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.
My guilt and my shame
Always sell me short, always feel the same
And my face and my soul
Always wear me thin, always under control
But the longest hours you'll have in your life
Are the ones you sit through to know if you're right
So I'll wait but I pray that I'm wrong
Because I think I know what's going on
So let me get this straight
The only will is my own
I do whatever I want and stay alone
All my decisions make it untouchable and tainted
I'm gonna suffer for the rest of my life
But I will always find a way to survive
I'm not a failure but I know what it's like
I can take it or leave it or die
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
Like breathing in sulfur
My life is undone
And I'm a sinner to most but a sage to some
And my Gods are untrue
I'm probably wrong but I'm better than you
And the longest hours I've had in my life
Were the ones I went through to know I was right
So I'm safe, but I'm a little outside
I'm gonna laugh when I'm buried alive
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
Like breathing in sulfur, like breathing in sulfur
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
(You don't always know where you stand)
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
(There's something inside me that feels)
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Always sell me short, always feel the same
And my face and my soul
Always wear me thin, always under control
But the longest hours you'll have in your life
Are the ones you sit through to know if you're right
So I'll wait but I pray that I'm wrong
Because I think I know what's going on
So let me get this straight
The only will is my own
I do whatever I want and stay alone
All my decisions make it untouchable and tainted
I'm gonna suffer for the rest of my life
But I will always find a way to survive
I'm not a failure but I know what it's like
I can take it or leave it or die
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
Like breathing in sulfur
My life is undone
And I'm a sinner to most but a sage to some
And my Gods are untrue
I'm probably wrong but I'm better than you
And the longest hours I've had in my life
Were the ones I went through to know I was right
So I'm safe, but I'm a little outside
I'm gonna laugh when I'm buried alive
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
Like breathing in sulfur, like breathing in sulfur
Stay, you don't always know where you stand
(You don't always know where you stand)
'Til you know that you won't run away
There's something inside me that feels
(There's something inside me that feels)
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
Like breathing in sulfur
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