"Just Stay" as written by and Kevin Patrick Devine....
I found my fickle friend
Out in the alley way
He said, You don't look so good
I said, "Hey doc that's great
You started practicing ?
I never got the note
So let's shake and trade
And be on our way "
Let's go, go, go
So here we are again
Inside your neon shrine
Sharing a chopping block
Beneath embarrassed light
That tries to hide from us
It tucks itself away
So we both grab hold
And say no you don't
Just stay, just stay
And I'm racing towards
The one mistake
That locks me in my place
The judgement call
That justifies the smirk stuck on my face
My crooked life scared straight and stiff
By the last wrong turn I'll take
But I'm not there yet so come purr, my pet
Let's play, let's play
The morning's hot and harsh
My notebook fills itself
The words come thick with sweat
It feels like someone else
Is writing all of this
Someone I just can't believe
When I mop my brow
Set my pen back down
It's still me, still me
And I'm grabbing at a feeling now
That I can't ever name
Some sign post to remind me
How I wanted things this way
And she said, it's pretty
But you hate yourself
I can hear it clear as day
And I say, a sin like this
It sounds worse than it is
I'm okay, okay
I'm okay, okay
Just stay, just stay
Out in the alley way
He said, You don't look so good
I said, "Hey doc that's great
You started practicing ?
I never got the note
So let's shake and trade
And be on our way "
Let's go, go, go
So here we are again
Inside your neon shrine
Sharing a chopping block
Beneath embarrassed light
That tries to hide from us
It tucks itself away
So we both grab hold
And say no you don't
Just stay, just stay
And I'm racing towards
The one mistake
That locks me in my place
The judgement call
That justifies the smirk stuck on my face
My crooked life scared straight and stiff
By the last wrong turn I'll take
But I'm not there yet so come purr, my pet
Let's play, let's play
The morning's hot and harsh
My notebook fills itself
The words come thick with sweat
It feels like someone else
Is writing all of this
Someone I just can't believe
When I mop my brow
Set my pen back down
It's still me, still me
And I'm grabbing at a feeling now
That I can't ever name
Some sign post to remind me
How I wanted things this way
And she said, it's pretty
But you hate yourself
I can hear it clear as day
And I say, a sin like this
It sounds worse than it is
I'm okay, okay
I'm okay, okay
Just stay, just stay
Lyrics submitted by jesselacey, edited by ienjoycereal
"Just Stay" as written by Kevin Patrick Devine
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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And I say, "I sing like this,
it sounds worse than it is.
I'm okay, okay."
Other than that, it seems accurate to me.
"I found my fickle friend
out in the alley way
He said, You don't look so good.
I said, Hey doc, that's great.
You started practicing?
I never got the note.
So let's shake and trade
and be on our way.
Let's go, go, go.
So here we are again,
inside your neon shrine,
sharing a chopping block
beneath embarassed light
that tries to hide from us
it tucks itself away.
So we both grab hold
and say no you don't.
Just stay, just stay.
The morning's hot and harsh,
my notebook fills itself.
The words come thick with sweat,
it feels like someone else
is writing all of this,
someone I just can't believe.
when I mop my brow,
set my pen back down,
it's still me, still me.
And I'm grabbing at a feeling now
that I can't ever name.
Some sign post to remind me
how I wanted things this way.
And she says, 'it's pretty
but you hate yourself,
I can hear it clear as day.'
And I say, 'when i sing like this,
it sounds worse than it is.
I'm okay, okay.
I'm okay, okay.
Just stay, just stay.'
the first verse is a drug deal
second verse they're doing the drugs
the third is the next next day he feels beside himself and not himself as he writes of the past night(s)
4th verse he plays the song for a girl and she thinks hes depressed but really he wants his life that way
but to be more specific:
first verse, he refers to his friend/dealer as being a doctor, which is ironic. he's being sarcastic by asking 'you started practicing? i never got the note' like, his dealer should be the last person to comment on his condition and the way he's living his life. but his friend supplies him with drugs, and then kevin self medicates with said drugs, trying to find something that will last and maybe balance his brain.
So here we are again,
inside your neon shrine, (neon shrine= tripping/rolling/drug room. usually painted with neon black light paint, black lights turned on. its like flying through space when you're high)
sharing a chopping block (chopping block= where they prepare the drugs)
beneath embarassed light
that tries to hide from us
it tucks itself away. (the day passed by quickly when they get fucked up, so maybe its talking about the sun being 'shy'?)
So we both grab hold
and say no you don't.
(holding onto the 'light', and the feelings that the drugs give them)
Just stay, just stay.
the last verse is his female friend/girlfriend reading new lyrics he wrote, hence the "And she said, it's pretty, but you hate yourself, I can hear it clear as day."
to which he reponds with "when i sing like this, it sounds worse than it is. I'm okay, okay"
sounds to me like he doesn't know himself, he doesn't know how to be truly happy, so he's doing the only thing he knows how to do; chase temporary highs.
Specifically in this song i feel like drug use is a metaphor about Kevin's song writing. it can be easily discerned that Kevin writes about subject matter that is real, and more often than not, it has dark connotations. the drug reference and the part that says "I write like this" would point, in my opinion, to the conclusion that writing songs with dark meanings and connotations is something he always wanted to do, which is common in the "indie" scene, or music in general really. and a "girl" listener points out to him that all of his songs make it sound like he is unhappy with himself and life, as most of his lyrics are about his own internal struggles. The phrase, "I write like this, it sounds worse than it is," would say, to me, that he really writes those things because those are the things he chooses to express, while he continues to be otherwise happy in his everyday life.
thus the song is about putting on the image of sadness and depression whilst he is really content and just trying to work out life's kinks.
When everything feels right while living that lifestyle, but eventually you need to be able to live as you, not as the person you are while influenced by the drug.
"still me still me" is his way of saying that beyond the drug it is still him, and he needs to remind himself of that. And in the end hs is "okay, okay."
I could go so incredably far in analizing this song, but i'll stop there.
Kevin Devine = love