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When You're Around Lyrics
midwest love affair
i bend when i am bored
late night liquor blue
will lead me to the floor
can we fake it
can we make believe
i'm so full of love
it deeply sickens me
but all i could do
was close my eyes
and cross my heart
and hope to die
cause you don't fucking listen
when i'm around
the least you could do
is take it back
all the vicious remarks
and verbal attacks
cause i can't fucking stand it
when you're around
midwest aftermath
the rumors start to rise
did i truly do
the things that you've described
they must hate me
every single one
it just sickens them
what i consider fun
i bend when i am bored
late night liquor blue
will lead me to the floor
can we fake it
can we make believe
i'm so full of love
it deeply sickens me
was close my eyes
and cross my heart
and hope to die
cause you don't fucking listen
when i'm around
the least you could do
is take it back
all the vicious remarks
and verbal attacks
cause i can't fucking stand it
when you're around
the rumors start to rise
did i truly do
the things that you've described
they must hate me
every single one
it just sickens them
what i consider fun
Song Info
Submitted by
allstarme On Sep 21, 2004
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i'm a recovering alcoholic and this song speaks VOLUMES to me. many of MCS' songs deal (indirectly) with alcoholism and the self-hatred that accompanies it.
first let's look at the title: When 'You're' Around. this shows that he's not actually talking about another person, but rather the drunken version of himself. whenever he begins drinking, this person comes out, and he's an asshole.
the song mentions "vicious remarks and verbal attacks", in reference to the rude, unfiltered, and harsh things he says to his loved ones under the influence. it shows how he begins pushing away and alienating the people who care most about him (this is also the main theme in the MCS song "Better Open the Door").
the "midwest love affair" is a symbolic term for his drinking habit. the "midwest aftermath" refers to when he wakes up the next day after being drunk and realizes everything he said/did ("did i truly do the things that you've described?") and how hurtful he was to his friends.
alcoholism is often regarded with a depressed, hopeless tone in Motion City Soundtrack's songs. the line "all i can do is close my eyes, and cross my heart, and hope to die" shows that he knows his binges are wrong; he knows he shouldn't be drinking, but he just does it anyway.
but hey, what do i know
I think your analysis is spot on: it's all too tempting to just say "it's about a girl", but be completely wrong or only be looking at it superficially.
I think your analysis is spot on: it's all too tempting to just say "it's about a girl", but be completely wrong or only be looking at it superficially.
I think "late night liquor blue" tells it all. Blue is a color for depression, and other recovering alcoholics have told me that when you binge hard, often you begin to see blue. Also, given that this album mostly focuses on self-loathing and neurosis, we can say that the subject of the song is also dealing with his hatred and contempt for himself and others, as you so aptly stated....
I think "late night liquor blue" tells it all. Blue is a color for depression, and other recovering alcoholics have told me that when you binge hard, often you begin to see blue. Also, given that this album mostly focuses on self-loathing and neurosis, we can say that the subject of the song is also dealing with his hatred and contempt for himself and others, as you so aptly stated. He hates himself because he's miserable, and he drinks to stop hating himself. But he hates others around him, because they can't rid him of his self-loathing. And this leads him to keep up the alcoholism and lash out at those around him. I think "they must hate me, every single one" is also indicative of the subject's (most likely Justin Pierre) insecurity and self-hatred...it's easier to project your self-loathing onto others to avoid dealing with the fact that you are the one carrying so much contempt for yourself. And getting drunk and abusive ("vicious remarks and verbal attacks") is a way to earn other peoples' scorn.
Personally, I used this song to get over an abusive ex, but I knew that interpretation was superficial and self-serving. I'm glad to have read your thoughts on it, especially since you have some experience that would inform this closer analysis. Congratulations on your recovery. @karlkisba
The best song by this band. If you like them check out the side project: Small Towns Burn A Little Slower. They are absolutley amazing. Im dead serious. They have an EP out and it is totally worth the money.
I just picked up this split.
Matchbook Romance's songs, who I do like, are horrible. After listening to their songs I was thinking "wow what a waste of 6 bucks", and planned on trying to sell it to one of my friends for atleast 2 bucks. But then this song came on and redeemed some of my ears dignity.
I'm in love with this song, I was never a huge MCS fan, but I enjoyed them from time to time, but their new stuff is great.
Woo, I saw them on the 7th, oh it'd been far too long since they'd come to Boston. I seemed to be one of the only ones there who knew this song, which was just sad because this is one of my favorite songs by them. They're fucking amazing. If you've never seen them live, you HAVE to. They blow me away every time.
I'm going in march to see them!!! i'm so excited! i love this song...i guess this song is about how he loves a girl but doesnt know why, because she bothers the hell out of him..and how she doesnt listen, but he still loves her, and no one, not even him knows why
Yeah and he loves her but doesn't know why?
MCS rocks, even on a really hot day in st louis at the warped tour
Small Towns isn't a side project...it's a completely different band. The only connection, aside from the fact that they're friends, is that one of the guys from Small Towns came up with the moog riff for one of the songs on I Am the Movie, and now, apparently, Justin did some backup vocals for the new Small Towns album which is coming out sometime this summer, I think.
i love this song.
yeah, small towns and motion city are friends and they contribute to one another's band but they're two TOTALLY different bands