Do It Again

to me it sounds like he's been able to get over a depression or some sort of crisis which he's describing at the beginning of the song.

in the end it seems that overcoming it has made him stronger than before and he reflects on it in a positve way ("maybe this weight was a gift like i could see what i could lift")

i think

I feel privileged to be the one who comments first on this song. I am surprised no one has commented on one of the best songs I have ever heard, and all I do is listen to music (since I was 16 or so) and I am 28. The best way to describe the build up and ending of this song is that it is an ethereal experience, given the right environment and mood. I wish I had more people to discuss this with, but it is not to be.

"I spend all my energy walking upright". ..

it is a great song. sounds like something you'd play on a road trip. cause some things in it, relate to driving "when i accelerate, i remember why its good to be alive" like the person in it, wasted away the year, or soemthing "bought books and didnt read i thing" like he knows he's wasting his life at what he's doing "walking upright" and gets away.

i love the chorus. the way his voice sounds, and everything comes together with the drums. gives me an infinate feeling. truely amazing.

The first few times I heard this song I misheard the lyrics:

"maybe this weight was a gift like i had to see what i could lift"

I thought it was

"maybe this wait was a game like i had to see what i could win"

Next time you listen to the song try to hear that - I think it sounds better.

The only thing disappointing about this song is the title.

You guys had good points, but it goes wayyy deeper than that, trust me.

I love this song - the only part I don't get is the "like a 25 cent game" line - what does that mean? You can download this song for free @ http://adf.ly/2NOw6

This song is absolutely amazing. And guys it's obviously talking about love. Lot's of references. Just read it. lol

This is a terrific song about depression and the afterlife, even more so because of how much it makes you want to move around instead of just being all moany and, well, depressing.

The depression part is pretty obvious, so I'll point out the afterlife piece because it's a little more elusive. In the first verse, Matt is basically saying that he doesn't really listen to what anyone has to say because nobody really knows what happens after death. He doesn't talk about it because he doesn't know himself. The books he bought are probably a mix of religious texts and scientific books about life after death. "Do it again" refers specifically to reincarnation, or at least to living one's life over again. This alludes to a death he is coping with, definitely someone close to him.

The second verse is a little more metaphorical than the first, and refers specifically to the experiences of a corpse in the grave. Time doesn't matter when you're dead, the seasons change from hot to cold and you're lying down in the ground. Also, azaleas are an ornamental flower often found in cemeteries.

The bridge is about how much energy it takes to keep on living, especially when suffering under depression. The breathing nearby seems to be referring to the lingering thoughts of the person he lost. "I want you lazy science, I want some peace" refers directly to the comfort of religious and the idea of Heaven or some afterlife. Is that his future?

Acceleration is referring to the feeling of moving faster, being engaged in what you are doing--the depression fades into the background and it's easier to feel alive. Twenty-five cent game sort of dates the song since it is a reference to arcade games in the 90s when the prices started going up from 25 cents to 50, 75, even $1.00 for some games. When you played a game that only cost $0.25, you wanted to milk every single ounce of gameplay out of that quarter that you could, kind of like you should get as much fun and enjoyment and happiness out of life as you can before you die since who knows what happens after that.

Finally, the weight is the weight of depression and grief and it's a gift because overcoming it made him realize that it wasn't too much for him -- he could lift it and go on living his life.

It's easy to love the hook in this song and so tempting to translate the lyrics about lifting weight literally. It's safe to say many of our favorite musicians experiment with drugs and based on this song, i'm willing to bet Nada Surf is no different. The action being obscurely sung about here seems to be getting high and the changes the body undergoes (muting of the senses and elevation of the mind). I think do it again gets at the temptation to make the leap over and over and the appeal of the transcendental plane of the drug experience.