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Ripchord Lyrics
Pull the ripchord
The ship has lost its sail
Your momma's got a new man
Your daddy always fails
And you're eaten again at them
Because nobody loves you
And even fancy things
Have finally lost their charm
Wine and diamond rings
That never get you anymore
You're sleeping again alone
Because nobody loves you
They should have seen you
Should have known you
Should have known
What it was like to be you
So come on, kid
Look at what you did
I don't know if you meant it
But you did yourself in
And I was even having a good day
When I found out we'd lost you
She said it was in
The singing and the strumming
Oh man, I even saw it coming
The ship has lost its sail
Your momma's got a new man
Your daddy always fails
And you're eaten again at them
Because nobody loves you
Have finally lost their charm
Wine and diamond rings
That never get you anymore
You're sleeping again alone
Because nobody loves you
Should have known you
Should have known
What it was like to be you
Look at what you did
I don't know if you meant it
But you did yourself in
And I was even having a good day
When I found out we'd lost you
The singing and the strumming
Oh man, I even saw it coming
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I definitely would not be surprised if this song was about Elliott Smith. Not only does the "we found out we lost you part" clue us in, but also the very last part "in the singing and the strumming, oh man I even saw it coming" really could relate to Elliott. I know that after he died, I was listening to a lot of his songs and thought that I probably could have known that his life would end that way.
This is about Elliott Smith. You haven't heard this song until you hear it live. It is absolutely amazing. It's such a sad song but when they play it live it becomes so happy and everyone is clapping and smiling and it is wonderful, it feels like christmas.
Elliot Smith doesn't strike me as the type much interested in diamond rings, though.
That was one of the first things that made me question the Elliott Smith idea. I really love that the first three verses are written in the voice of the suicide victim/friend. It's like Lewis and the band really didn't sugar-coat the situation. The third verse,
That was one of the first things that made me question the Elliott Smith idea. I really love that the first three verses are written in the voice of the suicide victim/friend. It's like Lewis and the band really didn't sugar-coat the situation. The third verse,
They should have seen you Should have known you Should have known What it was like to be you
They should have seen you Should have known you Should have known What it was like to be you
is so full of bitterness and sarcasm that it really seems harsh. Especially with the whinging sort of tone Lewis affects while she sings it. It's very resentful towards either the victim (Smith or...
is so full of bitterness and sarcasm that it really seems harsh. Especially with the whinging sort of tone Lewis affects while she sings it. It's very resentful towards either the victim (Smith or otherwise) or towards suicide as a theme. It's a very heartbreaking song.
i agree totally, however it's Blake Sennett singing (jenny's voice isn't THAT versitile :P)
i agree totally, however it's Blake Sennett singing (jenny's voice isn't THAT versitile :P)
elensila.. wtf are you talking about? are you retarded?
elensila.. wtf are you talking about? are you retarded?
So what I get from the lyrics is that Blake SAYS diamond rings and wine, but really is meaning something different.
So what I get from the lyrics is that Blake SAYS diamond rings and wine, but really is meaning something different.
Obviously Elliott spend a lot of money on, ahem, vices and whatnot. But when you're singing a song about your buddy you want to embellish your lyrics so they're not as literal/depictive of the actual reality of the situation you are singing about.
Obviously Elliott spend a lot of money on, ahem, vices and whatnot. But when you're singing a song about your buddy you want to embellish your lyrics so they're not as literal/depictive of the actual reality of the situation you are singing about.
So while these "fancy things" might sound glamourous in this song, we can assume that Blake was actually talking about the not-so fancy things that Elliott was purchasing.
So while these "fancy things" might sound glamourous in this song, we can assume that Blake was actually talking about the not-so fancy things that Elliott was purchasing.
I know for a fact that this song is about Elliott because I have a live version where it was played at the tribute show to Elliott, and where they explicitly say that Blake wrote it especially for that show. I know that Rilo were friendly with Elliott and that they respected him a lot. But in the rawness of the days after the suicide took place, this song is not an ordinary tribute.
It almost trivializes the depression Elliott was experiencing and talks about that experience and his death in a flippant way. "Cos nobody loves you" almost sounds like a sarcastic taunt. In one version I've heard, Blake even says "that's how it goes". Like Elliott's death a is sort of a banal event that Blake can only shrug at. And I guess it was in a way. After so much emotional outpouring and sort of lyrically "holding it over our heads", Elliott finally did it in such a bizarrely banal way. A kitchen knife. I think the song highlights the banal unreality of death in general, as well as the fact that a suicide seemed to be the inevitable destiny of the "depressed artist" role that Elliott became subsumed by. People left behind justifiably feel angry after suicides, so I can understand why that anger might motivate the kind of tired bitterness that this song seems to convey. But it just seems odd to serve that up to fans for a tribute show. Still, it provides a different perspective to the idea of Elliott as a tragic hero.
shut up, moron. you don't have a clue.
shut up, moron. you don't have a clue.
This song is a beautiful tribute, and absolutely stunning live.
I absolutely adore the guitar in this song
does anyone else think that this song, at least in part, is about elliot smith?
oh wow, is it about elliott? if so, i love it even more now.
AMAZING!!!!!!!
i heart this song so much