This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
I cut my teeth on the stone of a teenage romance
I was the salt of the earth, I was hard
The last of the independents
And in the breath from my chest I was blowing kerosene
My lips and fingertips were stone, I wore my heart on my jeans
I sang the blues like the dogs left too long in the street
I still sing the blues with the dogs
And I got half a mind to let it all burn up in this fire
I've had burning through my veins since I first learned to cry
I'd watch this whole night come down and never miss her again
I never felt right and never fit in walkin' in my own skin
Walkin' in my own skin
Now I got scars like the number of stars
My mind's full of vipers
I got the dust of the desert in my bones
Comin' through the amplifiers
And in the minor chord fall and the fourth and the fifth
It's a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist
I wash my hands like the man with the blood on his teeth
Over and over without relief
And I got nothin' for you darlin' but a story to tell
About the rain on the pavement and the sound as it fell
I'd watch this whole night come down and never miss her again
I never felt right and never fit in
Walkin' in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart
I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark
I need a Cadillac ride, I need a soft summer night
Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita
Walkin' in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart
I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark
I need a Cadillac ride, I need a soft summer night
Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita
'Cause I've been dying out here in the cold and the snow
Got a picture of you, Mama, to remind me of home
On the hood of a Dodge on a Saturday night
Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita
I was the salt of the earth, I was hard
The last of the independents
And in the breath from my chest I was blowing kerosene
My lips and fingertips were stone, I wore my heart on my jeans
I sang the blues like the dogs left too long in the street
I still sing the blues with the dogs
And I got half a mind to let it all burn up in this fire
I've had burning through my veins since I first learned to cry
I'd watch this whole night come down and never miss her again
I never felt right and never fit in walkin' in my own skin
Walkin' in my own skin
Now I got scars like the number of stars
My mind's full of vipers
I got the dust of the desert in my bones
Comin' through the amplifiers
And in the minor chord fall and the fourth and the fifth
It's a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist
I wash my hands like the man with the blood on his teeth
Over and over without relief
And I got nothin' for you darlin' but a story to tell
About the rain on the pavement and the sound as it fell
I'd watch this whole night come down and never miss her again
I never felt right and never fit in
Walkin' in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart
I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark
I need a Cadillac ride, I need a soft summer night
Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita
Walkin' in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart
I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark
I need a Cadillac ride, I need a soft summer night
Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita
'Cause I've been dying out here in the cold and the snow
Got a picture of you, Mama, to remind me of home
On the hood of a Dodge on a Saturday night
Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita
Lyrics submitted by ohhhhhreally
Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis? Lyrics as written by Brian Fallon
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I love the reference to the leonard cohen song "Hallelujah" ["the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift"] /// Between the minor chord fall and the fourth and the fifth, It's a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist. ///
Gaslight anthem makes a ton of references but this one has always been my favorite. I love the song Hallelujah and I love how gaslight makes the understated reference, like you don't notice it the first time you listen to the song. Anyways an amazing song to say the least.
I like that part too but I don't understand the line "I wash my hands like the man with the blood on his teeth, over and over without relief." But I seem to vaguely recall reading something like that in the Bible (maybe in Proverbs? I don't remember) so if someone could explain that line or provide the Bible reference if it exists, I would greatly appreciate it.
@paperbackwriter1993 Zechariah 9:7 maybe?
"I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites."
Great tune, truly impressed.
I don't think they've written a song I dislike. I really like the chorus in this, I was singing along on the second listen- now THAT's catchy.
love it!<br /> reminds me a ton of Springsteen's "Hard to be a saint in the city"
<br /> love it!<br /> reminds me a ton of Springsteen's "Hard to be a saint in the city"<br />
Crazy good song, might be my favorite gaslight song, which is saying a LOT. Anyone know what the line means?: "Walking in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart. I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark."
Here are my thoughts:<br /> <br /> Old man's shoes and scientist heart<br /> he's jaded or disillusioned (over-experience/world-weariness, ie old man's shoes) to the point where his heart, which obviously symbolizes emotion and the counterpoint to logic, has become cold and logical. To me it seems like, particularly in a creative sense, the poet (and, by extension, the protagonist of almost any song) uses his heart and the scientist uses his brain. To say that he's got a "scientist heart" is to say that his heart has either been contorted to something that operates by the rules of cold logic, or that it simply isn't used; that he, like a "scientist," has abandoned the heart (emotion) for the brain (logic). Practically, it means the same thing (logic overtaking emotion), but those are two ways of breaking the line down.<br /> <br /> I got a fever and a beaker<br /> This line caries on themes from the one above. "Fever and a beaker" are analogous to "scientist heart" in that there's a conflict (and ambiguous incompatibility) between emotion (heart/fever) and logic (scientist/beaker). The "fever"/emotion connection is well established, and if this line isn't an intended reference to Bruce Springsteen's song "The Fever," then at least that song shows the tradition Fallon is working off of. The beaker is obviously a tool and symbol of the scientist. I may be digging too deep here, but at the risk of inventing meaning, here's another potential dynamic: fever, in the literal sense, is an illness, and the parallels between the pains of emotion and those of physical sickness have made "fever" as enduring a metaphor as it is. A beaker, however, is also a tool of the medical profession, the purpose of which is to cure illness. Intended or not, this feeds into the idea of Logic being brought in to cure the ills of the Heart. It's a profound conflict, presented on many levels.<br /> <br /> a shot in the dark, etc<br /> That was the easy part. Beyond the amazing little structure above are what I consider to be the cause (Old man shoes) and the outcome (a shot in the dark). It appears that emotion or impulse wins out in the end, or at least that the protagonist wants it to. A shot in the dark is the opposite of a logical decision, but it's also more impulse/desperation than emotion. The line which follows (I need a Caddilac ride, I need a soft summer night) expresses his desire to break free from cynicism and the domination of logic.<br /> <br /> I honestly did not think I would end up writing this much on three lines. Just goes to show how subtle Fallon's lyrical expertise is.
