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.
It's nice and quiet over suburbs of North Jersey. Every night my friends and me would skate through Nichols Park. Never hurt no one just sat around and laughed about the times that past. Same old story in any town the times they go so fast. The title to the world just can't replace the smile on my face. When I know that I'm coming back home to this place. People in this town seem so much meaner. It used to be much cleaner. Make sure you know that the grass is always greener. Weekdays always came and went I felt so robbed. Never seems to stop full-time classes and two jobs. On Friday night we'd hop the path to New York City. We'd end up getting shitty most of which is still a blur to me. The title to the world just can't replace the smile on my face. When I know that I'm coming back home to this place. The people in this town seem so much meaner. It used to be much cleaner. Make sure you know that the grass is always greener. I'm gonna sit here till the sun comes up. I'm gonna think about how I'm down on my luck. I'm cold and there's nothing to do time ain't a threat. All alone in New Jersey on my last cigarette. I'm thinking about you sun's comin' up again. And I never wanted this plain old day to end. My TV can't get the channels. I go to Juan's to watch Sopranos. Twist one up and everything's alright. Looks like I'm leaving here again and all the fun will end. Seems like I'm just a normal guy living a not so normal life. The title to the world just can't replace the smile on my face. When I know I'm coming back home to this place. The people in this town seem so much meaner. It used to be much cleaner. Make sure you know that the grass is always greener. I'm gonna sit here till the sun comes up. I'm gonna thing about how I'm down on my luck. I'm cold and I don't want to go home time ain't a threat. All alone in New Jersey on my last cigarette. I'm thinking about you sun's comin' up again. And I never wanted this plain old day to end.
Lyrics submitted by x_melancholy_x
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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"
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This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
No Surprises
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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'
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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/
This song is about how life can be so great and then you realize you want something more so you leave and when you come back it's different but you still have those amazing memories...New Jersey is like that...