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.
There's a world container with your name on it
And a billion ways to go berserk
When the country quits on you it must be dinner
And the Himmler on this one is there's no dessert
(He's the one who couldn't imagine all the people living life in peace)
Good News! You get to vanish
Go to Cleveland, be an indie smash
The good news is now you're smaller
The bad news is you can be smaller than that
Go suck some souls, be a reader, get used
Laugh at a funeral or two
And laugh til all the chameleons turn black
Laugh and laugh til you're told 'please don't come back'
Then fake incredulous, say 'I just can't believe!
How'd it get so late so early?'
Say 'ain't life a grand and I'm in awe of y'all'
Then drop into your haunted bunk
Go to your touchless times out where the water's drying
Go past the 'No Attractions Past This Point' sign
What you'll find there are all flaws in progress
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
I've faked incredulous and said 'I just can't believe!
How'd it get so late so early?'
Said, 'ain't life a grand and I'm in awe of y'all'
I've dropped into my haunted bunk
Been to your touchless times out where the water's drying
Been past the 'No Attractions Past This Point' sign
What we have here are all flaws in progress
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
And a billion ways to go berserk
When the country quits on you it must be dinner
And the Himmler on this one is there's no dessert
(He's the one who couldn't imagine all the people living life in peace)
Good News! You get to vanish
Go to Cleveland, be an indie smash
The good news is now you're smaller
The bad news is you can be smaller than that
Go suck some souls, be a reader, get used
Laugh at a funeral or two
And laugh til all the chameleons turn black
Laugh and laugh til you're told 'please don't come back'
Then fake incredulous, say 'I just can't believe!
How'd it get so late so early?'
Say 'ain't life a grand and I'm in awe of y'all'
Then drop into your haunted bunk
Go to your touchless times out where the water's drying
Go past the 'No Attractions Past This Point' sign
What you'll find there are all flaws in progress
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
I've faked incredulous and said 'I just can't believe!
How'd it get so late so early?'
Said, 'ain't life a grand and I'm in awe of y'all'
I've dropped into my haunted bunk
Been to your touchless times out where the water's drying
Been past the 'No Attractions Past This Point' sign
What we have here are all flaws in progress
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
Where all songs are one song and that song is Don't Forget
Lyrics submitted by OpinionHead
World Container Lyrics as written by Gordon Sinclair Gordon Downie
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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I don't see it as being Anti Bush. To me, it's like Gord is saying 'Okay, we say the world is a small place. Go find out for yourself.'
Here's a few reasons why.
'The good news is you are smaller, the bad news is you can be smaller than that' - To me, this means that we have things like the internet and the telephone, all this technology that makes are lives easier and more comfortable, but we aren't completely closed off from experience yet. I feel like he's suggesting here that we like what we have, we don't want to go out of our comfort zone.
'Been to the touchless times, our where the water's dryin' - This feels like a tourism pitch, if you will. He's saying 'Hey, this what I've done because I'm not locked in some sort of container. Why don't you come check it out?
'Been past the no attractions past this point sign' - Again, I feel like Gord is saying 'Here's this world you live in. It's small. It doesn't have to be.' and there's a line in the sand. On one sand is what we know and feel comfortable with, on the other is this amazing place called Earth, and this amazing thing called Life, and he wants us to come and see it, and use it.
'What you'll find there are all flaws in progress' I'm still kind of unsure on this one. It's like he's saying 'We like to think we're perfect. Come see what the real deal is. We're not perfect. But we're pretty friggen cool.'
'Go suck some souls, be a reader, get used Laugh at a funeral or two And laugh til all the chameleons turn black Laugh and laugh til you're told 'please don't come back' This to me is saying..We've got this proper and well established way of doing things. Great. Now do something different.
Hip songs are really hard to get the meaning out of, but I think if you get some sort of meaning out of it, even if it's not what they were thinking when they wrote it, I still think they'd be happy. This song, to me, is encouraging. It's like it says 'Don't settle for what is expected of you. Go do your thing, see the world, connect. Don't be so stuck in a World Container', if you will. Great song!