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.
You say I only hear what I want to
You say I talk so all the time so.
And I thought what I felt was simple,
And I thought that I don't belong,
And now that I am leaving,
Now I know that I did something wrong 'cause I missed you.
Yeah, I missed you.
And you say I only hear what I want to:
I don't listen hard,
I don't pay attention to the distance that you're running
Or to anyone, anywhere,
I don't understand if you really care,
I'm only hearing negative: no, no, no (bad)
And so I, I turned the radio on, I turned the radio up
And this woman was singin' my song:
The lover's in love and the other's run away,
The lover is cryin' 'cause the other won't stay.
Some of us hover when we weep for the other who was
Dying since the day they were born.
Well, this is not that:
I think that I'm throwing, but I'm thrown.
And I thought I'd live forever, but now I'm not so sure.
You try to tell me that I'm clever,
But that won't take my anyhow, or anywhere with you.
You said that I was naive,
And I thought that I was strong.
I thought, "hey, I can leave, I can leave."
Oh but now I know that I was wrong, 'cause I missed you.
You said, "I caught you 'cause I want you and one day I'll let you go."
You try to give away a keeper, or keep me 'cause you know you're just so scared to lose.
And you say, "Stay."
You say I only hear what I want to.
You say I talk so all the time so.
And I thought what I felt was simple,
And I thought that I don't belong,
And now that I am leaving,
Now I know that I did something wrong 'cause I missed you.
Yeah, I missed you.
And you say I only hear what I want to:
I don't listen hard,
I don't pay attention to the distance that you're running
Or to anyone, anywhere,
I don't understand if you really care,
I'm only hearing negative: no, no, no (bad)
And so I, I turned the radio on, I turned the radio up
And this woman was singin' my song:
The lover's in love and the other's run away,
The lover is cryin' 'cause the other won't stay.
Some of us hover when we weep for the other who was
Dying since the day they were born.
Well, this is not that:
I think that I'm throwing, but I'm thrown.
And I thought I'd live forever, but now I'm not so sure.
You try to tell me that I'm clever,
But that won't take my anyhow, or anywhere with you.
You said that I was naive,
And I thought that I was strong.
I thought, "hey, I can leave, I can leave."
Oh but now I know that I was wrong, 'cause I missed you.
You said, "I caught you 'cause I want you and one day I'll let you go."
You try to give away a keeper, or keep me 'cause you know you're just so scared to lose.
And you say, "Stay."
You say I only hear what I want to.
Lyrics submitted by lorienmarene, edited by ShadeBlade
Stay Lyrics as written by Lisa A. Loeb
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I have to say, that the errors in these lyrics can change the entire meaning of the song, such as who is speaking when and to whom.
youtube.com/watch
The correct lyrics at the end are:
You said, You caught me 'cause you want me and one day you'll let me go You tried to give away a keeper, or keep me 'cause you know you're just so scared to lose.
And you say, "Stay"
And you say, I only hear what I want to...
If the quotation marks SHOULD be there, then HE is saying that SHE caught him and one day will "let him go", as in leave him.
Without the quotation marks SHE is saying that HE said he caught her but will one day let her go, as in not ask her to "stay"
If the entire section was her quoting him, and it was all in quotation marks, it would make more sense, as he never tried to "give away a keeper". SHE is the one leaving and coming back, and HE is the one asking her to "Stay" IE She caught HIM, one day she will let HIM go, she tried to give away a keeper, or maybe she won't leave because SHE "is just so scared to lose"
It could also that only the second part should be in quotes, were he said he caught her because he wanted her, but one day if she keeps leaving he won't ask for her to stay, and HE is then telling her that SHE might try and give away a keeper or might stay because she is so scared to lose and be alone.
There is not much point having a web site discussing the meaning of song lyrics if the posted lyrics are incorrect. And having quotation marks in the wrong pace makes it a bit of a mess.