In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now, here he comes
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentlemen
Like you imagined when you were young
Can we climb this mountain?
I don't know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now, watch it go
We're burning down the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane that started turning
When you were young
When you were young
And sometimes you close your eyes
And see the place where you used to live
When you were young
They say the devil's water, it ain't so sweet
You don't have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now, here he comes
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentlemen
Like you imagined when you were young
(Talks like a gentlemen, like you imagined)
When you were young
I said he doesn't look a thing like Jesus
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But more than you'll ever know
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now, here he comes
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentlemen
Like you imagined when you were young
Can we climb this mountain?
I don't know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now, watch it go
We're burning down the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane that started turning
When you were young
When you were young
And sometimes you close your eyes
And see the place where you used to live
When you were young
They say the devil's water, it ain't so sweet
You don't have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now, here he comes
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentlemen
Like you imagined when you were young
(Talks like a gentlemen, like you imagined)
When you were young
I said he doesn't look a thing like Jesus
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But more than you'll ever know
Lyrics submitted by sam_attack, edited by tigerfishy
When You Were Young Lyrics as written by Dave Brent Keuning Brandon Flowers
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Maybe i'm just plain wrong here, but my interpretation of this song is, it seems, quite different than most on here. It seems, the biggest and most argued lyrics in this song are:
"He doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman, like you remember when you were young."
I take "Jesus" as a metaphor. I figure, Jesus is not known for looks, he is known for spirit, and heart, and sole. In the same way someone could say someone looks really dense, or looks very intelligent, or anything like that, they can't actually physically see character traits, but in saying they can "see" these traits, they are saying they can sense them. They can tell that this person isn’t too bright, or is very smart. With this interpretation, to say "he doesn't look a thing like Jesus" could mean "There is no heart or sole to be found in him" but he "talks like a gentleman."
I think what it means by "he talks like a gentleman" is that this woman is sucked in by his smooth words, and convincing attitude, to make himself seem innocent, trustworthy, and gentlemanly and most importantly, to make her forget, or look over the fact that he isn't a very good person at all. It happens all the time, whenever a guy puts on his nice guy face, and uses his smooth moves to win over a girl that shouldn't fall for it, or shouldn’t fall for it again, or knows this guy has a reputation for hurting girls, but his words pull her into his trap.
"And sometimes you close your eyes and see the place where you used to live When you were young" I think this could be why she falls for his trap everytime. She wants him to be perfect, because she's being idealistic. When she was young, she saw a boy who doesn't need to be beautiful, physically, but he talked like a gentleman, because he was a gentleman. Now that she's grown, and has this terrible guy, she wants to believe that because he talks like a gentleman, he may actually be a gentleman, and so she gives him more chances.
To me, this whole thing could be something recurring. The guy messes up all the time, and the girl is mad at him for a while, and hurt, but then the guy wins her back with convincing lies of "i'll never do it again" and he does it again and again, and the girl just can't see through him like everyone else does. He has some sort of spell over her, that doesn't allow her to see the truth, that this guy does nothing but hurt her, and that she deserves better.
"You sit there in your heartache" He's just hurt her, emotionally, and now she's destroyed by it.
"Waiting on some beautiful boy" "Beautiful boy" could be another metaphor for a beautiful sole, and heart, true beauty, not aesthetics. She wants someone who's not going to harm her anymore, someone that will truly love her.
"To save you from your old ways" Her old ways, are going back to this same guy that hurts her, and falling for lies and tricks. She wants someone to love her, truly, not use her, and take her away from this guy.
"You play forgiveness" She forgives this worthless heartless guy after he smooth talks his way back to her.
"Watch it now- here he comes" And he's back at it, messing up, hurting her, messing with her head, and being forgiven, and doing it all again.
I see the singer as the narrorator, watching from the outside, and shaking his head in dissapointment, sadness, and disgust. Maybe he loves her? Maybe he's actually the "beautiful boy," but he doesn't "talk like a gentleman" and she doesn't notice him. Maybe he's just a friend who's shoulder is cried on everytime this guy hurts her, and so he's hurt by it as well, seeing her suffer. But she will never see this friend as anything more, even though he's the right one, because she is blinded by a smooth talker who's corrupted her, and used her.
I must say though, this last paragraph really biasis my whole interpretation. It's the situation i'm in, always been in, really, and i might just be trying to make it all fit. If so, i think i've made it fit quite well.
i completely agree!
It's the best interpretation I've read so far!
I think your interpretation was very good, and I have to agree with you.
"I said he doesn't look a thing like Jesus<br /> He doesn't look a thing like Jesus<br /> But more than you'll ever know"<br /> <br /> I find interesting your point of view, but if you don't consider those last lines there's something more... Like a positive ending, or something similar!<br />
@ME68 we didn't just connect on a spiritual level but mentally and emotionally. I feel the same way you do I'm usually the person on the side who watches this happen. It's hard seeing this happen to someone. I have a few friends going through this situation and they just keep falling in love with the same guy over and over again. I don't know what happen to a man loving a woman for the person she is, and doing everything in his power to keep her safe, be there for her, and care for her.
@ME68 I think you just about nailed it. This song is about young women, but from an average male perspective. Young women are told from childhood that they are looking for a man to "save them" or "rescue them" as if their life will be ruined if they don't marry a perfect guy. So when they are young they imagine finding someone perfect to marry, somebody like Jesus. So why (from a male perspective) do so many young and beautiful women end up dating mostly asshole men in their younger years, leaving the real saints in the dustbin? I mean are you kidding me? It was quite annoying to watch this happen over and over and over again, in my college years. Guys bedding women every week were the ones that had NO respect among their fellow males,. and it wasn't because they were promiscuous, it was because they were selfish jerks!<br /> <br /> Two reasons are alluded to in the middle of the song. One is, "He doesn't look a bit like Jesus, but he talks like a gentleman .. like you imagined .. when you were young", i.e. women are very easy to fool when they are attracted to somebody else. And they make dumb choices.<br /> <br /> A second reason is also alluded to, "They say the devil's water - it ain't so sweet .. You don't have to drink right now .. But you can dip your feet .. Every once in a little while" and this means that with their newfound sexual power women sometimes just date schmucks for the hell of it, because they can, they have a one-night stand to boost their self esteem, playing the dark side, or get into a relationship with e.g. a two-timing cheat (as in the music video) just to be wild.<br /> <br /> the very last stanza might be about the nice guy that she eventually settles for (hopefully) after dating all the assholes, "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus, but more than you'll ever know" means that when the marriageable guy eventually shows up, she doesn't recognize him, either.<br /> <br /> This song is just so true to me ...
Reinterpretation : First two stanzas are about going out with a "beautiful" boy who is nothing like jesus, he's mean and hurts her and makes her heart ache. As usual.<br /> <br /> Next 7 stanzas are about her redemption with her real savior - a nice boy. "Can we climb this mountain..." - doing something together, helping the girl get over her failed relationship ... "We're burning down the highway on the back of a hurricane from when you were young" - trying to get her away from her "hurricane ways" from when she was young, she needs to grow up, "And sometimes you close your eyes and see the place where you ysed to live" - she summons her idealism again from her youth, "they say the devils water aint so sweet." - this is actually her new boyfriend saying that he forgives her for her past dumb boyfriend mistakes, and in the last 3 stanzas, they go out, and he becomes her savior in the final line of the song.
@ME68 It's SOUL, not fucking SOLE. Somebody had to say it. SOUL. Damn idiot