Chevelle – The Clincher

General CommentIT'S ABOUT CLAUSTROPHOBIA. THE END.
Sorry Jesus but this song isn't about you. Go head over to the "Gospel" section, you may like it there a bit better.
Chevelle is not a Christian band, just a band with Christians in it.
THAT IS A FACT.
So cancel God out as a song meaning, and you'll be surprised their lyrics have a lot more depth and emotion behind them This band is freaking amazing, that's the bulletpoint in this presentation, also the fact that THIS SONG IS ABOUT CLAUSTROPHOBIA.
So there. :P

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  @xXChevelleRocksXx
  +1

  Thank you! the idea behind this song IS claustrophobia, and fear of death (necrophobia?) because of the referencing of "nailing down." this might have thrown off the christians in thinking of nailing down christ onto a cross, but no, it's the lid of the coffin. being buried, nailing down, brain needing oxygen, its the tight space of a coffin.

  Flag DarkWingson March 28, 2014  

  +1

  @xXChevelleRocksXx en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
  
  Figured I'd help you out. In case no one believed you. Also, most of Chevelle's lyrics are pretty obscure so usually the obvious meanings isn't the real meaning. Speaking to anyone else out their looking up lyric meanings.

  Flag dakota1117on February 24, 2017  

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  @xXChevelleRocksXx I'd like to +1 you twice.

  Flag PutterMayhemon February 22, 2018  

General CommentCould we have known/never would i/ helped to nail down / with nothign to gain
Here's the clincher/ this should be you
Now saturate/and touch/now saturate/the earth

Could we have known?: the sinner who realizes finally what Christ has done for him saying "if i had known that THIS was the cost, i would have never helped nail your hand to the cross."

Here's the clincher, this should be you, with nothing to gain: is the selflessness of his sacrifice. "here's the clincher, this hsould be you" is just a brutal reminder that YOU should be the one nailed to the cross, not the only innocent man to ever walk the earth

now saturate, and touch / the earth: a plea for the blood of Jesus to saturate and cover the earth

could we have known, never would i, helped to nail down (i'll stand for nothing less): now i'll stand for nothing less, no cause is as important as the cross of Jesus

With nothing to gain: ...regardless ofw hat it costs me or what the rewards are

here's the clincher, this should be you (made cold and crippled): (obvious)

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  @Kruzen
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  I'm glad someone else got the real meaning of this song. Alot of Chevelle songs are Christian if you reread some of the lyrics.

  Flag corkeyon April 20, 2014  

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  NO corkey. Why can't we get past this shit? Chevelle is NOT a Christian band, they weren't even on a christian label, it was a record label backed by a christian company, but the label itself was not strictly christian
  
  actual quote from Pete: "To us, it was and is, not that big of a deal. Our first label was owned by a distributorship that distributed to Christian bookstores and things like that. And it doesn't bother us at all to be called a Christian band. Although we have made a specific point to keep our religion out of our band and out of our shows because we believe it is everybody's choice to go and do whatever they want. And though we do have our individual faiths and all those things, it is not something that we'll preach to the people out there. So there were never any misconceptions for us or for our label in that regards. It really was what everybody else was putting out there."

  Flag starfox69on April 20, 2014  

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  @Kruzen nice insights, but pete loeffler said that the song is indeed about claustrophobia.

  Flag paskelon December 05, 2015  

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  @[starfox69} if they are actual Christians then it effects everything they do even if they are not trying to. even if its not a christian band.

  Flag jarbaron July 20, 2017  

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  @jarbar but it does NOT mean that their songs have Christian messages, such as those interpreted by @Kruzen. The singer has said that this song is about claustrophobia and it doesn't really matter what your religion is, the feelings of fear, desperation, anxiety etc. don't discriminate based on faith.
  
  Saying all that @Kruzen is entitled to their interpretation, after all the lyrics are still quite ambiguous, and music / art is open to the individuals beliefs, experiences and emotions.

  Flag sokornyon July 20, 2017  

General CommentThe question is, what does this song mean to you? I continue to read on this site what everyone says the song means to the band or what they tried to say with it. I know what the song means to me and don't feel the driving desire to share it with anyone here because no one really cares what another person thinks unless it provides fuel for derogatory comments.
I will just add that even though this song is getting a couple years old now, it is still one of my favorites.

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  @hind5ight
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  @hind5ight agree with this sentiment ... to the singer it may have been about claustrophobia, but they also write songs for YOU the listener to interpret based on your life experiences, beliefs etc ... hence why the lyrics are quite ambiguous.

  Flag sokornyon July 20, 2017  

My InterpretationMy boyfriend, he's 31, he has a 73 year old mother who at a young age had three daughters. Her first born, Gretta, was estranged awhile back and they reunited about two years ago, she came to be around her mom and her brother. She was an alcoholic and took anti depressants to top it off and in her 40's was in bad condition. She got very, very sick and my boyfriend predicted her death, he talked about it as if he knew it would happen because of how terrible she was looking. When she did die, the experience was so traumatic, he had to wait in the same room as her for eight hours trying to console his mom mourning over her dead body. From my point of perspective, he expresses how unexpected her death truly seemed after it all. Death is the most horrendous thing in life and to survive we blindside ourselves from the reality of it instead of facing it. So, now that he has been in the room with his dead sister who he scarcely felt close to but due to the circumstance needed more closure than usual that he never got, he sees death in everyone now.

This song, I've always loved it and chevelle, but it stood out to me just now and I had to write it down. It seems as if it is about the claustorphobia one must feel to be in the same room with a dead body for hours on end. The beginning is the mind processing the reality of the situation, something in most cases seems to move by more naturally and quickly, but when put before death, everything seems slow and heavy. Then on a more personal note "her catacomb" "her body" "has got me by the chin" "is sickeningly mesmerizing"
Could they have known this was going to happen, they would have payed closer attention and now with nothing to gain out of a situation that can only negate all aspects of any given choice. The clincher could be guilt.

Now saturate and touch" his mom trying to hover over her daughter, in panic, thinking that it may somehow bring her back to life, bodys begin to dry when they die off.

I feel a little sick exploiting this, I'm not trying to, I in a way feel the Gretta would relate alot to this if she were still alive.

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  @MissMJ
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  The end is the state its sort of left my boyfriend in.
  

  Flag MissMJon December 25, 2012  

General CommentIt's:
"Turning a pale blue, leaning in to say"

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  @NolanJB

General CommentLoeffler himself said this song is about claustraphobia, not Jesus being nailed to the cross

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  @Forever_Alone7

General CommentPete Loeffler, the lead singer, talks about this song on the DVD side of This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) and expresses that it is about his claustrophobia.

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  @AshleEeEy73

General CommentI am thinking some one has passed on and 'the clincher' is that instead of this person being the one....it should be the other guy.

It's a great opening track. The rest of the CD is great too. I am an intern at a radio station and have heard the new cd already. It will blow you away. People don't download the new cd.....JUST GO BUY IT! Support the band. They are worth it!!!!

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  @pearljam79
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  bands dont make much money off of record sales.. record companies take it all, want to support go to their concerts and buy their mechindise. :)

  Flag forever smackedon February 18, 2009  

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  i just saw this band in concert 2 days ago in des moines iowa, this is what pete said, "You guys want to here a song about my claustrophobia?" So yeah its about his claustrophobia, i never knew that.

  Flag defkismon October 09, 2009  

General CommentI downloaded it. IN YO FACE! but I pre ordered it too so I'm cool so quit your bitching.

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  @CIA420

General CommentSorry...Not trying to bitch. =)

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  @pearljam79