In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You do the combat math, I’m the war artist
You can’t take your shots back, I have to watch them miss
The basketball rim shook like a tambourine
Not an unlikely event in a game that means nothing
In a game that means nothing
Makeshift we are
Lead never leaves your system no matter who you are
Makeshift we are
As makeshift as we are
You’re a complex dune, I’m a cloud of octopus ink
You’re an elusive tune, I’m more ice sculpture than I think
You’re the neutral tribe and I got the wrong openness
Here’s where I slowly close my eyes say, ‘I’m too drunk for this.’
Yea I’m too drunk for this
Makeshift we are
‘Weaklings Make Trouble’ you played on your guitar
Makeshift we are
As makeshift as we are
We are, we are, we are.
The loneliest buoys on dolphin property
You’re as quiet as a fish, I only sing for the whole sea
From memory metal tension springs we were gunsmoke and the truth
Let’s shake some snow off his shoulders let’s shake some snow off the roof
Let’s shake some snow off the roof
Makeshift we are
Occurring to each other under the setups of the stars
Makeshift we are
We imagine us here and here we are
Makeshift we are
Through half-squinted eyes becoming a mirage
Makeshift we are
You can’t take your shots back, I have to watch them miss
The basketball rim shook like a tambourine
Not an unlikely event in a game that means nothing
In a game that means nothing
Makeshift we are
Lead never leaves your system no matter who you are
Makeshift we are
As makeshift as we are
You’re a complex dune, I’m a cloud of octopus ink
You’re an elusive tune, I’m more ice sculpture than I think
You’re the neutral tribe and I got the wrong openness
Here’s where I slowly close my eyes say, ‘I’m too drunk for this.’
Yea I’m too drunk for this
Makeshift we are
‘Weaklings Make Trouble’ you played on your guitar
Makeshift we are
As makeshift as we are
We are, we are, we are.
The loneliest buoys on dolphin property
You’re as quiet as a fish, I only sing for the whole sea
From memory metal tension springs we were gunsmoke and the truth
Let’s shake some snow off his shoulders let’s shake some snow off the roof
Let’s shake some snow off the roof
Makeshift we are
Occurring to each other under the setups of the stars
Makeshift we are
We imagine us here and here we are
Makeshift we are
Through half-squinted eyes becoming a mirage
Makeshift we are
Lyrics submitted by Bofug
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This song strikes me as being about war, particularly the idea of sharing the experience with other people.
"You do the combat math, I’m the war artist" suggests two people in the same situation, with differing roles. "Lead never leaves your system no matter who you are"; a frank way of saying that every man who puts on a uniform to fight is on the same level as his fellow soldiers, class, race, etc. doesn't matter when you're in a deadly combat zone. I think it's about a lot of things, but that's a current I see running through.
war makes sense, written from the point of view of a soldier. who's to say for sure with gord's cryptic lyrics, but that's what's great about the hip's lyrics.
This just seems to me to be about what the human collective is creating. Makeshift, imagined, and it's coming together as though we are looking 'half-squinted eye'. We're kinda making things from our imagination., like 'a mirage'.