How Can I Love You? (If You Won't Lie Down)

The Silver Jews

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Fast cars, fine ass
These things will pass
And it won't get more profound

Time is a game
Only children play well
How can I love you
If you won't lie down

My youth for a bell
Who's who in hell
My kingdom for a crown

Time is a game
Only children play well
How can I love you
If you won't lie down

Lyrics submitted by artblot

How Can I Love You? (If You Won't Lie Down) song meanings

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14 Comments

+3
General Comment
I'm fairly sure that "Time is a game only children play well" is a reference to the philosopher Heraclitus. He said "Time is a child playing checkers - the kingly power is a child's". Basically the same idea, just shortened. Love the first stanza of this song.

I'm fairly sure that "Time is a game only children play well" is a reference to the philosopher Heraclitus. He said "Time is a child playing checkers - the kingly power is a child's". Basically the same idea, just shortened. Love the first stanza of this song.

Reason:

JFISHAUFon January 09, 2009 Link
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@JFISHAUF
+2
My Interpretation
I had to sign in only to comment on this song, which I really like. "Fast cars, fine ass These things will pass And it won't get more profound" The song is pure wisdom. He means by this that everything is just as it is. Like the zen month. They don't keep looking for the meaning of life or fore deep explanations, they just live things through experiencing them directly, without falling in the labyrinths of the mind with their concepts or right and wrong, the worries about past and future. "Time is a game Only children play well How can I love you If you won't lie down" Only children play well the "game of time". This means, they live in the present. They are just as they are, without worries about what happened or what will happen. They concentrate fully and completely in that, what's going on in the present moment. Everything else don't exist. They are free. When it comes to love, so he want's to be sincere and direct like a child. he looks this women and his body says he wants her. As X said, bringing flowers and all the courtship thing that is nothing else than the speculation of getting sex in the end is all cut out and he gets direct to the point where the body wanted to go from the beginning: lay down and we can make love. Why bother with an adult game of calling, not calling, doing wrong or doing right, making oneself more interesting for the other? Let's just do it like the kids and show ourselves as we are, without theaters and all this complications. Let's show what we want and what we came for. But how can I do that, if others won't rap away their masks? = How can I love you if you won't lie down? "My youth for a bell Who's who in hell My kingdom for a crown" I am not so sure about this line. With "my youth for a bell" he could be saying he is willing to give all his youth pleasures away to wake up and be in the moment. The bell, in many religions, stays for awakening, for being pulled of the automatism and dive inside oneself's soul. Who's who in hell? I googled this one and found: "Who's Who in Hell is a compelling, uproarious, and achingly moving story about what happens when our plans for life meet its plans for us." This fits to the music, as I understand it: I wan't to be myself and open for the moment and for what life has reserved for me. I want to awake and live the present. My kingdom for a crown: The crown, in my perception, stands for loyalty to quality, for something of real value. In this case it stand for the inner essence and it's richness. In the Kabbahlah, the crown stands for the first sefirah, which is the emanation of God's hidden essence, it is infinity, oneness and the eternal: that, which was never born and will never die. The kingdom, which stands for material possessions, he gives away. Just as fast cars and fine ass, the kingdom will pass. The crown, the inner light, that will never pass. And we are all running away from it, although it is exactly that, what we are secretly looking for.

I had to sign in only to comment on this song, which I really like. "Fast cars, fine ass These things will pass And it won't get more profound" The song is pure wisdom. He means by this that everything is just as it is. Like the zen month. They don't keep looking for the meaning of life or fore deep explanations, they just live things through experiencing them directly, without falling in the labyrinths of the mind with their concepts or right and wrong, the worries about past and future. "Time is a game Only children play well How can I love you If you won't lie down" Only children play well the "game of time". This means, they live in the present. They are just as they are, without worries about what happened or what will happen. They concentrate fully and completely in that, what's going on in the present moment. Everything else don't exist. They are free. When it comes to love, so he want's to be sincere and direct like a child. he looks this women and his body says he wants her. As X said, bringing flowers and all the courtship thing that is nothing else than the speculation of getting sex in the end is all cut out and he gets direct to the point where the body wanted to go from the beginning: lay down and we can make love. Why bother with an adult game of calling, not calling, doing wrong or doing right, making oneself more interesting for the other? Let's just do it like the kids and show ourselves as we are, without theaters and all this complications. Let's show what we want and what we came for. But how can I do that, if others won't rap away their masks? = How can I love you if you won't lie down? "My youth for a bell Who's who in hell My kingdom for a crown" I am not so sure about this line. With "my youth for a bell" he could be saying he is willing to give all his youth pleasures away to wake up and be in the moment. The bell, in many religions, stays for awakening, for being pulled of the automatism and dive inside oneself's soul. Who's who in hell? I googled this one and found: "Who's Who in Hell is a compelling, uproarious, and achingly moving story about what happens when our plans for life meet its plans for us." This fits to the music, as I understand it: I wan't to be myself and open for the moment and for what life has reserved for me. I want to awake and live the present. My kingdom for a crown: The crown, in my perception, stands for loyalty to quality, for something of real value. In this case it stand for the inner essence and it's richness. In the Kabbahlah, the crown stands for the first sefirah, which is the emanation of God's hidden essence, it is infinity, oneness and the eternal: that, which was never born and will never die. The kingdom, which stands for material possessions, he gives away. Just as fast cars and fine ass, the kingdom will pass. The crown, the inner light, that will never pass. And we are all running away from it, although it is exactly that, what we are secretly looking for.

