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"
Well I don't have as many friends because
I'm not as pretty as I was
I've kicked myself at times because I've lied
So I will have to learn to stand my ground
I'll tell 'em I won't be around
I'll move on over to your town and hide
And you be the captain
And I'll be no one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low
Just like your father
And if I tread upon your feet you just say so
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you, to you
Well I have handed all my efforts in
Searched here for my second wind
Is there somewhere here to let me in I asked
So I slammed the doors they slammed at me
I found the place I'm meant to be
I figured out my destiny at last
And you be the captain
And I'll be no one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low
Just like your father
And if I tread upon your feet you just say so
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you, to you
Did I forget to thank you for the ride
I hadn't tried I tend to runaway and hide
And you be the captain
And I'll be no one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low
Just like your father
And if I tread upon your feet you just say so
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you
'Cause you're the captain, and I am no one
And I owe one to you, to you
I'm not as pretty as I was
I've kicked myself at times because I've lied
So I will have to learn to stand my ground
I'll tell 'em I won't be around
I'll move on over to your town and hide
And you be the captain
And I'll be no one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low
Just like your father
And if I tread upon your feet you just say so
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you, to you
Well I have handed all my efforts in
Searched here for my second wind
Is there somewhere here to let me in I asked
So I slammed the doors they slammed at me
I found the place I'm meant to be
I figured out my destiny at last
And you be the captain
And I'll be no one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low
Just like your father
And if I tread upon your feet you just say so
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you, to you
Did I forget to thank you for the ride
I hadn't tried I tend to runaway and hide
And you be the captain
And I'll be no one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low
Just like your father
And if I tread upon your feet you just say so
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you
'Cause you're the captain, I am no one
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you
'Cause you're the captain, and I am no one
And I owe one to you, to you
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More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Is it me or does the above comment confuse the hell out of you?!??? This is one of my favorite songs of Kaseys. This and "Not Pretty Enough". I recommend downloading this, her voice is incredible and the rthyms are smooth.
The first Kasey song I ever heard, and Ive loved it since day 1... It means heaps, and since im a dumb blonde teenager I cant explain it =/
the captain is a pretty deadly song the song is actually about one of kaseys real life friends whos name was kurt monghetti. her and her boyf went to visit him, and her boyfs dad rang up and he answered the phone as kurt monghetti, wehn her boyf got on the fone he said " who the f*** is captain eddy" the song is basically about kasey wanting kurt to be in the spotlight more than her
yeah this song is shit-hot! this and we're all gonna die fully rock, man! i am so totally getting into country and i can't help it...
I think this song pretty much describes when you're in a relationship with someone you love very much but feel like you're interrupting this person's life just because you're in it, so you just feel guilty for the fact that the other person is not as "happy" as you...
I disagree with the above comments, but that's what makes it fun. I think it sounds sarcastic. The man in question is selfish and needs everything to be about him, so the girl is sort of like "Yeah, sure, I'll let you run my life." I find it to be very passive-aggressive and bitter.
Kasey Chambers is a leading Australian female country artist with a unique voice. The meaning of her songs can be found at aussie-country.com
I have listened to this song over and over again and it finally hit me. "The Captain" is Jesus.
Just letting you know 'The Captain' is not jesus... It's one of her best mates..