Backyards

I think this song is about someone, someone who feels like life is moving much too quickly. They notice things that are going on around them, how people are easily influenced (the first line seems almost satirical of how that kind of image is used for advertising - album artwork comes to mind), how people turn away from things that might be worrying, instead choosing a life of solitude. This person enjoys people watching and sees how people act and how they change depending on who they're talking to, so much so they almost don't have their own personality and don't particularly know who they are themselves. This makes them shallow and, to people who see that they act this way, transparent. They may be this way because they want life how it was when they were kids, when things were easy, and that was the last time they were truly happy. They essentially lost their lives in their gardens; they want to be able to go back to when they were younger, when they were able to play, when they had no responsibilities.

Then I think it switches to the person's view on theirself. They're in an lift and notice a stain. Immediately they wonder where it came from, how long it's been there for etc. These thoughts give them a small bit of happiness as they at least have an excuse to be lost in their own thoughts yet again. As a result of this and what they saw earlier, they realise they don't know who they are and that they're lost, in every sense of the word. Hit with an overwhelming sense of depression, the person does not want to live in that moment, and would rather die than live how they currently do. They get a new perspective on the people they were watching earlier and realise that they're not actually that different with each other. They're both lonely and confused but simply deal with it differently - our character keeps their solitude and tries to do work while the other people pretend to be people they're not, in an attempt at friendship. The person considers trying their approach as at least they appear to have friends. However, returning home (this song has a very university feel) they find that they've changed so much and that their family barely recognises them, and in turn the person can barely look at them and they don't know what to say. Keeping their distance from others has taken its toll. They sit outside by theirself and swear that things will be different and that they'll change. They don't want to be lonely anymore and as such are shedding their old life. They know it won't be easy but this time they're determined.

I read somewhere that this was actually put together by the band as a final project for one of the members' (either Emily or Leslie, I'm not sure) university degree in performing arts.

They better have gotten perfect, because this is an absolutely spellbinding song... It struck me almost right away as a prequel or sequel to Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl. It has the same sort of melody and instrumentation...

But great song.

I like this song much more than Anthems for a Seventeen -Year Old Girl. I love it's groove. It does drag on for a bit near the end. Definitely one of the best tracks released in 2004. What do you think the song is about, I think it's about being a kid and living day for day.

Canadian Guy... you from GameFAQs? I haven't had a chance to hear this song yet, is it on Beehives?

this song. irreverant. beautiful. life-saving. tragic.

i've written an entire screenplay based around it.

<3 broken social scene.

I could have sworn that it's "It's hard for angels to be courageous" but it does make more sense this way. Either way, it is indescribable live.

pretty song.

"hard parade"?? anyone?

it's a theme song to a few teenagers sitting in a circle on the floor of a room in a house party. the beat of music from the other rooms overlapped by a mellow song that is backyards playing from a stereo in the corner. they spent that night drinking, getting high, throwing fireworks behind the house, screwing around, dancing, playing cards. and there were these connections through eyes and body that every person in the room felt and experienced. they felt so surreal and incredibly light. the feelings of that night are evoked on this song.

i'd love to shoot a scene on this song.

the most perfect song these ears have ever, ever heard.

i just listened to this song for the first time ever WOW the most amazing 8 minutes of my life her voice is so delicate