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.
In the middle of a house
In the middle of nowhere
Bodies glide
From room to room
Well, I hate these walls
They speak to me
Hey, skin like a doll
You're no friend of the family
Catch that light, yeah
It falls in subtle patterns
It crawls in and tells them
When their time is up
And when it's over
He takes her hand
And he kisses her cheek
She's a doll, oh yeah she's his spitting image
Where have you gone?
You're still a part of me
Hey, skin like a doll
You're no friend of the family
Catch that light, yeah
It falls in subtle patterns
It crawls in and tells them
When their time is up
When it's over
When it's over
When it's over
Now it's over
Now it's over
Yeah
Catch that light, yeah
It falls in subtle patterns
It crawls in and tells them
When their time is up
When it's over
Where have you gone
You're still a part of me
In the middle of nowhere
Bodies glide
From room to room
Well, I hate these walls
They speak to me
Hey, skin like a doll
You're no friend of the family
Catch that light, yeah
It falls in subtle patterns
It crawls in and tells them
When their time is up
And when it's over
He takes her hand
And he kisses her cheek
She's a doll, oh yeah she's his spitting image
Where have you gone?
You're still a part of me
Hey, skin like a doll
You're no friend of the family
Catch that light, yeah
It falls in subtle patterns
It crawls in and tells them
When their time is up
When it's over
When it's over
When it's over
Now it's over
Now it's over
Yeah
Catch that light, yeah
It falls in subtle patterns
It crawls in and tells them
When their time is up
When it's over
Where have you gone
You're still a part of me
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The church bells/guitar comment is interesting. My buddy and I have two different ideas as to what this song is about that neither one of us is convinced about but still enjoy.
The song is about a girl who has died and is a ghost(bodies glide from room to room/hey skin like a doll) and who's lover or father is tortured constantly while in the house (I hate these walls... they speak to me). She only appears in the dark and is chased away by the falling light (Catch that light, it falls in subtle patters, crowds in and tells them when their time is up and when it's over).
The song is about a single-father who's daughter has run away from home and become a prostitute in defiance of him (maybe he molested her). In this case the "catch that light" line refers to the morning light sneaking through the curtains of some cheap hourly-rated motel and telling her customers when it's time to go.
Hey who knows right?.... Great song though!
I've always had a very different take on this song than any of the comments posted. I have always thought this song was about an unplanned pregnancy. The "protagonist" of the song is the child's mother, and possibly a young teenager. The song is about her bonding with the child, who she has to give up after she's born, because of her family.
Here's a breakdown of the lyrics, with this interpretation:
In the middle of a house, In the middle of nowhere, Bodies glide from room to room. //Possibly refers to apprehension of family members. I hate these walls, They speak to me. //refers to the walls of the womb, and the fetus's perturbation or confusion at the hostility directed at it and its mother from the outside.
Hey skin like a doll, You're no friend of the family. //Babies have smooth, doll-like skin, and the aforementioned family of the girl doesn't welcome the baby, and makes the girl give her up for adoption. Catch that light, It falls in suble patterns. It crawls in and tells them when their time is up And when it's over. //The birth of the child. The light which enters the womb, signifying the end of the pregnancy, and the end of the relationship between the baby and her biological parents. He takes her hand, And he kisses her cheek She's a doll, oh yeah She's his spitting image. //The biological father's (boyfriend's?) first and last interaction with his child, before she's put up for adoption. Where have you gone? You're still a part of me. //The mother wondering what became of her daughter, whom she had bonded with during the pregnancy.
Tell me what you think...
awesome interpretation i never ever saw it that way and to have the idea even if all these others are way closer has just made this song that much more amazing
I rode in the back of a pickup with ex-bassist Lisa Umbarger after a Toadies show in Austin, TX. I asked her what "Dollskin" was about and she said it was based on a dream that Todd had. She went into some detail about his dream, like Todd was in a house with ghosts and something about a mirror.
Anyways, that was the basis of the song. I'm not sure about a lot of the previous interpretations.
This song has always personally symbolized the end of the Toadies in 2001.
But that was 2001. Now it's 2008 and The Toadies are really back!! Hooray!!
However, I sure do miss Lisa. She'll always be my favorite rockgirl!
Yeah, there are some messed up interpretations of this song, although I can't blame people given the theme of so many other Toadies tunes.<br /> <br /> My first impression was that this was about ghosts in some way (as mentioned by DrRock), but it seems kind of literal. Regardless of all that, I find it to be their most beautiful song.
@DrRock <br /> I always associate this with the Death of the Toadies as well.<br /> <br /> ... and now it's over...
I hope someone knows the meaning of this song b/c I don't have a clue, but my first guess would be about some guy who molestes his daughter or something, I'm sorry if that sounds fucked up, but so are a lot of the Toadies' songs, either way, I still think this is one of the Toadies far best, It's so amazingly powerful, and no one else could ever sing it like Todd, I can only listen to this song when i'm in a bad mood or a bit depressed b/c it always brings me down, but at least it makes you feel something, nothing like a lot of shit music that's out there... no offense, but the only good rap song is "Gangsta's Paradise" and N'sync, backstreet boys, and any other boy pop bands should never have been formed, and despite Britney Spear's hottness, her music sucks ass too... what are these people doing to music? no wonder so many people have to skip back a generation or two to listen to top quality music, with an exception of a few bands... sorry for getting off topic, but it's true...
I got it...it's like this guy who killed his faimly cause he hated them. (as uausl, don't we all?) Or maybe this guy got his girlfriend pregnant adn he killed her (uh..maybe he was a serial killer?) and he's talking about how bueatiful she is...Okay got my 2 bucks in..
i think this song is about a boy that is remembering his sister who killed herself because she was depressed. the whole doll skin reference could be used as a metaphor for her poor self esteem and demons that live within her own head that made her want to die. this is fer sure what i think this song is about.
i love the toadies
where are the toadies from?
The Toadies are from Tyler, Texas. It is near Possum Kingdom Lake.
They're from Ft. Worth, TX. Anyone with a map can see Tyler, TX and Possum Kingdom Lake aren't near each other.
I dont know.. but when it says "She's a doll, oh yeah She's his spitting image. " It makes me think he's talking about his daughter. Maybe she died? I have no clue. But this song does make you feel something thats for sure.
the toadies are from ft worth texas my hometown and they started out at Ridglea theater
The Toadies are from Tyler, Texas. It is near Possum Kingdom Lake.