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.
Now I have a friend named Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla
And I could say that "Rufus found a kangaroo
That followed Rufus home
And now that kangaroo belongs
To Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla"
Whew! I could say that, but I don't have to!
Because I got pronouns, I can say
"He found a kangaroo that followed him home
And now it is his"
You see, "he", "him" and "his" are pronouns
Replacing the noun "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla"
A very proper noun
And "it" is a pronoun replacing the noun "kangaroo"!
Now comma
Now Rufus has a sister named Rafaella Gabriela Sarsaparilla
If she found a kangaroo I'd say to you
"She found a kangaroo that followed her home
And now it is hers"
But I can't say that
Because she found an aardvark
That fell in love with her and they're so happy
And my name is Albert Andreas Armadillo
Because of pronouns I can say
"I wish she would find a rhinoceros for me
And we'd be happy"
You see, a pronoun was made to take the place of a noun
Because saying all those nouns over and over
Can really wear you down
Now I could tell you "Rafaella Gabriela
and Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla and
Albert Andreas Armadillo found
An aardvark, a kangaroo and a rhinoceros
And now that aardvark and that kangaroo
And that rhinoceros belong respectively to:
Rafaella Gabriela Sarsaparilla
And Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla
And Albert Andreas Armadillo"
Whew! Because of pronouns I can say, in this way
"We found them and they found us
And now they are ours and we're so happy!"
You see, a pronoun was made to take the place of a noun
Because saying all those nouns over and over
Can really wear you down
Sometimes when we take them all on the bus
People really raise a fuss
They start shouting out loud pronouns at us, like:
"Who brought that rhinoceros on the bus?" and
"What made that horrible noise?" and
"Which one of them's getting off first?"
"Who", "what" and "which" are special pronouns
That can ask a question
In the sense where you do not know the name of the noun
But I know!
I have mine and she has hers and he has his
Do you have yours?
They love us and we love them
What's ours is theirs, that's how it is with friends
And pronouns, you are really friends, yeah!
Because saying all those nouns over and over
Can really wear you down
And I could say that "Rufus found a kangaroo
That followed Rufus home
And now that kangaroo belongs
To Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla"
Whew! I could say that, but I don't have to!
Because I got pronouns, I can say
"He found a kangaroo that followed him home
And now it is his"
You see, "he", "him" and "his" are pronouns
Replacing the noun "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla"
A very proper noun
And "it" is a pronoun replacing the noun "kangaroo"!
Now comma
Now Rufus has a sister named Rafaella Gabriela Sarsaparilla
If she found a kangaroo I'd say to you
"She found a kangaroo that followed her home
And now it is hers"
But I can't say that
Because she found an aardvark
That fell in love with her and they're so happy
And my name is Albert Andreas Armadillo
Because of pronouns I can say
"I wish she would find a rhinoceros for me
And we'd be happy"
You see, a pronoun was made to take the place of a noun
Because saying all those nouns over and over
Can really wear you down
Now I could tell you "Rafaella Gabriela
and Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla and
Albert Andreas Armadillo found
An aardvark, a kangaroo and a rhinoceros
And now that aardvark and that kangaroo
And that rhinoceros belong respectively to:
Rafaella Gabriela Sarsaparilla
And Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla
And Albert Andreas Armadillo"
Whew! Because of pronouns I can say, in this way
"We found them and they found us
And now they are ours and we're so happy!"
You see, a pronoun was made to take the place of a noun
Because saying all those nouns over and over
Can really wear you down
Sometimes when we take them all on the bus
People really raise a fuss
They start shouting out loud pronouns at us, like:
"Who brought that rhinoceros on the bus?" and
"What made that horrible noise?" and
"Which one of them's getting off first?"
"Who", "what" and "which" are special pronouns
That can ask a question
In the sense where you do not know the name of the noun
But I know!
I have mine and she has hers and he has his
Do you have yours?
They love us and we love them
What's ours is theirs, that's how it is with friends
And pronouns, you are really friends, yeah!
Because saying all those nouns over and over
Can really wear you down
Lyrics submitted by manprettys_panties
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