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 can't let you be, cause your beauty won't allow me
Wrapped in white sheets,
Like an angel from a bedtime story
And shut out what they say,
'Cause your friends are fucked up anyway
And when they come around,
Somehow they feel up and you feel down.
When we were kids, we hated things our parents did
We listened low to Casey Kasem's radio show
That's when friends were nice,
To think of them just makes you feel nice
The smell of grass in spring
And October leaves cover everything.
[Repeat: x2]
Have you forgotten how to love yourself?
I can't believe all the good things that you do for me
Sat back in a chair like a princess from a faraway place
Nobody's nice, when you're older your heart turns to ice
And shut out what they say;
They're too dumb to mean it anyway
When we were kids, we hated things our sisters did
Backyard summer pools and Christmases were beautiful
And the sentiment of coloured mirrored ornaments
And the open drapes
Look out on frozen farmhouse landscapes
[Repeat: x6]
Have you forgotten how to love yourself?
Wrapped in white sheets,
Like an angel from a bedtime story
And shut out what they say,
'Cause your friends are fucked up anyway
And when they come around,
Somehow they feel up and you feel down.
When we were kids, we hated things our parents did
We listened low to Casey Kasem's radio show
That's when friends were nice,
To think of them just makes you feel nice
The smell of grass in spring
And October leaves cover everything.
[Repeat: x2]
Have you forgotten how to love yourself?
I can't believe all the good things that you do for me
Sat back in a chair like a princess from a faraway place
Nobody's nice, when you're older your heart turns to ice
And shut out what they say;
They're too dumb to mean it anyway
When we were kids, we hated things our sisters did
Backyard summer pools and Christmases were beautiful
And the sentiment of coloured mirrored ornaments
And the open drapes
Look out on frozen farmhouse landscapes
[Repeat: x6]
Have you forgotten how to love yourself?
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i particularly question the line "hated things our parents did" i think it can be interpreted as they hated the same things as their parents. like influecned. rather than the parents actions. like listening casey kasem for instance.
Yes, I love the ambiguity in this line. Whether intentionally or not, Kozelek has written a line that can simultaneously be interpreted two ways that mean completely the opposite of each other. As we grow from teenagers into adults, isn't it true that we move from hating our parents' actions to hating the same things they hate?