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"
Just the mentioning of, such a simple phrase
Are we passengers on separated trains?
Take the mask off, when you speak to me
And I'm alright to go on, it's the little things
But anymore, you've become
Ethereal to everyone
To everyone
I'm reeling in the long day getting behind it
Why didn't I think "What in the world?"
It really took a tall one to see it
Two to believe it
Three to just get in the way (ooh)
All your life to think of, what a mess you made
Dig a hole in the ground, for your wedding ring
Rainmaker call, throw your hammer down
And everything that I know, can't remember now
Anymore, you've become
Inherent of another one
Another one
I'm reeling in the long days, getting behind
Why didn't I think "What in the world?"
It really took a tall one to see it
Two to believe it
Three to just get in the way
I'm reeling in the long days, getting behind
Why didn't I think "What in the world?"
It really took a tall one to see it
Two to believe it
Three to just get in the way (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Are we passengers on separated trains?
Take the mask off, when you speak to me
And I'm alright to go on, it's the little things
But anymore, you've become
Ethereal to everyone
To everyone
I'm reeling in the long day getting behind it
Why didn't I think "What in the world?"
It really took a tall one to see it
Two to believe it
Three to just get in the way (ooh)
All your life to think of, what a mess you made
Dig a hole in the ground, for your wedding ring
Rainmaker call, throw your hammer down
And everything that I know, can't remember now
Anymore, you've become
Inherent of another one
Another one
I'm reeling in the long days, getting behind
Why didn't I think "What in the world?"
It really took a tall one to see it
Two to believe it
Three to just get in the way
I'm reeling in the long days, getting behind
Why didn't I think "What in the world?"
It really took a tall one to see it
Two to believe it
Three to just get in the way (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
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I agree, everytime I hear it I just die inside.
I also love the line 'take your mask off, when you speak to me'
I think the overall message of this is something along the lines of a change for the worse.
It really took a tall one to see it two to believe it three to just get in the way
If he is indeed saying 'tall" one and not toll, he is probably sitting down and having a 'tall one' which is an alcoholic beverage, and then 2 drinks to believe it, and finally 3 drinks to get in the way of a rational conclusion. Just a thought.
that hook is so great.
it really took a tall one to see it two to believe it three to just get in the way
awesome.
This song is this album's ISLANDS ON THE COAST, with really hard to hear lyrics.
Line 1 could end simple THING not phrase?? Line 5 could be ANIMAL rather than anymore??
I think the chorus says LONG day, not wrong day - but well done for getting the rest of the chorus - brilliant!
It's definitely are you ALIVE to think of in verse 2.
Nice one for posting these, what a fabulous song!
OK, i've relistened and apart from ANIMAL and LONG DAYS, I think all your lyrics are right!
Hey, thanks for the help. <br /> <br /> I still think it might be anymore, but I do agree long day probably makes more sense so I'm going to change that one up. <br /> <br /> I think it's All your life still also - listen to the repeating background voice for clarification. I'll have to check the lyrics booklet when the album comes out to know for sure. <br /> <br /> Thanks for trying to help though - this is definitely a tough one in parts.
Having got the album today guess what...no lyrics!
i hope it doesn't say animal but i can't tell.<br /> <br /> at first i thought it said "are you allowed to think of what a mess you made" but it sounds like all your life now.<br /> <br /> i'm dying to know what the ??? is before the first chorus. seems crucial to the song. she's become a what to everyone?!<br /> <br /> to me it's about a relationship that has just ended. and he feels at least somewhat vindicated to have ended it and maybe he wonders what took him so long to do it.<br /> <br /> <br /> blue beard is my favorite off the new album but i can't stop listening to this song.
I always hear (in the chorus) "it really took a TOLL. one, to see it. two, to believe it. three, to just get in the way"
A ??? to everyone
I think he is saying
A VARIABLE to everyone
kinda sounds like 'parable' which would make sense
@RichBOH: This hook is tremendously sweet @xocouturecouture: This is about change for the worse, hence a dirge of sorts
My interpretation is as follows:
Just the mentioning of, such a simple phrase. Are we passengers on separated trains?
[Two people are headed in different directions]
Take the mask off, when you speak to me.
[He'd prefer if she'd quit the facade or any pretense at this juncture]
And I'm alright to go on, it's the little things.
[He's satisfied now that honesty has finally been established between the two, and sardonically descrbies it as a little thing, even though it's truly a big thing in any relationship]
But anymore, you've become. A ??? to everyone. To everyone.
[From this point forward she's something to everyone, what that something is has yet to be determined as this word is unintelligible]
I'm reeling in the long day getting behind (?)
[He's staggering at what has become of their relationship]
Why didn't i think "what in the world?"
[How did he not see it coming?]
It really took a tall one to see it Two to believe it Three to just get in the way
[One would need to be rather keen to anticipate this betrayal or end of this relationship, and either one couldn't trust one's own senses and needed a second opinion or the two of them needed to agree that it was over before he could accept it, and a third party somehow was involved to botch things, either a lover or a divorce attorney]
All your life to think of, what a mess you made.
[Introspection about one's past mistakes in love]
Dig a hole in the ground, for your wedding ring.
[This is clearly about a marriage now, and the ring is now a worthless reminder so let's bury it]
Rainmaker call, throw your hammer down.
[Divorce for many men is about losing everything, especially their financial security. For women it's about winning the lottery in that way. Hence the rainmaker reference and the hammer coming down]
And everything that I know, can't remember now.
[He can't think straight since his world and everything he knew is crumbling and has been obliterated]
Anymore, you've become. Inherent of another one. Another one.
[She's like many that have come before and many will follow the same path]
Any comments are appreciated
And then it just came to me!! ..........
Any more, you've become a CRIMINAL to everyone.
Just love this song, perfect pop with a great lyric, killer chorus, nice one Tyler
Great call, it's definitely criminal now that I re-listen and keep in mind the context of the line. <br /> <br /> Still not sure what he's reeling in though... and if it's getting him high or behind. Oh well, close enough. Great song either way.
I don't hear the requisite syllables for anything close to criminal, eg, no distinct 'n' or nuh sound, more like 'parable' or 'apparent though'...
@poet............. [One would need to be rather keen to anticipate this betrayal or end of this relationship, and either one couldn't trust one's own senses and needed a second opinion or the two of them needed to agree that it was over before he could accept it, and a third party somehow was involved to botch things, either a lover or a divorce attorney]
Like that staged conversation was not obvious!!!!! What a piece of shit!!!!!!!! Betrayal
@poet, your analysis is kind of ridiculous. This is a simple pop song, and your explanations are mostly of extremely simple sentences. Somehow though, you completely missed the point of the chorus. A "tall one" is a beer. It took one beer to see the problem, two beers to believe it, and three to make him angry. No divorce attorneys.