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Red Lyrics
Red is my favorite color
Red like your mother's eyes after a while
Of crying about how you don't love her
She says, "I know I don't deserve
Supervised sight of her
But each day becomes a blur without my daughter"
Fall is my favorite season
Like falling to reasoning why you crashed from on high
She says, "Why is my life so uneven
And what have I done right
But given you your life
If after I led you on into that bar room?"
"Yes" is my favorite answer
I took a dancer home, she felt so alone
We stayed up all night in the kitchen
Doing my dishes, on and on until the dawn
She said, "I know that it's easy to have me
But I have seen some things
That I cannot even tell to my family pictures
And I'm full of fictions and fucking addictions
And I miss my mother"
She'll never know I could never forget her
If I could write her a letter, I'd try with every line
To say, "She still remembers your touch
And I know that it's not much
But you still haven't lost her"
Red like your mother's eyes after a while
Of crying about how you don't love her
She says, "I know I don't deserve
Supervised sight of her
But each day becomes a blur without my daughter"
Like falling to reasoning why you crashed from on high
She says, "Why is my life so uneven
And what have I done right
But given you your life
If after I led you on into that bar room?"
I took a dancer home, she felt so alone
We stayed up all night in the kitchen
Doing my dishes, on and on until the dawn
She said, "I know that it's easy to have me
But I have seen some things
That I cannot even tell to my family pictures
And I'm full of fictions and fucking addictions
And I miss my mother"
If I could write her a letter, I'd try with every line
To say, "She still remembers your touch
And I know that it's not much
But you still haven't lost her"
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This song is the total opposite from lovely and happy. What are you talking about? (Or did I miss the irony.) Anyway, great explanation to one of the best songs ever.
the mom feels guilty for not raising her daughter right, and thinks she introduced her daughter to they lifestyle she is living in now. He takes the dancer home and she tells him how her life is hard and she misses her mom no matter what her upbringing was like she still loves her. he wishes he could write the girl telling her her mother probably misses her as much as she misses her mother. he does not tell the girl that, he simply says he wants to tell her. it is a sad song with a happy idea...bringing a mother and daughter back togther.
It doesn't sound as though the mother raised her much to me. "I know I don't deserve supervised sight of her." Maybe the stanzas are taking place at different periods in time?
It doesn't sound as though the mother raised her much to me. "I know I don't deserve supervised sight of her." Maybe the stanzas are taking place at different periods in time?
My understanding is that this song is a about Shannon Wilsey (the American porn star known as Savannah) written from/ about the perspective of her mother. This would be the third song by Okkervil River about the deceased former adult film star (the others being "Savannah Smiles" (from the Father's perspective) and "Starry Stairs" (from her own perspective).
That would make this the first song about Shannon Wilsey, not the third.
That would make this the first song about Shannon Wilsey, not the third.
I noticed that it was mentioned on Shannon Wilsey's wikipedia article that this song (along with the other two) are about her. Does anyone have a link to an interview or similar source saying that this is true?
I noticed that it was mentioned on Shannon Wilsey's wikipedia article that this song (along with the other two) are about her. Does anyone have a link to an interview or similar source saying that this is true?
Well of course it's not the third about Shannon Wilsey, which is exactly why "alost" says it's the third about deceased former adult film starts!
Well of course it's not the third about Shannon Wilsey, which is exactly why "alost" says it's the third about deceased former adult film starts!
Please don't correct people on things they haven't said.
Please don't correct people on things they haven't said.
This is a very beautiful song. I reacted to one thing, just like their song "black", this song is also named by a colour and both of them have the same theme about ruined family relationships.
Interesting idea. "Yellow" is sort of like that too, but about a failing romantic relationship and the unconditional support and love of family. In "Black", I can't imagine much family love, but considering that the daughter forgives her father, maybe that is so. And "Grey" aka "Savannah Smiles" is a similar theme to "Red", but with the father feeling confused as to his daughter's becoming involved in such business, opposed to the mother feeling responsible for it in "Red", whether "Red" is about Shannon Wilsey or not...which I doubt was the intention when it was written, but I don't know....
Interesting idea. "Yellow" is sort of like that too, but about a failing romantic relationship and the unconditional support and love of family. In "Black", I can't imagine much family love, but considering that the daughter forgives her father, maybe that is so. And "Grey" aka "Savannah Smiles" is a similar theme to "Red", but with the father feeling confused as to his daughter's becoming involved in such business, opposed to the mother feeling responsible for it in "Red", whether "Red" is about Shannon Wilsey or not...which I doubt was the intention when it was written, but I don't know.
How has no one commented on this?
This is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. The lyrics are amazing, and the music fits so tightly with the theme. SUCH an amazing song.
i agree with HellaGayFag. beautiful song.
yeah its pretty amazing...i need someone who can write me some Okkervil type songs...
This song is so beautiful, its such a lovely happy song after all the other sad depressing okkervil river ones.
Anyway I thought the meaning was pretty self explanitory, like, it's about a guy who takes a girl home and her life is pretty messed up and she feels distant from her mother, and her mother also feels like she's distant from her daughter, and he basically tells her that they havent forgotten eachother.
I didnt explain that very well, but yeah.
God I love this song.
Plus it is a waltz, and who doesn't love a good waltz?
First of all it is not a happy song. Blom got it pretty close, but he is saying he wishes he could tell them that they haven't forogt each other, which implies he did not tell them.