Why Are You Looking Grave?

key theme here is appearance vs. reality.

I agree with timchilli. It's clearly a song about portraying yourself differently to how you really feel. "Why are you sitting there? Are you hoping that someone will stare?" This part seems to be a reference to attention seeking, maybe making things seem worse than they are for sympathy?

or perhaps its about the portrayal of feelings aswell. coz people tend to hide behind a smile and pretend everything is ok but inside they are torn apart.

It's a song about introverted people checking each other out from a safe distance.

I love this song so much! I think timchilli and venne are right about it being about what a person portrays and how they really are. I think that makes it so great because everyone shows a different side of themselves sometimes.

it's like a song about first impressions

Yes that is J. Mascis. The two different versions are the one with and without him I think. Not quite sure though. I totally agree with the thing about first impressions and people hiding who they truly are behind what they think people want them to be but I also thought it might be about people who act like they dont want anyone to notice them but it instead makes people notice them more. "Why are you sitting there? Are you hoping that someone will stare?" I'm not sure if it is someone craving attention by pretending to be more upset than they are. It seems more genuine than that. The video backs up the idea about inside vs. outside of a person with the people with animal faces and stuff. Its a great video and this is a great song.

From my POV this song connected with "chinaberry tree" as you can heard from the album that the last part of the chinaberry three song and the opening of why are you looking grave? Song was really connected, although that's no coincidence, the chinaberry tree song who tell us about him realizing that he lost his first love that he think its hard to life without her, and why are you looking grave? that tell me like he's asking himself "why are you looking grave? Are you holding of something to say" and then he asked himself out of despair again why are you sitting here? Are you hopping that someone will stare" and the chorus part that tell us he's hiding his true feeling.

I love this song. It is one of the best songs I have ever heard.

is that j. mascis?