Emaline

Great songs let you haer different meanings in them. I hear a song about a man who loves this woman, and she becomes part of a horrible accident that leaves her disabled. For example:

--- "Now, I wish it was last September : We could lose ourselves in crowds everyday : 'Cause Emaline, don't walk in time : She's not the same that's all you can say" --- Sept. was before the accident, when they weren't noticed in crowds. After the accident, Emaline must be disfigured and/or in a wheelchair because people look at them and pick them out in crowds like they are not normal. She'll never walk again, and it has changed her, ie. she is not the same person as before.

--- "I Don't wanna walk away from Emaline" --- Again referencing her being in a wheelchair by using the world 'walk'

--- "They're talking now : Does she know what they're saying? " --- In crowds, you can hear people say things about her, or if it's a small town, you hear the 'that's so-and-so, did you hear what happend to them?'

--- "It only took me one look To understand Emaline : Sometime I don't know what she's saying." --- Again refering to the first impression of her being disabled, and this line suggests that her speach is also affected

--- "Yeah, what advice, girls need attention : Well are you deaf from it all night? : For all it's worth, she's got attention : From people like you who see black and white" --- Deaf refering to when people talk about her as stated above. He mentions that she get's the wrong kind of attention from the people who don't understand, it's the people who look at her in crowds and point her out because of the disability

If you look at it this way, it kind of makes the other lyrics make some more sense. I don't believe this is about a horse! But this is what I see in it. Do you see it too now?

i think way too much debating has gone into this song, most of you have taken these beautiful words and pulled, no shreedded them apart to find some inexplainable deeper meaning or some understanding of the song. who needs to know if it's about a horse? the song wasn't written so you could go in and dissect it, music is not meant to be taken so literaly, this site is about personal interpretations, and this song was meant to express something, whatever it be, and it's purpose of being written was for you as a listener to take something, from an experience, memory or whatever somewhere inside the circle of ben folds five that meant something. find your own god damn personal meaning, don't ask others for what it means and please, dear god please don't destroy beauty by your curiosity.

for all it's worth, this song IS ABSOLUTLY BEAUTIFUL, no matter what it means literally.

take that....take it....let it replace your curiosity, your sadness and your doubt. think with how it feels, not how it was created.

très bonne....

ben folds does it again....this song is amazing

What does it mean though? Who is Emaline and what is this about? :) PM me!

When I listen to the beginning of this song, I always feel like the speaker is talking about a girl who's high maintenance.. "she's dear to me and so expensive".. but as the song goes on.. I kind of think this is another song kind of like "Kate'.. Another song about a girl.. who's so great (although this girl is kind of hard to understand.. sometimes I dont know what she's saying")... he doesnt want to walk away from Emaline.

the live version is awesome

This song is about a horse named Emaline. "Cause Emaline dont walk in time"..."I dont know what shes saying"... And shes expencive; Horses are very expencive to keep.

I've heard it's a horse, too, which would sort of make sense because North Carolina is horse country, but I really want to believe it's not about a horse. These lyrics don't make much sense, though . . . The best version I've heard is on Ben Folds Live. That whole album is worth it just for the way he sings "I'll take you down to see my Emaline."

the ben folds live version is too great. (a big improvement to the ben folds five version). i got the cd a few weeks ago and 'emaline' is my favorite song on it.