Trailer Trash

you think maybe Isaac is referring to himself? He used to live in a trailer, that's actually where they had band practice. He could be referring to all of the heartaches and hardships he endured as a child, and how angry it makes him to hear others complain about how hard their lives have been. He called them all fakes, and that was the price they had to pay when comparing bellyaches with him. Or, there is even a small possibility that he's talking about some relation, maybe even his mother. She always put on a front, the forks and plates (but nothing to eat), the kids and husband (neglected and divorced, respectively), and the fact that education meant nothing in respect to that family. He condemns the person for being fake and pretending that this was a life worth providing for children and living yourself when in reality all they were and would ever be was merely no-class trailer trash in the eyes of others. It's sad either way you cut it...i have no idea what it means, but I can guess....I guess.

I'm sorry, for what it's worth....but don't depend on me, I'm trailer trash - it's bound to go wrong. Let's just quit while we're ahead because in the end, it'll be nothing but another tally mark on a long list of heartache.

While tripping some acid my girlfriend and I spontaneously burst into tears at the same moment while listening to this amazingly beautiful sad song. No words had been spoken at least 5- 10 minutes prior. The tears were of both joy and sadness.

If my soul could sing it would sound like modest mouse.

It's about heartaches and heartbreaks, and always feeling like the asshole in the end but not wanting to live up to it.... just blaming it on the fact that you're/or always felt like "trailer trash"....which never amounts to anything anyway. Sucking up your pride: "and I guess that I miss you, and I'm sorry if I dissed you." Such an insincerely sincere apology, because Fuckkkk it hurts, but I guess I have no one to blame but myself, because I'm trash and will fuck it all up in the end anyway...always seem to. In the end, that mother fucker has your heart when no one actually should.

I think you guys are taking the lines to literally..

The line, "I hope I can pass high school means nothing." reflects to me the difficulty children of poor families have in school. There are many reasons why children of working class parents do significantly worse than middle class students, and I think this song reflects them very well.

"Short love with a long divorce, And a couple of kids, of course" - Working class families have higher divorce rates, have more children, and marry more often than middle and upper class families, which are covered in the segment in this song ending with "They don't mean anything", because, to a working class family, an additional child or another divorce just doesn't have that much of an effect, where as, in a middle or upper class family, a divorce is financially devastating, and an additional child will add up to hundreds of thousands of extra dollars (assuming they are paying for their college, an assuming a "trailer trash" parent would not have the funds to do so)

This next line: "Taking heartache with hard work, Goddamn I am such a jerk, I can't do anything" reflects how societies view poor families as a complete failure, and how members of the working class internalize the negative views and end up thinking they are worthless pieces of "Trailer Trash"

"And I shout that you're all fakes And you should have seen the look on your face And I guess that's what it takes When comparing your bellyaches" - I think this set of lines is a response to the Rich/middle class people, who he, the "Trailer Trash", is calling fake, because society assumes that "anyone can make it," and the middle class is part of a higher class because THEY worked harder than their working counter part, when those born into the working class have many more barriers to success than those born into the middle class.

Anyways, to me, its a song with very meaningful lyrics, but I've probably imposed a lot of personal bias in my description, as I have taken my courses in sociology especially focusing on Class.

Open Your MINDS. lET IT WHISPER INTO YOUR BRAINS. its NOT JUST ABOUT BEING """TRAILOR TRASH"""" YOU CAN HAVE A MANSION AND BE TRAILOR TRASH. think about the song JUST A LITTLE DEEPER SHIOULD BE AN ALBUM NAME FOR MODEST MOUSE

"Eating snow flakes with plastic forks And a paper plate of course, you think of everything"

People like pretend like they had it rough, even down to the details. (see comparing bellyaches below)

Eating snow with plastic forks is an equivalent to "walking uphill both ways". An exaggeration of personal hardship.

"Short love with a long divorce And a couple of kids of course They don't mean anything"

Probably 1st person experience. He is one of the kids that feels worthless.

"Live in trailers with no class goddamn I hope I can pass high school means nothing Taking heartache with hard work Goddamn I am such a jerk, I can't do anything"

Again 1st person feeling of worthlessness.

"And I shout that you're all fakes And you should have seen the look on your face And I guess that's what it takes When comparing your bellyaches"

Goes back to the first line. People try to claim they had it rough and he calls them out for being fakes.

"And it's been a long time Which agrees with this watch of mine And I guess that I miss you, and I'm sorry if I dissed you"

The song is recalling a story from child hood. Time has passed and he has mixed feelings of regret.

If you haven't listened to Iron Horse version of this song you have no idea how emotional the lyrics actually are.

although i can't really relate to the lyrics much or give them much praise...

this song is amazing nonetheless.

Same with me.

This song is great...Modest Mouse is greatness.