Sweet And Somber Pigeon Wings

He doesn't have a stepmom. I'm 90% sure of that. My ex-girlfriend has a big family that's very tightknit, and sometimes when someone new comes into this kind of family, they cause drama. This one woman tried to basically "take over" the family and become more popular, like she was ascending in royalty or getting more popular in high school or something. And she disrupted the entire family. This could be what he means, that this woman is crushing the family that he is close to but also feels estranged from (as aron pointed out). I just get the feeling that he is immersed in this family environment, and the line "its beyond my time" makes me think that all the workings of the family go beyond him and his age, like they are too old or complex for him to grasp or for him to really affect. That's kind of how it is in a big family. I really love this song. I think it captures the feeling wonderfully.

And I agree that this CD is amazing, personally "for my brother" or "the 21st would be my favorite(s) on the cd, but this one is up there. I also love the live versions. I like live "Blue Sunshine" better than the album version. Blue October should really try to get this album in stores for easier access for fans. Sometimes people don't get things unless they're right there and they think "what the hell, why not"

Maybe when they get more popular...

OK WTF PEOPLE!?!?! does no one like "The Answers"? This is the best song on the whole thing and the live versions are unbelievable.

The song is simple.

Its about his family that he seems estranged from but he still loves nonetheless and still turns to them for support.

Im thinking he might not like his stepmom....lol

Its about the unconditional love that a child gives his family. He thinks that they are all fighting for him and that he belongs with them. as he matures and becomes aware of himself as an idividual he realizes that they dont really no him. he sees that there is no common ground between him and his family. they seem to over-look the fact that there is no understanding in thier relationship and they can live and even be happy with that. but he cant. he starts to have problems and become more complicated and fucked up because of the web of lies he spins to mask the deep cut in his life given by the ignorance of his family. this web soon becomes a dummy, a life-sized figure of him, there is no room in his family for the true him and the lie. it is now his time to leave. it is now beyond his time to leave.

or maybe thats just my situation. sometimes i mix up my life with justin's past. amazing song. i love the instramental at the end. its almost like the violin and guitar are gracefully fighting over what to do neat. they seem to represent the riseing turmoi in his head. does he break the hearts of his family and live. or does he nicely grow old bald and fat quietly in his mother's basement eating, laughing, and living on que.

What I took from the song was a story about growing. I get the feel that he's singing the praises of his perfect family in the first verse, the second verse is pretty much the same but the middle of it has a hint of bad. And then the thirst verse is all about a family falling apart and changing (Open your eyes... a new song 'cuz the family's wrong, So don't lecture me.) I feel like as he gets older and the family changes, he's realizing they are not perfect.

DISCLAIMER I have just obtained a copy of Justin Furstenfeld's book Crazy Making. It's not very detailed, but it contains all the lyrics to all current (The Answers - Approaching Normal) Blue October songs, and his inspiration behind them. As I said, it's not very detailed, but it's his words on every Blue October song that is in the book. I know everyone interprets a song differently from everyone else, but having the original intent behind the song will be helpful to people who don't fully understand a song. Also, any grammatical errors are not made by me, I'm putting down Justin's words exactly how he writes them. So yea... enjoy :)

Sweet and Somber Pigeon Wings: "My Grandfather's funeral, my first experience with crazy making. I still hate wut she turned my Papa into"

In my humble opinion, "The Answers" is Blue October's best album yet. Every song is so deep and beautiful. Justin's writing is really amazing.

This song is one of my favorites off the album, mainly for the last few lines:

Open your eyes... a new song 'cuz the family's wrong, So don't lecture me. But as far as I can see, the stepmom, yeah the widow's palm is what's crushing me, and this family. It's beyond my time It's beyond my time.

My dad remarried when I first started high school, and she was horrible to me and my younger brother. It seemed like everyone was "lecturing" us on how to get along better with her, but she seemed hellbent on dividing out family.

"It's beyond my time" makes me think of being a kid and not having control over certain circumstances that happen to you. Like the phrase "it's beyond me", which basically means, "it's beyond my understanding" , our family members sometimes do things that don't make any sense. Maybe they don't realize how much it affects other people in the family, especially younger ones who can't fully make decisions for themselves.

Anyway, this is one of the most beautifully written songs I know (besides Blue Sunshine). It really stirs up painful memories for me, but I love listening to it. I've said it before, but Justin is such an amazing writer.