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.
I met the first guy
Who said "I'll always remember this night, Jane"
When I brought cigarettes home on a whim
It was really him
And all of us other guys
Who've said it since then
Well we've been trying to mean it as sincerely as he did
There is a metal divide
Between myself and this lake in New Jersey
Silver seaweed hands reach up and grab
A woman walking dog pulled in
Never heard from again
Focus on shining tension
We're striders on the surface
Of striders on the surface
I found a dog's leash on the shores of the Pacific
It means nothing to me
Who said "I'll always remember this night, Jane"
When I brought cigarettes home on a whim
It was really him
And all of us other guys
Who've said it since then
Well we've been trying to mean it as sincerely as he did
There is a metal divide
Between myself and this lake in New Jersey
Silver seaweed hands reach up and grab
A woman walking dog pulled in
Never heard from again
Focus on shining tension
We're striders on the surface
Of striders on the surface
I found a dog's leash on the shores of the Pacific
It means nothing to me
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
"I met the first guy Who said "I'll always remember this night, Jane" When I brought cigarettes home on a whim It was really him And all of us other guys Who've said it since then Well we've been trying to mean it as sincerely as he did" this makes it seem like it is about a girl named jane who he is inlove with but her past with other men, makes there love seem less important. but this idea does not really suit the rest of the song, the rest of the song seems to be about him on a bridge watching a women walk by with a dog, but then the woman goes missing and he later finds the leash, could be refernce to that women jumping off the bridge or dying another way i am not sure