Anecdote

Having listened to this song a LOT, it's definitely: "and wander down the street that losers use"

and

"cause you like to believe that all that love is free for someone like you You'll never be lonely or get the blues"

And what is it with some peoples' insistence that every song ever written is about drugs?

Superb song, such a catchy melody.

okay so this is just my opinion on the song...

"you pin the medals to your chest and settle down for seven minutes rest you dim the lights, administer the cure you tried it several times, you're still not sure" the first two lines seem to be talking about maybe someone famous maybe a musician or something, hence "pins medals on chest" then how they rest in their room to shoot up in the dark. he's tried heroin a lot of times and thinks about giving it up.

"you take the first one for free and pass it on to me i don't refuse baby, if you only knew but i don't think you do" Here he got a drug from someone for free and thought he'd share it w/ the one singing the song. His friend takes it, but is more worried bout his friend than himself. Maybe becuz now the singer knows his friend is an addict.

"you take the lines from ordinary books you're disappointed in the way she looks you cut the circulation to your hand and calculate the motion of the land" To me this sounds like instead of making up more of his music, he gets ideas from random books. Prob becuz hes more into drugs than his music now. The woman line is pretty easy to figure out. And so is the last two lines.

"then you, fall back asleep and wander down the street that loses you don't say you feel the same way too honey, i don't think you do" Here he goes down drug alley basically and gets more supply. At this point prob his gf wants to leave him, becuz hes just a diff guy now. Or either he breaks up w/ her becuz she doesnt shoot up w/ him.

"you cut the worms and bait them on the hooks you cast a line towards the closest brooks you meet the girl who says she knows the plan you act impressed and say you understand 'cause you, like to believe, that all that love is free oh, someone like you, will never be lonely, or get the blues but darlin', it's not true" Okay, in this stanza he's prob doing a show and is trying to act all cool just to reel in some hot girls or groupies. He finally meets one and she starts saying how shes the perfect one or w.e. So he goes off w/ her. The last couple lines here mean as if ur a rockstar and everything just comes to you, even love. But "thats not true" cuz its not love. It's only lust, not the real kind of love.

....weelll this is my perspective :)

Going along with what thelama was saying... (I know, earlier I said it was about Heroin, but I'm really digging this possibility)

I think it's more than one girl, I think the guy in question is a player. He picks up these girls, thinking maybe they're the one for him, but then he's always disappointed. Probably due to the fact that he nets them with falsity, rather than being honest with them and himself. The reason I think it's more than one woman is that he says "You take the first one for free, and pass it on to me." He dates these girls, breaks their hearts, and then gives them to his friend.

I wouldn't take the "pin the medals to your chest" bit too literally, as in, going out all mocked up to look good. They want to have a certain presentation.

I guess this song is about how people sometimes try to make their lives resemble a story with a moral or anecdote. Awesome song though, reminds me a lot of "Julia" on the Beatles's White album.

love this song. .great melody great voice. .love the parts where he says "kneeew", "doooo" and "toooo"

i think the last lines MIGHT really be:

"Cause you like to believe That all that love was free For someone like you You never be lonely or get the blues But darling it's not true"

i love this song :)

i have to agree with ThePython on this song being about heroin. especially the parts about shooting up ("administer the cure"), experiencing the drug ("fall back asleep and wonder down the street.."), and other people not understanding how amazing it really feels ("baby if you only knew, but i don't think you do")

the ending to this song maybe explains why this person uses the drug--because he/she is lonely...and doing the drug makes them happy and helps them forget about their loneliness...

i'm not really sure about the title of the song....maybe it's called anecdote just because it's a story. i mean most of it is in third person, so it's about somebody else...and that's all an anecdote really is, right? a story or incident...?

sometimes... do we really have to know what a song means to enjoy it?

just sayin'

but i do believe that it could be about heroin. can't think of much else it would be about.

no matter, it's still a kickin', very elliot smith-ish song

I may be wrong, but looking over the lyrics i think its about smoking weed

You don't use a tourniquet to smoke pot. ;) "Cut the circulation to your hand"

I don't know, does the guy from ambulance do heroin?

i think the lyrics might actually be "wander down the street that losers use". . and i can see how it could be about drugs as well now that i really think about it