The First Song

i swear this is the song ive been searching for my entire life.. im obsessed with it.. i love everything about it... the only way it sounds like the shins is the guys voice... possibly, which in any case is more comparible to... early neil young?

After reading all the comments here, I'm really surprised that no one really gets it...

He's singing about the dreaded family gatherings that come around the holidays with the people you're supposed to be close to you, but you aren't. At least that's what I get out of it.

Brilliant song to say the least.

Sorry about bad English, I'm from Russia:) I think this beautiful song is about birth of a child. It seems that in the first part of the song unborn child talks about his feelings from the womb of his mother (he's saying WE mostly). It's winter time and he's suffering from cold too, although "the weather remote". "We've been drinking bordeaux" - pretty good from this perspective... It's Christmas time coming and the child decides that it'd be a good time to present himself as a Christmas gift to his parents ("I'm wrapping up the presents I bought").

"an overcoat will take me anywhere oh, we've suffered enough"

This lines shows how child and mother tired of being сconnected, the child dreams of himself having an overcoat and being able to go wherever he want to. But: "it's scary to leave and they're leaving from birth cutting us off knowing not why calling on the telephone"

He doesn't understand why parents and chilren cutting off and leave each other at a given time of their lifes and eventually the only connection left between them is a Saturday evening telephone calls. Why can't they forever be as close together and strongly connected, as they were in the beginning. Very deep and a little depressive song.

This is what I hear:

shaking awful shaking asshole the weather remote snow fall the snowy cover we recover from love

christmas time coming and over approaching we've been drinking bordeaux as christmas times go I'm coming over

coming from no, you're already gone

I'm wrapping up the presents I bought

an overcoat take me anywhere we've suffered enough

it's scary to thee and they're leaving from earth cutting us off knowing not why calling on total

why do I know anyone? no, I don't know anyone

I love the lyrics; they're supposed to be abstract, but they really paint a strong picture. You get such a mixture of feelings and emotions throughout the song.

i think there are some changes needed. everyone seems to have a bit of the right lyrics.

i'm shaking awful i'm shaking ass cold the weather remote snow fall the snowy cover we recover from both

christmas-time coming and over approaching we've been drinking bordeaux it's christmas-time though I'm coming over

coming from no, you're already gone

I'm wrapping up the presents I bought

an overcoat will take me anywhere oh, we've suffered enough

it's scary to leave and they're leaving from birth cutting us off knowing not why calling on the telephone

roy? do I know anyone? no, I don't know anyone

I love this song with a passion. And the bands good in general. And i had sex to everything all the time.

magic.

yeah i thought it was "shaking ass cold" as well

i agree. but i still love them :]

I think the voice sounds more like Jim James from My Morning Jacket on some songs. Maybe if Jim James and James Mercer had a bastard child. whoa... Jim James Mercer, Jim Mercer maybe? James James. :)

This song is something special, alright!

I wonder if this lyrics are accurate... hard to check, though.