This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
[John spoken]
Hi, it's the Mountain Goats
It's the seventeenth of december
at nine thirty four in the morning
And this is called 'No, I Can't.'
You bought me some candy.
And you bought me some flowers.
And you bought me a sofa.
And you bought me a radio.
Thank you for the candy.
Thank you for the flowers.
Thank you for the sofa.
Thank you for the radio.
(Now I have everything I need.) x4
You brought me a puppy.
And you brought me a lamp.
And you brought me some books.
And you brought me a filing cabinet.
Thanks you for the puppy.
Thank you for the lamp.
Thanks for the books.
Thanks for the filing cabinet;
I don't know what I did without it.
(Now I have everything I need.) x4
You came by. And you came in.
And you let the wind in.
It must be cold outside.
We looked out, through the sliding glass door.
But I'd forgotten what we were looking for.
Thank you for coming by.
It's nice to see you once in a while.
Thank you for the coat I forgot to mention.
I've been freezing in here.
I've been freezing in here.
(Now I have everything I need.) x4
Yeah!
Hi, it's the Mountain Goats
It's the seventeenth of december
at nine thirty four in the morning
And this is called 'No, I Can't.'
You bought me some candy.
And you bought me some flowers.
And you bought me a sofa.
And you bought me a radio.
Thank you for the candy.
Thank you for the flowers.
Thank you for the sofa.
Thank you for the radio.
(Now I have everything I need.) x4
You brought me a puppy.
And you brought me a lamp.
And you brought me some books.
And you brought me a filing cabinet.
Thanks you for the puppy.
Thank you for the lamp.
Thanks for the books.
Thanks for the filing cabinet;
I don't know what I did without it.
(Now I have everything I need.) x4
You came by. And you came in.
And you let the wind in.
It must be cold outside.
We looked out, through the sliding glass door.
But I'd forgotten what we were looking for.
Thank you for coming by.
It's nice to see you once in a while.
Thank you for the coat I forgot to mention.
I've been freezing in here.
I've been freezing in here.
(Now I have everything I need.) x4
Yeah!
Lyrics submitted by sendthestars
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
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To me, this song always seems to be about those relationships where one person tries to buy the other person's affection by giving them all sorts of things. The receiver really appreciates everything he or she gets, but ultimately, that appreciation does not translate into affection for the giver.
The receiver continues to attempt to transmit the message by saying "Now I have everything I need," which means that he or she is satisfied and does not need "you", the giver.
I think the key to this song is going to be relating the title to the content.
I thought that the song was kind of bitter and sarcastic; like he says "now I have everything I need" because he's pissed that the person is trying to buy his love rather than actually show him their feelings. And then maybe there's some kind of resolution at the end and the last "now I have everything I need" is genuine because he didn't tell the person he needed a coat, but they kind of picked up on the clues and got it for him because they knew he was cold. I imagine the coat is metaphorical?
I could be way off
There are two different versions of this song on Bitter Melon Farm.
This song, to me, speaks from the perspective of a black sheep in the family being reached out to by someone else in the family. Like a wayward brother, who's sister is still trying to take care of him. "Thank you for coming by, it's nice to see you once in a while." He lives away from his family, and rarely sees them. At least that's what it says to me.
I've always thought this song talked about a superficial relationship/friendship. You can't really find anything to talk about besides material things, and conversation sometimes ends up just looking into space, pretending to be engrossed in something else. "thank you for coming by/it's nice to see you once in a while" seems so forced and formal when something like that should be natural and actually happy.
Are there multiple versions of this song? Because the one I have is extremely different.
I feel like this song is about someone addicted to amphetamines and has isolated themselves from either their lover or family. It sounds like they're basically living in an unfurnished apartment and unable to really take care of themselves. Perhaps the "you" in the song still has strong feelings for the addict so they bring them supplies, but can't be with them while they're still a drug user. It would make sense with the title of the song, "no I cant".
I have read that JD wrote this song for his grandmother. That was quite nice of him if that's true.