sister,
you will never get away with it.
you were sitting in the recliner with the TV on,
when you said something evil and then you were gone,
explosives in the water main,
a blown fuse
college graduation photograph
splashed all over the six o'clock news
i won't be cashing in your policy,
'til i find out what it is you're trying to do to me.
dreams of retirement in Cancun burning ever brighter
there's a lot of ways to make money in this world
but i can't recommend insurance fraud.
burned out shell of a Volkswagen,
blood stains on the driveway,
torn up Mercedes, by the side of the highway
big plans, big plans
let me tell you something sister,
you will never get away with it.
you were sitting in the recliner with the TV on,
when you said something evil and then you were gone,
explosives in the water main,
a blown fuse
college graduation photograph
splashed all over the six o'clock news
i won't be cashing in your policy,
'til i find out what it is you're trying to do to me.
Lyrics submitted by shewouldnt
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I don't think he means "sister" literally.
This is a song about denial.
The guy and his wife used to joke about burning down their house and retiring to Cancun with the money.
One night they have a fight, she leaves, and wrecks the car. Instead of mourning her, he gets angry, insisting she faked her death.
I don't think so, 'bag full of oily rags' and 'fifty cent lighter' would suggest that this person is stuffing their fuel-tank with flammable cloth, and lighting it, thus destroying the car, so that they can collect on the insurance. The 'dreams of retirement in Cancun burning ever brighter' line is a fairly obvious metaphor for this person's rekindled dreams, as well as literally referring to the burning car. I assume that this person dies in the incident, i.e. 'college graduation photograph/ splashed all over the six o'clock news'.