In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Pardon me while I burst
Pardon me while I burst
A decade ago
I never thought I would be at twenty-three
On the verge of spontaneous combustion
Woe-is-me
But I guess that it comes with the territory
An ominous landscape of never ending calamity
I need you to hear
I need you to see that I have had all that I can take
And exploding seems like a definite possibility to me
So pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and it's people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same
Not two days ago
I was having a look in a book
And I saw a picture of a guy fried up above his knee
I said, "I can relate," 'cause lately I've been
Thinking of combustication as a welcomed vacation from
The burdens of the planet earth
Like gravity, hypocrisy, and the perils of being in 3-D
But thinking so much differently
Pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and it's people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same
Never be the same, yeah
Pardon me while I burst into flames
Pardon me, pardon me, pardon me
So pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and its people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same
Pardon me, never be the same, yeah
Pardon me while I burst
A decade ago
I never thought I would be at twenty-three
On the verge of spontaneous combustion
Woe-is-me
But I guess that it comes with the territory
An ominous landscape of never ending calamity
I need you to hear
I need you to see that I have had all that I can take
And exploding seems like a definite possibility to me
So pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and it's people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same
Not two days ago
I was having a look in a book
And I saw a picture of a guy fried up above his knee
I said, "I can relate," 'cause lately I've been
Thinking of combustication as a welcomed vacation from
The burdens of the planet earth
Like gravity, hypocrisy, and the perils of being in 3-D
But thinking so much differently
Pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and it's people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same
Never be the same, yeah
Pardon me while I burst into flames
Pardon me, pardon me, pardon me
So pardon me while I burst into flames
I've had enough of the world and its people's mindless games
So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame
Pardon me, pardon me, I'll never be the same
Pardon me, never be the same, yeah
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