Reason:

irinaindiraon September 10, 2010 Link
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@irinaindira

It's kind of annoying that I can't edit spell errors here. So I am doing it in the reply:

I had to sign in only to comment on this song, which I really like.

"Fast cars, fine ass
These things will pass
And it won't get more profound"

The song is pure wisdom. He means by this that everything is just as it is. Like the zen monk. They don't keep looking for the meaning of life or for deep explanations, they just live things through experiencing them directly, without falling in the labyrinths of the mind with its concepts of right and wrong, the worries about past and future.

"Time is a game
Only children play well
How can I love you
If you won't lie down"

Only children play well the "game of time". This means, they live in the present. They are just as they are, without worries about what happened or what will happen. They concentrate fully and completely in that, what's going on in the present moment. Everything else doesn't exist. They are free.

When it comes to love, so the singer wants to be sincere and direct as a child. He looks this women and his body says he wants her. As highface said above, bringing flowers and all the courtship thing, which is nothing else than the speculation of getting sex at the end, is all cut out and he wants to get directly to the point where the body wanted to go from the beginning: lie down and we can make love.
Why bother with an adult game of calling, not calling, doing wrong or doing right, making oneself more interesting for the other? Let's just do it like the kids and show ourselves as we are, without theaters and all these complications. Let's show what we want and what we came for.

But how can I do that, if others won't take away their masks? = How can I love you if you won't lie down?

"My youth for a bell
Who's who in hell
My kingdom for a crown"

I am not so sure about this line. With "my youth for a bell" he could be saying he is willing to give all his youth pleasures away to wake up and be in the moment. The bell, in many religions, stays for awakening, for being pulled out of the automatism in order to dive inside oneself's soul.

Who's who in hell? I googled this one and found: "Who's Who in Hell is a compelling, uproarious, and achingly moving story about what happens when our plans for life meet its plans for us." This fits to the music, as I understand it: I want to be myself and open for the moment and for what life has reserved for me. I want to awake and live the present.

My kingdom for a crown: The crown, in my perception, stands for loyalty to quality, for something of real value. In this case it stands for the inner essence and its richness. In the Kabbahlah, the crown stands for the first sefirah, which is the emanation of God's hidden essence, it is infinity, it is oneness and the eternal: that, which was never born and will never die.

The kingdom stands for material possessions, and this he gives away. Just as fast cars and fine ass, the kingdom will pass.

The crown, the inner light, that will never pass. And despite we are all running away from it, it is exactly that, what we are secretly looking for.

irinaindiraon September 10, 2010
+1
General Comment
I'm not really sure, but it seems like it's about a guy who is trying to get a girl who won't settle down because she's young and she enjoys it too much to settle on him. But of course, I guess the point of the song is that time catches up with all of us in the end...

I'm not really sure, but it seems like it's about a guy who is trying to get a girl who won't settle down because she's young and she enjoys it too much to settle on him. But of course, I guess the point of the song is that time catches up with all of us in the end...

Reason:

IamSteveTayloron January 03, 2006 Link
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@IamSteveTaylor
+1
General Comment
i disagree with everyone. except lost in twilight. 1) i think it is about getting the girl to lie down. so he can make love to her, because "fast cars, fine ass/ these things will pass/ and it won't get any more profound" means (to me) that you might as well enjoy it while it's here. children play the game of time well, because they think they have forever (and they kind of do, because of the way their minds work) and 2) this is a great song. lyrics and all.

i disagree with everyone. except lost in twilight. 1) i think it is about getting the girl to lie down. so he can make love to her, because "fast cars, fine ass/ these things will pass/ and it won't get any more profound" means (to me) that you might as well enjoy it while it's here. children play the game of time well, because they think they have forever (and they kind of do, because of the way their minds work) and 2) this is a great song. lyrics and all.

Reason:

elizabethemilyon February 23, 2006 Link
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@elizabethemily
+1
General Comment
this is not meant to be a serious song i dont think and the lyrics fit the message well. i disagree a bit with elizabeth: i have this vision of berman seeing kids kissing (or fooling around "discovering" each other's bodies) and thinking "yea that's it- get straight to the good stuff." we adults tend to focus too much on negative crap, unlike the kids, and waste alot of time in the process...

this is not meant to be a serious song i dont think and the lyrics fit the message well. i disagree a bit with elizabeth: i have this vision of berman seeing kids kissing (or fooling around "discovering" each other's bodies) and thinking "yea that's it- get straight to the good stuff." we adults tend to focus too much on negative crap, unlike the kids, and waste alot of time in the process...

