I think the term "Alphabet City or town" implies apathy for where he lives, basically it being so insignificant to him that the people who inhabit it are just seen as initials of the alphabet. People come in alphabetical order. Just another person, they don't matter to him.
I figure that there's a girl he is talking about in particular that he's showing around though this town he despises. He doesn't have feelings for her and nor does she for him. She may be a drug dealer to make the situation even more unhealthy. They are both aware of the fact that this relationship is meaningless. But they are both going along with it. I figure using each other as an escape.
There's a heavy apathy / emptiness implied in both their lives cause firstly they are both seeking an escape but at the same time, the escape itself is meaningless. I can only imagine how lonely that must be. For me, it has to be one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. The harmonica is haunting and just deepens the overall feeling of this song. The thing that is just so genius about Eliott's songwriting is that he implies things that aren't so obvious "told you her name you can't pronounce", "with someone who will hear you say it and just not mind", the idea of "alphabet town". He's not just talking about crying or any other pop cliche lyric that shows sadness. His pain runs deep. Real pain is in the small gestures of carelessness rather than just straightforward pain. This song carries depth and shows or describes a sad situation and the way it makes Elliott feel or not feel. It amazes me.
I think the term "Alphabet City or town" implies apathy for where he lives, basically it being so insignificant to him that the people who inhabit it are just seen as initials of the alphabet. People come in alphabetical order. Just another person, they don't matter to him.
I figure that there's a girl he is talking about in particular that he's showing around though this town he despises. He doesn't have feelings for her and nor does she for him. She may be a drug dealer to make the situation even more unhealthy. They are both aware of the fact that this relationship is meaningless. But they are both going along with it. I figure using each other as an escape.
There's a heavy apathy / emptiness implied in both their lives cause firstly they are both seeking an escape but at the same time, the escape itself is meaningless. I can only imagine how lonely that must be. For me, it has to be one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. The harmonica is haunting and just deepens the overall feeling of this song. The thing that is just so genius about Eliott's songwriting is that he implies things that aren't so obvious "told you her name you can't pronounce", "with someone who will hear you say it and just not mind", the idea of "alphabet town". He's not just talking about crying or any other pop cliche lyric that shows sadness. His pain runs deep. Real pain is in the small gestures of carelessness rather than just straightforward pain. This song carries depth and shows or describes a sad situation and the way it makes Elliott feel or not feel. It amazes me.