If She Wants Me

I always kind of assumed that "If I could do just one near perfect thing, I'd be happy" is like.... being happy is the one near perfect thing he could do.

My favorite part of this song is "I climbed the hill, I wanted to look down on you / But all I saw was twenty miles of wilderness so I went home." To me, it means that you keep looking for something in a person and cannot find it, perhaps because they don't have it in the first place or maybe they don't want to show it to you. But then at some point it doesn't matter anymore and you just give up.

"If I could do one near perfect thing I'd be happy" - well they're getting close with this song, another beautifully crafted song. Just imagine, to be remember for eternity for some outstanding achievement but instead give it up to hang out with your girl and THEN ONLY IF SHE WANTS TO>

i agree with what dreadhead says. When he sings

If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy They’d write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes

.... I feel like he's just saying he wants to do SOMETHING, it doesnt have to be perfect, just something good to be remembered for. Can't we all relate to that? And then Stuart talks again about how imperfect life is when he says

I’m going deaf, you’re growing melancholy Things fall apart, I don’t know why we bother at all But life is good and “It’s always worth living at least for a while”

Life isn't perfect, but its good, and 'its worth living'. I kinda like that.

This song is one of Belle and Sebastian's greatest, it's a shame many people have dismissed Dear Catastrophe Waitress because it's different. It is brilliant that this person really wants to be a better person like when they climb the hill. But it shows that is not what people want only what they think they want, when they get to the top its different, your friends and family mean alot more.

This is a leap, but this is what i think its about.. A boy who cares a lot for his best friend who's a girl, who he possibly loves, but she doesnt know. She's having a rough time with whoever she's with and asks her best friend to help her write the break up letter. Hence why he wrote this letter on a "nothing" day, the letter doesnt mean anything personal to him. He describes what he's writing in the letter, with a grin as its actually from his friend not him but he's writing it. This guy who his best friends goin out with reads it and he describes his writing as "it’s no more than a genius deserves For all his curious nerve and his passion", he's saying he added lots of emotion to the letter, but the truth is he gets this emotion because he cares for his best friend so the beautiful writing is really meant for her not for this nob, but he's too young to write all his feelings down in that one envelope. Him and his best friend are getting old "deaf",etc. Then its about life and death and God as he's getting old and he's worrying about what's gonna happen "someone above" and questions people have. Then he decides not to worry because he'd much rather have a good time while he's here instead of spending his life worrying. I think his best friend gets a bit depressed "melancholy" and earlier "Like coming off the pills that you take to stay happy". Even though he loves this girl (his best friend) he's telling her to move on from that nob she used to go out with " If you think to yourself, “What should I do now?” Then take the baton, girl, you better run with it There is no point in standing in the past Because it’s over and done with ". So his best friend goes off and has a family and lives her life, and he's just there "if she wants him", he watches over her, and misses out on life does isolated activities like sitting on his own reading books,etc basically reading about peoples' lives but not living one himself. Even though he knows she doesn't reciprocate his feelings he'll be there to fight her battles and keep an eye on her "I took a book and went into the forest I climbed the hill, I wanted to look down on you But all I saw was twenty miles of wilderness So I went home" The twenty miles is the distance thats grown between them because she has her own life, family, children,etc but he still climbs that hill because it gives him something to do. : )

It's so interesting that now I understand these lyrics, a year after someone has played me it. I finally have figured it out:

I wrote a letter on a nothing day I asked somebody "Could you send my letter away?" "You are too young to put all of your hopes in just one envelope" (This obviously has to do with falling in love and then realizing somehow this person isn't the one for you. And someone/gut feeling saying that you're too young to put all of your love in one person)

I said goodbye to someone that I love It's not just me, I tell you it's the both of us And it was hard Like coming off the pills that you take to stay happy (This talks about the attachment you have to this person, like the fact they were in your life was the reason why the sun rose...and leaving them was like being alone in a damp forest)

Someone above has seen me do alright Someone above is looking with a tender eye Upon her face, you may think you're alone but you may think again

If I could do just one near perfect thing I'd be happy They'd write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes On second thoughts I'd rather hang about and be there with my best friend If she wants me (This is talking about going off and finding himself, making mistakes, falling in love but creating something tangible and real and if he can do this he'd be happy forever. Or he could hang out with his love and be equally as happy...but he's choosing creation over love)

And far away somebody read the letter He condescends to read the words I wrote about him And if he smiles, it's no more than a genius deserves For all his curious nerve and his passion (Someone in the future finds the person and this person only knowing love can only show love...so they "found his letter" and thinks it for them. He commends you on this by saying you're intelligent in thinking so and your passion is beautiful...but he knows the feelings aren't for her) I'm going deaf, you're growing melancholy Things fall apart, I don't know why we bother at all But life is good and "It's always worth living at least for a while" (The part the new relationship begins to fall apart, because this person is not the best friend from the chorus)

If I could do just one near perfect thing I'd be happy They'd write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes On second thoughts I'd rather hang about and be there with my best friend If she wants me

If you think to yourself "What should I do now?" Then take the baton, girl, you better run with it There is no point in standing in the past cause it's over and done with (you're not what I want, it's over, don't dwell and move forward!)

I took a book and went into the forest I climbed the hill, I wanted to look down on you But all I saw was twenty miles of wilderness so I went home (I tried to find you, but you're too wild/lost/free/different than I am. I tried to be what you wanted but when I ultimately saw you, I realized I didn't know you at all...)

This is how someone dumped me. And now I get it haha. But that's my two cents

My favorite song from Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

you can be happy with your life just doing things that you love. "If I could do just one near perfect thing I'd be happy". life isn't perfect. don't strive for perfection. go for the best that you can possibly do. perfection isn't something that is humanly possible, so dont beat yourself up for not being that.

"I climbed the hill, I wanted to look down on you But all I saw was twenty miles of wilderness so I went home"

He wanted to say I'm over you, but it backfired, since she didn't care.