| Cold War Kids – First Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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"Cheated and lied, broken so bad" You’re hurt. You feel wronged. The lyrics have a universal theme to them, but the writers and vocalist are male, so for convenience I will refer to the narrator as a he. "You made a vow, never get mad You played the game, though it’s unfair" Narrator is not directing this to his lover. It is directed at everyone, including himself. Angry people don’t succeed in relationships, and one can avoid getting angry in a relationship by never assuming, never demanding. In other words, don’t get too close too fast. But it’s a dangerous game. We’ve all been rejected, and most of us have rejected at least one person in our lives. We are all victims, nobody’s completely innocent. We know there’s no use getting mad about it, we know it’s so often unfair, we vow to rise above it, but we are broken anyway. "They’re all the same, who can compare?" These are the extremes, the two ends of the spectrum. “They’re all the same” means they’re all fish in the sea, and the person in front of you is disposable. “Who can compare” means the person in front of you is a special person beyond compare, to be pursued forever. Most of us have pursued. Most of us have been pursued. We all play the unfair game, and we have experienced both ends of the spectrum. "First you lose trust, then you get worried" Is the other person less interested than you are? Is the other person more inclined to wander? Are you going to lose the game? "Night after night, bar after club Dropping like flies, who woke you up?" Drinking with others. Everybody’s hooking up, passing out, or both. You don’t want to be the only one left without a partner. But then you may wake up later with someone whose name you don’t know. "On the front lawn, sprinklers turn on It’s not your house, where’d you go wrong?" Some nights you’re the one left without a partner despite your best efforts. So you drink more. And then you wake up with a sprinkler whose name you don’t know. "First you get hurt, then you feel sorry" When hurt, we get angry. Angry/hurt people wind up alone. We may also drink a little extra. And we may end up feeling regretful regarding all of the above. "Flying like a cannonball, falling to the earth Heavy as a feather when you hit the dirt How am I the lucky one I do not deserve to wait around forever when you were there first" Highs and lows of romance. Flying high with great momentum, only to fall with similar momentum. Is that the final crash? Grounded forever? Or might you be swept up to fly once again? We're in love now. I’m the lucky one, I put you on a pedestal, I will wait around for you, even as I resent being made to do so. I thought I was the cool one, I thought you were pursuing me, I thought *you* were the lucky one, I thought you were pursuing me, waiting on me. Highs and lows. Also/alternately: Why am I so “lucky” that now is when I had to meet the one for whom I am doomed to wait around? I would prefer to have enjoyed playing the game with other partners first, then finally meet you at a time when you’re ready to match my interest, to live happily ever after with me. "First you get hurt, then you feel sorry" Somebody’s probably going to lose. Maybe both of us. "There comes a time in a short life Turn it around, get a rewrite Call it a dark night of the soul Ticking of clocks, gravity’s pull First you get close, then you get worried" Can we love again after being broken? Can a dead love be revived? We must try. But the closer we get, the greater the risk, and the worry. ". . . You’re growing silent, the silent treatment It’s not inviting now, but don’t deny what you meant" You once engaged. Now you pull away. If it’s because you’re disinterested, don’t deny it, and if it’s because you’re hurt, don’t say you’re disinterested. Both these lies are often told when playing the game. "You get excited, you get excited You got a feeling, oh, at least you can pretend You wanna light it, you wanna light it You wanna light it now, the candle from both ends You get excited, you get excited" You want love. You want love now, even though you’re worried, even though you may end up sorry, even though you’ve given/gotten the silent treatment, even though you’ve been hurt, even though you’ve been broken, even though you resent being the lucky one, or even if you think it's the other person who's lucky to have you, you want to light the candle up, you get excited, you want to light it at both ends. |
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