| Built to Spill – Carry the Zero Lyrics | 2 months ago |
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Truthfully, this is most definitely about a friendship. It starts with "Took it with you/ When you moved and got it broke/ Found the pieces/ We counted them all alone/ Didn't add up/ Forgot to carry a zero." What I think this is saying is that this friend of yours, for example, did something that's slowly tearing apart this friendship, but you guys are still in this friendship together because of the lyrics "Found the pieces we counted them all alone." But then a realization kicks in where something in this relationship/friendship isn't adding up. When you and your friend forget to "carry the zero," something that would keep this friendship intact, the friendship starts to fail in a sense (but later on in the song you realize that carrying a zero is impossible). Next is "I can't be your apologist very long," meaning that you can't be making excuses for them (your friend) anymore for what they are doing, which could be constantly making excuses or flaking on things, etc. The next lyric I wanna talk about is "Like they're waiting for your guard to fall/ So they can see it all and you're so/ Occupied with what other persons are /Occupied with/ And vice versa," which I think is basically saying that this person (friend) is putting up a facade or a mask that's covering up who they truly are, but they are so worried that people won't like them for who they are, which is why they are occupied with what people are occupied with. And then because your friend is so insecure and a people-pleaser, they move from being friends with you, to then being with the people they have always made fun of -- fake people --> "And you've become what you thought was dumb a fraction of the sum." The "fraction of the sum" part is referring to this friend not being themselves and someone who is so vain and careless that they themselves have become so small. Because this friend is a manipulator (people-pleaser), you are thinking that you did something wrong, hence the lyric "I was trying to help but I guess I pushed too hard." This friend has made you believe that you are part of the problem, but in reality, they were going to become this person no matter what. |
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