| Elliott Smith – Condor Ave. Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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What an achingly beautiful song. I think it's about the end of a relationship, and the fatal car crash is a symbolic representation of this woman's death to him. Breaking up is like death in a lot of ways: an end, the severing of connection. In live versions Smith changed the line about the cops removing the drunk man's bottle and tipped hat ("That's the one thing that he could never do") to "That's the one thing that I could never do." Elliott Smith was an addict, so this character drinking by the fairground gate that is killed by the woman falling asleep at the wheel could be meant to represent Smith. The woman dies in this accident, as does the man with the bottle between his teeth. I interpret that to mean that they both (Smith and Ex-Girlfriend) might as well be dead, she could be driving away in her Oldsmobile to the moon, because they're no longer together. Even if in reality they're both alive, they're in separate worlds now. But, that's just my opinion. ...God, if this is a true story meant to be interpreted literally, then it's even sadder. This song has completely gripped me; I can't stop listening to it. The lyrics, his voice, the mood created, the story told...he was an amazing, inspiring artist. And his art lives on. I love the moth and lightbulb line-- so clever, and so true. I also love the repeated "It'll make a whisper out of you." Beautiful. Definitely strikes a chord. He put words to that feeling anyone who has lost love has felt, how there is a presence in the negative space, how the missing pieces linger like a whisper. And, of course, the perfect, honest imperfection of the closing paragraph, "What a shitty thing to say, did you really mean it? Never said a word to me about what passed between us. Now I'm leaving you alone, you can do whatever the hell you want to, naaananananana." Shit, I could talk about this song forever, it's like a good piece of literature. Incredibly talented artist. There's a little piece of the world missing with Elliott Smith gone. |
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