This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
The first born, my heart will call Truly,
A god-like boy of the sky.
The fog hissed away like a movie,
And serpents go home for the night.
The thundercloud rain hits the freeway.
The clowns put on makeup for show.
The nightfall, my skin crawl kind of evening.
And how the wind she blows.
How the wind she blows.
[Chorus:]
I want you to come in closer,
Come in closer [Repeat: x6]
Come dancing with devils.
Need not know their names.
We'll waltz like an army
for the fear of our pain.
Our souls become useless
As the day they were born,
In a rusted arm rocking chair,
Away from your storm.
But still, the truth remains lethal.
A lie made by man.
Where my shoes become hammers
And my words become sand.
Like a sour patch, a wedding batch
of roses you threw across my floor,
In the rusted arm rocking chair
Away from your storm
[Chorus:]
I want you to come in closer,
Come in closer [Repeat: x6]
I want you to [Repeat: x2]
Just come in closer, in closer...
A god-like boy of the sky.
The fog hissed away like a movie,
And serpents go home for the night.
The thundercloud rain hits the freeway.
The clowns put on makeup for show.
The nightfall, my skin crawl kind of evening.
And how the wind she blows.
How the wind she blows.
[Chorus:]
I want you to come in closer,
Come in closer [Repeat: x6]
Come dancing with devils.
Need not know their names.
We'll waltz like an army
for the fear of our pain.
Our souls become useless
As the day they were born,
In a rusted arm rocking chair,
Away from your storm.
But still, the truth remains lethal.
A lie made by man.
Where my shoes become hammers
And my words become sand.
Like a sour patch, a wedding batch
of roses you threw across my floor,
In the rusted arm rocking chair
Away from your storm
[Chorus:]
I want you to come in closer,
Come in closer [Repeat: x6]
I want you to [Repeat: x2]
Just come in closer, in closer...
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You have to look at this song like a story full of metaphors, with the central theme presented when the women says "he cheated on me, with another women"
The first verse can be split into two parts: the first four lines introduce the relationship. Its his first love (first-born, my heart will call Truly) and he believes it to be true love. This takes place when he is young (God-like boy) and at first all seems perfect as if in a movie. The serpants represent temptation, and it is important that they only go home for the night (thus forshadowing future seduction).
The next four lines tell of the boy straying. The artists use of the words "thundercloud rain" "nightfall" "skin crawls" and "evening" let the listener know that things have darkened the relationship. The makeup the clown is putting on refers to the boy pulling away from his girlfriend (presumably to cheat) and once again putting on the mask we all wear to face the public. If you'll notice, the music also changes when the song hits line 5 (the thundercloud rain....).
The chorous signifies the either the girl finding out, or simply the boy's guilt for his actions. The fact that he is trying to pull her in closer shows that the relationship is ending. He feels her slipping away, and is desperately trying to re-connect.
The next part is where the song gets really interesting. The first four lines deal with lonliness and the universal fear of being alone. He talks of dancing with devils (aka the one thats bad for you, you know things are going to end bad, yet you start things with them anyway) and saying you need not know their name. Essentially it doesn't matter who you are with, so long as you are not alone ("we'll waltz like an army for the fear of our pain"). The souls become useless because they are left to waste away, stagnant, knowing neither love, nor hope, nor joy. In this section the singer is no longer talking about just his relationship in general, by is referring to human nature, and our tendency to stay in something that is wrong, something that makes us unhappy simply because we are afraid that without that someone, we are nothing. The rusted arm rocking chair away from the storm refers to our cold, unfeeling hearts in which all feelings of pain, betrayal and lonliness are pushed away as we turn "away from the storm."
The first two lines of the next verse refer to him telling her what he did. It talks about the truth being lethal because more often than not, it is the truth that causes us the real pain. It is a lie made by man, because although man often says things such as "the truth will set you free" or the like, in all honesty, it is the truth that binds you, ripping your soul and destroying your hopes and dreams. The next two lines fall in line with him telling her. He may keep telling her he's sorry, or he'll never do it again, or that he loves her. But as the old saying goes "actions speak louder than words." Thus, his shoes (the actions) tell the truth, while his empty words and promises fall like sand around him.
The next two lines I've never entirely understood, but then in the very end he once again repeats the "rusted arm rocking chair, away from the storm" line. This repitition is used to drive in the hopelessness of the situation, and once again reiterate the pain that these two are turning away from rather than dealing with.
I hope this helps some people and I hope you'll like it.
oh wow<br /> congrats to you as well<br /> this makes the song even better than the last interpretation i commented on did<br /> <br /> how the fuck did people figure this out<br /> <br /> GOD I LOVE JUSTIN'S LYRICS
Wow. I never got all of that. but I think I'll add this. "a wedding batch of roses you threw across my floor" probably means they were getting married, and when she found out he cheated she threw the flowers that were intended for their wedding.