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.
Cut it out - your self-inflicted pain
Is getting too routine
The crowds are catching on
To the self inflicted song
Well, here we go again
The art of acting weak
Fall in love to fail
To boost your CD sales
(And that CD sells - yeah, what a hit)
You've got to repeat it
You gotta' sink to swim
If at first you don't succeed
You gotta recreate your misery
'Cause we all know art is hard
Young artists have got to starve
Try, and fail, and try again
The comforts of repetition
Keep churning out those hits
'Til it's all the same old shit
Oh, a second verse!
Well, color me fatigued
I'm hiding in hte leaves
In the CD jacket sleeves
Tired of entertaining
Some double-dipped meaning
A soft serve analogy
This drunken angry slur
In thirty-one flavors
You gotta' sink to swim
Immerse yourself in rejection
Regurgitate some sorry tale
About a boy who sells his love affairs
You gotta' fake the pain
You better make it sting
You're goin' break a long
When you get on stage
And they scream your name
"Oh, Cursive is so cool!"
You gotta sink to swim
Impersonate greater persons
'Cause we all know art is hard
When we don't know who we are
Is getting too routine
The crowds are catching on
To the self inflicted song
Well, here we go again
The art of acting weak
Fall in love to fail
To boost your CD sales
(And that CD sells - yeah, what a hit)
You've got to repeat it
You gotta' sink to swim
If at first you don't succeed
You gotta recreate your misery
'Cause we all know art is hard
Young artists have got to starve
Try, and fail, and try again
The comforts of repetition
Keep churning out those hits
'Til it's all the same old shit
Oh, a second verse!
Well, color me fatigued
I'm hiding in hte leaves
In the CD jacket sleeves
Tired of entertaining
Some double-dipped meaning
A soft serve analogy
This drunken angry slur
In thirty-one flavors
You gotta' sink to swim
Immerse yourself in rejection
Regurgitate some sorry tale
About a boy who sells his love affairs
You gotta' fake the pain
You better make it sting
You're goin' break a long
When you get on stage
And they scream your name
"Oh, Cursive is so cool!"
You gotta sink to swim
Impersonate greater persons
'Cause we all know art is hard
When we don't know who we are
Lyrics submitted by ruben, edited by Mellow_Harsher, NBSrock
Art Is Hard Lyrics as written by Gretta Mindy Cohn Clint Frederick Schnase
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I always thought people look at Cursive lyrics a bit too deeply. When I hear this song, I kind of zoom in on the "Your self-inflicted pain is getting too routine." part. It sounds like...I dunno, a J-Lo situation where she'd get married or in a relationship, then fall out to get herself media coverage. Then her music sells. But I'm sure it could apply to, like, the lovely Conor Oberst and his usual (lovely) whining.