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dugtzuon March 30, 2006 Link
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@dugtzu
+1
General Comment
These lyrics are great. Simple, to the point and witty. What's all this "even by indiepop standards" crap? What the hell is indiepop anyhow? You need to work out an argument and back it up with something more than a badly-formed opinion.

These lyrics are great. Simple, to the point and witty. What's all this "even by indiepop standards" crap? What the hell is indiepop anyhow? You need to work out an argument and back it up with something more than a badly-formed opinion.

Reason:

oldflashyon April 10, 2006 Link
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@oldflashy
+1
General Comment
I agree with whoever said this is supposed to be a fun song... who cares about the lyrics? Sure, he's a remarkable poet when he wants to be, but he's not trying to be here... at least that's my view. As for my interpretation, I think it's just a little example of male/female miscommunication with regard to sex/love/life. To the girl, "love" is emotional, she wants him to love her, apparently he's not doing a good job of it. To the guy singing, "love" means sex, and he's saying he can't show his love unless she spreads her legs, i.e. lies down. Or maybe I'm a moron.

I agree with whoever said this is supposed to be a fun song... who cares about the lyrics? Sure, he's a remarkable poet when he wants to be, but he's not trying to be here... at least that's my view. As for my interpretation, I think it's just a little example of male/female miscommunication with regard to sex/love/life. To the girl, "love" is emotional, she wants him to love her, apparently he's not doing a good job of it. To the guy singing, "love" means sex, and he's saying he can't show his love unless she spreads her legs, i.e. lies down. Or maybe I'm a moron.

Reason:

higfaceon September 05, 2006 Link
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@higface
+1
General Comment
i disagree that this is just "a fun song." berman always cares about his lyrics, no matter how trivial they may seem and his words often convey multiple meanings. we see the lyrics "time is a game only children play well" followed soon by "my youth for a bell." so, how do children keep track of time? they have little conception of it. they often find symbols and events that allow them to conceptualize time without truly knowing what it is. for instance, when i was little, my parents would tell me that an episode of "He-man" had just passed rather than say it's been a half-hour. In the instance of schools, we can't just tell children to come to class at a certain time--we must employ bells to remind them ( i think berman is alluding to this when he says, "a youth for a bell"). so, as children we don't worry about time--we have other people worry about it for us; it becomes a game, just like many other pursuits in our lives. as adults, time is no longer a game. for men, it's a constraint to the immediately pleasurable desires we seek--often sex. for women, time is no longer a game either. as they age, they often lose their good looks and their opportunity to procreate. ultimately i think what berman is saying is that children have an innocent conception of time-far removed from how adults view it; if adults imagined time in this way there would be fewer constraints in our lives. we can't see time as merely a "game"--time always has repercussions.

i disagree that this is just "a fun song." berman always cares about his lyrics, no matter how trivial they may seem and his words often convey multiple meanings. we see the lyrics "time is a game only children play well" followed soon by "my youth for a bell." so, how do children keep track of time? they have little conception of it. they often find symbols and events that allow them to conceptualize time without truly knowing what it is. for instance, when i was little, my parents would tell me that an episode of "He-man" had just passed rather than say it's been a half-hour. In the instance of schools, we can't just tell children to come to class at a certain time--we must employ bells to remind them ( i think berman is alluding to this when he says, "a youth for a bell"). so, as children we don't worry about time--we have other people worry about it for us; it becomes a game, just like many other pursuits in our lives. as adults, time is no longer a game. for men, it's a constraint to the immediately pleasurable desires we seek--often sex. for women, time is no longer a game either. as they age, they often lose their good looks and their opportunity to procreate. ultimately i think what berman is saying is that children have an innocent conception of time-far removed from how adults view it; if adults imagined time in this way there would be fewer constraints in our lives. we can't see time as merely a "game"--time always has repercussions.

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garnettingreenon August 10, 2008 Link
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@garnettingreen
+1
General Comment
fools.

fools.

Reason:

smallpoxon December 11, 2008 Link
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@smallpox
0
General Comment
As an addendum... the time is a game only children play well bit... He's saying "all of this courtship, bringing flowers, cuddling, getting to third base nonsense is kid's stuff... since we're not kids and we don't have (seemingly, of course) all the time in the world, let's get down to business. Lay the hell down and I'll get to work."

As an addendum... the time is a game only children play well bit... He's saying "all of this courtship, bringing flowers, cuddling, getting to third base nonsense is kid's stuff... since we're not kids and we don't have (seemingly, of course) all the time in the world, let's get down to business. Lay the hell down and I'll get to work."

Reason:

higfaceon September 05, 2006 Link
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