What Happens When The Heart Just Stops

I think this is one of The Frames' best songs. But what I like even more than the song is the live intros to the songs, where the lead singer talks about what the song's about.
I have heard two. In the first he says: "this is a song about anyone who has been in a relationship, and at some point they have overfelt, and this is a song about overfeeling, being totally crazy about someone, being with someone for years and then something strange shifts, and it goes from being in love to sorta, this weird obsessive patch where you want them to know how much you love them all the time and more importantly you want to know how much they love you every 5 minutes. and you're veering towards cliff and you know that you you've been with this person for years but you know that within the next couple of weeks she's gonna turn to you and say, "sorry dude but you're a psycho." and for whatever reason you stick your hands together and you pray to whatever and you say please turn this ****ing thing off, it's hurting me . . . you wanna turn this thing off and make it stop and one day you wake up and your wish is granted and you're as cold as a dead fish, it's the irony, beautiful irony, or tragic irony that your girlfriend finds you really attractive now 'cause you're distant and aloof, and. . .and it's totally lost to you because you don't care, and it's not like you're playing a game because you're not. so this song's about that."

I'll post what he says in the other live version I've heard.

This is what Glen says at the beginning of another live version, much like what Baizer posted:

"This song is about...em...em...waking up in under a bush in your ex-girlfirends garden....this is a song aobut getting drunk and forgetting that you don't go out with her anymore...forgetting that she doesn't love you anymore..so...em..so...ah...this is about...(he becomes stuck on his words and the audience laugh)...needing, this is about being, wanting too much, wanting to be close to someone too much...wanting to know where they are all the time and when they're going out you're like...where are you going? or what time will you be back? or i'll come with you. and its about trying to do the right thing, trying to withdraw so that you don't love so much, trying to go...ok. and in doing so, something inside you just dies, and you turn off...and then, and like all things in life she falls in love with you and you don't care. and its a song of hope."

Ah I long to see them again, seeing them live is like being massaged by angels. Unlike so many of us Irish, the Frames have the courage to express what they feel, they epitomise the purity and fearlessness of the Irish that, over time, has been lost in so many of us. Not afraid to let their guard down, or be vulnerable...they will always remind me of home.

The song starts off with a hushed whisper - a fragile voice that seems unsure of anything but the shattered state of his heart. But slowly this turns around and you can hear a confidence building and a sense of certainty being gained. Even if the confidence and certainty only leads to the realization that he is dissapointed, there is feeling and passion in the voice where there once was none. Seems to be about when the world takes an unexpected change and you're left without feelings, only numbness - the end of a relationship or death or a loved one. I think it's about death with the lyrics about the heart stopping and bereavement - finding a way to go on living after losing someone you never imagined living without.

Not that that's a bad thing.

in other words, a typical song by the frames.

This song is really calming. It makes me feel better than songs about hope. It just seems more honest and relatable. It seems more real than some songs. It's something that I understand.

its such a beautiful song......

The other story about this song, along with the excellent one posted by baizer, is that it's about a dog that used to hang around on the street corner outside Glen's school. the dog was called Deefor. Deefor Dog of course.

Anyway, the dog used to sit there calmly all day everyday, they used to go and play with him, tease him, stroke him whatever, and all the time the dog would just sit there calmly and not bat an eyelid.

However, whenever a white car drove past, the dog would go mad, chasing it, barking, growling. This would only happen with a white car. Usually an estate car.

So Glen and his mates used to think that the dog had been dumped by his owners, and they'd owned a white car. Therefore, the only time the dog felt anything was when he saw a white car, and thought of his ex-owners.

This is great live. However, considering that they (in general) are great live, that doesn't say much.

the way he says "into disappointment, I'm disappointed" is just heartbreaking. One of the most amazing songs i've ever seen performed live. like 'say yes' said, it's just so... comforting and easy to feel.