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"
You can wear your new white shoes
In the muddy afternoon
Walking past the "stay-drunk-stoop"
They whistle with their hands
But I could be your catcall too
Anything you wanna do
Anything you wanna do
You can take your slide trombone
Play it in in the catacombs
Find a town that moves real slow
And turn it on its head
And I could be your Pharaoh's tomb
Anything you wanna do
Lover, anything you wanna do
If you want to be common
I can claim that I tamed you
A demigod in a bonnet
They're gonna know it ain't true
You can paint your nails lime green
Rent yourself a limousine
Kidnap the professor's niece
Just tell them that she's dead
We'll party in a hotel room
Anything you wanna do
Sister, anything you wanna do
You can get your hair all wet
Sleeping on the riverbed
Kiss a frog and then dissect
Gotta find out what's inside
But you can have my bad side too
Anything you wanna do
Sugar, anything you wanna do
And if you want to be common
I can claim that I tamed you
A demigod in a bonnet
They're gonna know it ain't true
And yes, you are king David's star
And the crescent moon, and the crescent moon
You must sweep the Bodhi tree
I sit beneath, oh I sit beneath
You can wear your new white shoes
In the dirty afternoon
Walking through the traffic fumes
A flower in your hair
And I will swing upon your moods
Anytime you want me to
Just tell me what you wanna do
Anything you wanna do
Lover, anything you wanna do
Lover, anything you wanna do
In the muddy afternoon
Walking past the "stay-drunk-stoop"
They whistle with their hands
But I could be your catcall too
Anything you wanna do
Anything you wanna do
You can take your slide trombone
Play it in in the catacombs
Find a town that moves real slow
And turn it on its head
And I could be your Pharaoh's tomb
Anything you wanna do
Lover, anything you wanna do
If you want to be common
I can claim that I tamed you
A demigod in a bonnet
They're gonna know it ain't true
You can paint your nails lime green
Rent yourself a limousine
Kidnap the professor's niece
Just tell them that she's dead
We'll party in a hotel room
Anything you wanna do
Sister, anything you wanna do
You can get your hair all wet
Sleeping on the riverbed
Kiss a frog and then dissect
Gotta find out what's inside
But you can have my bad side too
Anything you wanna do
Sugar, anything you wanna do
And if you want to be common
I can claim that I tamed you
A demigod in a bonnet
They're gonna know it ain't true
And yes, you are king David's star
And the crescent moon, and the crescent moon
You must sweep the Bodhi tree
I sit beneath, oh I sit beneath
You can wear your new white shoes
In the dirty afternoon
Walking through the traffic fumes
A flower in your hair
And I will swing upon your moods
Anytime you want me to
Just tell me what you wanna do
Anything you wanna do
Lover, anything you wanna do
Lover, anything you wanna do
Lyrics submitted by jethrothekid, edited by minuette
White Shoes Lyrics as written by Conor M Oberst
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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walkin' past the stay-drunk stoop
He had a great set-up for this song in concert...
"I need a favor from the lighting person. I want you to make it real dark ... and I'll return the favor."
And then the lights go red, he plays the intro, and everyone gets chills.
Hey, did he happen to play any bright eyes songs?? I FINALLY get to see him in July and I'm incredibly excited but dying to know if he will play any bright eyes stuff!
nah he won't. I've been to a bunch of shows and have heard about a bunch of other shows, he sticks to Mystic Valley songs.
did you happen to see him in columbus ohio?
did you happen to see him in columbus ohio?
@Way_AE That sounds so beautiful. I saw him in Nov 2016... still kicking ass. It was the first time I heard this song... a great way to first fall for a song.<br /> I just wrote down in my phone so I could remember later, "lover anything you wanna do."
this song stands out on the album, one of the softest, most sincere, relaxed & heartfelt songs i have heard... it is deeply romantic to the point that it is just a mood- timeless
What album is this on? I have just come across it on Youtube as a live recording. I have all his albums (I thought) and have not heard this on an album.
What album is this on? I have just come across it on Youtube as a live recording. I have all his albums (I thought) and have not heard this on an album.
kiss a frog and then dissect
it's "you, my sweet, the bodhi tree i sit beneath, i sit beneath"
yeah, it's definitely Bodhi and not "Bowdhi" (wth is that?)
while it's definitely "bodhi" tree, i'm not 100% sure it's "you, my sweet", although that was my initial reaction. when i listen to it with my speakers on full blast, i hear "you must sweep", and i must say, that actually makes sense if you put the reference into context. however, it also does sound like "my sweet". shrugs
now that i've listened to it a few more times full blast, i'd actually have to take back that last comment. it does, in fact, sound like "my sweet". :)
Sure, anything you want to do
i think its 'Sugar, anything you want to do'
I think this is him telling this person that he loves them and accepts whatever they want to do or whatever path in life that they choose to take. And whatever they want to do, he's okay with it.
This song is absolutely beautiful and at the show my friend went to he said Conor started crying halfway through the song, so maybe it's a bit deeper than I explained it above.
"You can paint your nails lime green Rent yourself a limousine Kidnap the professors niece Tell 'em that she's dead We'll party in a hotel room Anything you wanna do Sister, anything you wanna do"
New words to live by.
I think this is a person he feels like he's losing, to keep them around he just goes anything you wanna do anything for you to stick around. It could also be someone he wants to help. I dunno haha. It's a really lovely song, also really sad.
This song is actually called "White Shoes"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_South