Tribulations

I'm sad to say that I actually understand the lyrics perfectly.

It’s about a particular variety of a lopsided relationship with a girl… I’ll go line by line.

“everybody makes mistakes but i feel alright when i come undone” That feeling when you meet someone you can drop your defenses with and truly love them even with their faults.

“you are not making me wait but it seems alright as long as something's happening” The sex happened fast and easy but that’s alright because the emotion was there almost as fast.

“i try to make you late but you fighting me off like a fire does” She has better things to do than devote the kind of time you would want to spend with her.

“you try making me wait but it feels alright as long as something's happening” You need to be available on her terms but that’s ok for some reason.

“get your payments from the nation for your trials and tribulations” The girl is actually a user of everything in live often including whatever social/welfare system are available…

“you try to make me wait you come around when it's come undone” She comes around when she needs something (sex, money, company, or just a distraction)

“everybody makes you late and it's never you because you're always thinking” She always has a good excuse and plenty of people to blame because she really is always thinking about juggling all the crap going on in her life.

“i try making you wait and give you me some like you give it good” Occasionally when you do the same tricks to her (make her feel like you don’t care) she will respond… Either with loads of anger or loads of sex.

“everybody makes mistakes but it seems it's mine that always keep on stinging” Again, it’s always your fault for practically everything… At this point, yourself worth with this person is almost entirely based on their opinion of you.

“get your payments from the nation for your trials and tribulations” Again, the girl is a user.

“you try making me wait but you come undone when you come undone” No one can keep it up all the time. There will be moments when everything collapses for her. If you are there and not a douche bag, this will make you try even harder to help/be there for her.

“everybody makes mistakes but it's always mine that seem to keep on sticking” She will beat you with things that should have been forgiven and forgotten long ago.

“get your payments from the nation for your trials and tribulations” Even if you are smart enough to get away, there is a whole world out there for her to prey on….

"the lyrics on tribulations are terrible, they're really just dumb rock lyrics...that don't really mean anything" -james murphy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZT4zn6yVws&feature=related (1:40)

It's about a relationship between the singer and the subject. The subject has perfection issues and can not accept their failures(everybody makes you late, it's never you.)

That perfection issue also concerns relationships where they fight to hold onto everybody while not forming a relationship[a chance for failure] by playing hot/cold on people(pay attention to the wait/late references and how they switch around which eventually lead to...)

When others get sick of it, all hell breaks loose in the subject(but you come undone when you come undone) and to cope the subject points out all of the problems in those around them. (only my mistakes sting)

No one is safe from the behavior is as if the whole nation owes them for what they've gone through which have shaped this horrible personality... their trials and tribulations.

I dont care what this song means...but it is incredible.

exactly, it is really hard to analyze what it means but i honestly listened to this song about 600 times in the past 9 months. i think it is somethign about a relationship and playing games.

the only line i care about is "but it feels alright as long as somethings happenin" because its so goddamned true.

i'm so in love with this song.

(you're all right, it's really fucking hard to analyze), but as optek said, i think it's about manipulation in a relationship -- fucking with each other. maybe the whole relationship has already gone to shit, and the people in it just can't let go of evertyhing that might've been good before, which brings an element of bitterness.

or maybe i'm just an idiot. -laughs- whatever.

sounds like someone who can't help themself and is on welfare

"i try to make you late but you fighting me off like a fire does" He wants to make her pregnant!

this song makes perfect sense to me now or atleast its taken a new meaning

i always thought it was about sex because of the 'i try to make you late' lyric, but i never listened to it all too clearly.

"everybody makes mistakes but i feel alright when i come undone you are not making me wait but it seems alright as long as something's happening"

he made a mistake to piss off this girl and while trying to reconvene the relationship shes being difficult with it but he doesnt care since shes giving him a 2nd chance.

"get your payments from the nation for your trials and tribulations"

i think what this means is shes a fucking attention whore and wants/has everyone feeling sorry for her.

i connect too well with this song when i take this meaning