Ha! I was wondering why no one had done a line by line analysis of this song, seeing as it is so lyrically complex and interesting... Guess I know why now!
I cut my teeth on the stone of a teenage romance. (He was hurt emotionally in a young, teenage romance)
I was the salt of the earth, I was hard, and the last of the independents. And in the breath from my chest I was blowing kerosene, My lips and fingertips were stone, I wore my heart on my jeans. (He tried to act cool and be something he was not. He cared more about his appearance rather than a possibility of a relationship with a girl he really cared about.)
I sang the blues like the dogs left too long in the street, I still sing the blues with the dogs. (He longed for young romance, blew his chance and he still longs for that love.)
And I got half a mind to let it all burn up in this fire, I've had been burning through my veins since I first learned to cry. (When it was too late he realized he messed up and didn’t give the relationship a chance. His realizations lead to regret that burns like a fire but he also might want to just move on and resort to his old ways of caring about his rock image.)
I'd watch this whole night come down and never miss her again. I never felt right and never fit in, Walking in my own skin. (He reemphasizes how he would just ignore this girl’s feelings for the true him while he was too busy caring about his image.)
Now I got scars like the number of stars, my head's full of vipers. I got the dust of the desert in my bones, coming through the amplifiers. (He has a number of regrets that he wishes he could take back and they are constantly haunting him. The desert represents the dried up romance and he sings about this past heartbreak in his songs.)
Between the minor chord fall and the fourth and the fifth, It's a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist. (He refers to the song "Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley which is a song about heartbreak and broken relationships.) I wash my hands like the man with the blood on his teeth, Over and over without relief. (I’m not sure what this is referring too but it probably means he is trying to get rid of the pain he feels from the broken relationship but it won’t go away.)
And I got nothing for you darling but a story to tell, About the rain on the pavement and the sound as it fell. I'd watch this whole night come down and never miss her again. I never felt right and never fit in. (He is referring to the chance he once had with the girl but he messed it up because he cared too much about his image as a rocker. He still has the memory of the chance of romance with her, however, he can’t get it back in the present.)
Walking in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart. I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark. (I’m not sure but I think he is saying in the past he didn’t allow the relationship to happen because he was being logical that it wouldn’t work (scientist heart ) but now he wants that love back (fever and old man shoes) and there is a slight chance he might get that love back (shot in the dark). It is saying that love can conquer logic.) I need a Cadillac ride, I need a soft summer night, Say a prayer for my soul Se�orita. (Cadillac ride and soft summer night refers to young, summer love. He wants to relive the chances he once had with the girl at love by saying a prayer. The prayer refers to the hope at the renewed love.)
Because I've been dying out here in the cold and the snow. (He’s been waiting for her answer. The waiting period refers to winter which is used in a lot of songs as a time of heartache. Most times, summer is a time when young love is present.) I got a picture of you, Mama, to remind me of home. (He’s got a picture of the girl (mama) that reminds him of the old romance. A lot of Gaslight and Bruce Springsteen songs refer to daddy as the boyfriend and momma as the girlfriend.) On the hood of a Dodge on a Saturday night, Say a prayer for my soul, Se�orita. (This is similar to the Cadillac ride and soft summer night line. He once again wants the chance at young love and he knows if he gets that chance that, the girls will be his again.)
scars, like the number of the stars. Pearl Jam, Springsteen, lyricists as good as Fallon are a one-in-a-million occurrence. Punk, metal, singer songwriter, there are a million genres, but there are few bands that are pure rock and roll. I hope Gaslight Anthem has a career as long as Pearl Jam's and inherit's the throne they've climbed onto.
whaat! how does this one only have one comment? this is by far their best. (:
There's also a reference to "Jungleland" by Springsteen.
where i dont see it?
"On the hood of a Dodge on a Saturday night" I think. My brother loves Springsteen and told me thats a reference to him so I assume thats what noicebriigade means.
I believe part of the line: "It's a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist."
is a reference to the Lawrence Arms song "Quincentuple Your Money": "There's a wounded sense of pride and a pain in my fist."
I love this song, it's one of my favorites from them. (It's so hard to just pick A favorite though. These guys, they're just too damn good.)
The thing is though, I have no idea what this song is going on about. It's got absolutely glorious imagery, it's poetry but... I don't really... get it.
I mean, even the title. Wherefore art thou, Elvis? Why are you, Elvis? Why Elvis? What does this song have to do with Elvis?
I'm sure there's a ton of references to other songs in here, as they tend to do, but other than Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, I am at a loss. Somebody wanna go after this song and figure it all out?
i havent found asnythig out but im just gona look at the lyrics one line at a time and see if i can figure anything out<br /> <br /> why are you elvis? perhaps hes jealous we can tell from this hes saying his life has many problems ad in high lonesome he mentions he wishes he was elvis<br /> <br /> maybe hes sayig why are you elvis as in why you? why not me? i wish i was elvis<br /> <br /> he says in the chorus "never felt right never fit in walking i my own skin" also at a guess hes never thought he was well fitting in and was irght like everyone else and he hates himself ad wishes he was elvis<br /> <br /> " cut my teeth on the stone of a teenage romance" meaning thers some sort of relationship problem thats happened i guess this is why he feels he dont fit in<br /> <br /> but if he got upset about a relationship why does he say " id watch this whole night come down and never miss her again? im confused