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New Thing Now Lyrics
This is your new thing now
Naked as a rose
Everything exposed
But not quite
This is your new thing now
Cards out on the table
A genius with no label
But not quite, not quite
God, I swear it's good to be back home
Waiting for the newest Rolling Stone
All the other girls are still at war
The best and worst of 1994
Sometimes I see the half and not the whole
Sometimes I see the face and not the soul
Sometimes I think this place has no part
For anyone who ever had a heart
This is your new thing now
And it looks so good in print
Just a poet and her pimps
But not quite
This is your new thing now
A prom dress and a sneer
The woman of the year
But not quite, not quite
Gee, it's good to see a dream come true
People smile and bless all over you
Mixing up those latest junkie-isms
With all the pretty terms of religion
And don't you love the leader of the band
Equal parts Butthead and Peter Pan
All the other kids are sad again
A legend's not a legend 'til it ends
This is your new thing now
And it makes the whole world spin
It's as least as old as sin
But not quite
This is your new thing now
And now you're turning grinning
But maybe no one's listening
And you might lose it all my darling, yes you might
This is your new thing now
And it feels so good to doubt you
I could almost live without you
But not quite
Naked as a rose
Everything exposed
But not quite
This is your new thing now
Cards out on the table
A genius with no label
But not quite, not quite
Waiting for the newest Rolling Stone
All the other girls are still at war
The best and worst of 1994
Sometimes I see the half and not the whole
Sometimes I see the face and not the soul
Sometimes I think this place has no part
For anyone who ever had a heart
And it looks so good in print
Just a poet and her pimps
But not quite
This is your new thing now
A prom dress and a sneer
The woman of the year
But not quite, not quite
People smile and bless all over you
Mixing up those latest junkie-isms
With all the pretty terms of religion
And don't you love the leader of the band
Equal parts Butthead and Peter Pan
All the other kids are sad again
A legend's not a legend 'til it ends
And it makes the whole world spin
It's as least as old as sin
But not quite
This is your new thing now
And now you're turning grinning
But maybe no one's listening
And you might lose it all my darling, yes you might
And it feels so good to doubt you
I could almost live without you
But not quite
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Definitely about a prom. I like to think of a mother reflecting on her own life as she watches her daughter grow up.
I think the narrator is just reading the June '94 issue of Rolling Stone. Commenting on the articles, the photos (a prom dress and a sneer), and Kurt Cobain (Gee, it's good to see a dream come true...).
@Rachle I have always thought that verse was a reference to Kurt Cobain. The line, "a legend's not a legend 'til it ends," strikes me as a commentary on his death in 1994 — a couple of years before Shawn Colvin released A Few Small Repairs — as he attained the status of legend within months (or in some circles, hours) after he died.
@Rachle I have always thought that verse was a reference to Kurt Cobain. The line, "a legend's not a legend 'til it ends," strikes me as a commentary on his death in 1994 — a couple of years before Shawn Colvin released A Few Small Repairs — as he attained the status of legend within months (or in some circles, hours) after he died.
Besides..."equal parts Butthead and Peter Pan?" Who else could this be?! (This was actually the bit that first led me to think of the verse as being about KC.)
Besides..."equal parts Butthead and Peter Pan?" Who else could this be?! (This was actually the bit that first led me to think of the verse as being about KC.)
To me, this song is most definitely about Courtney Love. "Prom dress and a sneer, the woman of the year but not quite" - Pretty much says it all to me. She was known for wearing dresses on stage (look up Kinderwhore). And she definitely had an attitude that resulted in some sneers. "Junkie-isms". She was definitely a drug addict, so that fits. I could go on, but if you don't see it from reading these lyrics, anything else I could say won't help you. And yes, some references to Kurt are present as well ("All the other kids are sad again" basically says that all the alternative rock kids are upset at his passing; "don't you love the leader of the band, equal parts Butthead and Peter Pan" references Courtney's marriage to Kurt, who was a goofball but also had charming boy-like qualities.
To further the Courtney discussion, Shawn Colvin was friends with Cobain's ex-girlfriend and (I think) good friend Mary Lou Lord (to the point where she invited Mary to live with her after Kurt & Courtney got married and she was hurting over it).
Courtney kind of attacked Mary Lou Lord publicly one night at a concert (IIRC) and accused her of something that (per Mary Lou Lord) wasn't true and really hurt her (she was never really a celebrity of that stature so it was punching down for sure). I think this song is Shawn Colvin kind of standing up for her friend and taking some shots back at Courtney.
If you want to go even further, Mary Lou Lord has a song called "Some Jingle Jangle Morning" about a surprise visit from Cobain after he had gotten married. Apparently he came over unannounced and gifted her some record she was always looking for when they'd hang out and they spent a day together like in old times.
[Edit: Deletion of a speculative section]