This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
So I'm running down Fifth Avenue headed south.
I'm going to get you that ring I've been thinking about.
I hope that you will like it, I know that you'll like it.
I know you've got your necklace and bracelets so it's different,
I'm different. I know that you're different.
And it doesn't make a difference our differences differ
Cause it makes us the same and I needed the change
To call you that day I tried to get you that ring.
I said "Baby, it's Jerry, my cell phone is dead.
I need you, I'm freezing my cheeks are rose red."
So you came to my rescue and kissed my cold lips;
You said "Baby I'm here. Please don't miss me like this!"
But I did, and I do, and I will, and I won't
Settle for my bed that's increasingly cold.
I dream every night that you're biting my wrists;
New Orleans and vampires, I miss you like this.
And I did.
I met you at a party, you grabbed me and smiled.
You knew me from class, I fell for you like a child.
It was just an accident, I don't know what happened.
Next thing I knew we were kissing and laughing
And I took you to dinner, we danced in my kitchen.
We tried to be quiet when Lauren knew we were kissing.
We partied real hard and we stayed up until dawn
Having the best you know what all day long.
Remember when Kevin walked in on us drunk
Then he messed up his car, man that party was fun.
I loved watching you play your piano and violin
And you loved it when I tried to sing you to bed.
You said "Baby, oh baby, please sing me to sleep!"
Man I tried and I tried not to slip out of key
But I did, like I do so I'd stop to kiss
You but you'd already be sleeping, and I laughed cause it's cute.
I miss you.
Elliott Smith was right when he said
"Nobody broke 'my' heart"
Yeah, I broke my own...
'cause I can't finish what I start.
Don't leave me, don't leave me. The Bronx is my coffin
And you are my chocolate; put kisses in my pocket.
Alligator, alligators all covered in orange;
Biting my fingernails while you dream of New Orleans.
Well, for kissing in taxi cabs, romance and restaurants;
For eating home-made dinners that took me too long;
For your dark hair, dark eyes, and all your surprises;
For the way that I run, and Clark Kent, I decided that
I want you to be happy with whatever you do.
And wherever you are, I'll be thinking of you.
I'm sorry, I'm an asshole, I said things I don't mean.
Thank you for everything I'll miss you Lizzy G.
And I do.
I'm going to get you that ring I've been thinking about.
I hope that you will like it, I know that you'll like it.
I know you've got your necklace and bracelets so it's different,
I'm different. I know that you're different.
And it doesn't make a difference our differences differ
Cause it makes us the same and I needed the change
To call you that day I tried to get you that ring.
I said "Baby, it's Jerry, my cell phone is dead.
I need you, I'm freezing my cheeks are rose red."
So you came to my rescue and kissed my cold lips;
You said "Baby I'm here. Please don't miss me like this!"
But I did, and I do, and I will, and I won't
Settle for my bed that's increasingly cold.
I dream every night that you're biting my wrists;
New Orleans and vampires, I miss you like this.
And I did.
I met you at a party, you grabbed me and smiled.
You knew me from class, I fell for you like a child.
It was just an accident, I don't know what happened.
Next thing I knew we were kissing and laughing
And I took you to dinner, we danced in my kitchen.
We tried to be quiet when Lauren knew we were kissing.
We partied real hard and we stayed up until dawn
Having the best you know what all day long.
Remember when Kevin walked in on us drunk
Then he messed up his car, man that party was fun.
I loved watching you play your piano and violin
And you loved it when I tried to sing you to bed.
You said "Baby, oh baby, please sing me to sleep!"
Man I tried and I tried not to slip out of key
But I did, like I do so I'd stop to kiss
You but you'd already be sleeping, and I laughed cause it's cute.
I miss you.
Elliott Smith was right when he said
"Nobody broke 'my' heart"
Yeah, I broke my own...
'cause I can't finish what I start.
Don't leave me, don't leave me. The Bronx is my coffin
And you are my chocolate; put kisses in my pocket.
Alligator, alligators all covered in orange;
Biting my fingernails while you dream of New Orleans.
Well, for kissing in taxi cabs, romance and restaurants;
For eating home-made dinners that took me too long;
For your dark hair, dark eyes, and all your surprises;
For the way that I run, and Clark Kent, I decided that
I want you to be happy with whatever you do.
And wherever you are, I'll be thinking of you.
I'm sorry, I'm an asshole, I said things I don't mean.
Thank you for everything I'll miss you Lizzy G.
And I do.
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
'Elliott Smith was right when he said "nobody broke 'my' heart", yeah I broke my own Cause I can't finish what I start'
Best line on the album.
One of Jerrys favourite songs is 'Bankrupt on Selling' by Modest Mouse, anyone notice the similarities? Still both brilliant songs though