Ghost of York

This song to me plays with the Edgar Allen Poe story 'A Tell Tale Heart". To quickly summarize, it's about a guy who kills this old man and hides him under the floorboards, and as he's telling the story of this murder, he keeps reminding the reader that he's not crazy (even though he is), and he when the police come to check out what happened, he almost gets away with the murder, but he keeps "hearing" the heartbeat of the dead man under the floorboards, and he swears that everyone can hear it, but it's all in his mind because he's crazy.

I think this song kind of alludes to that. He had this love, that ended and he kind of buried it away, or so he thought. No matter how hard he tries to ignore it, he'll forever hear the beating of this love. And he sees the "ghost" of this girl, the love that died away, and I'm sure everyone around him, even the girl, says the love is gone, but he keeps seeing it, everywhere he goes. At the end he says that HE'S the one who can't leave. He can't let "her" (the love) be alone, even though he's the one that's keeping it there.

This song isn't about lost love as many people have been saying. As mentioned by emilyRDH who went to their performance, ATAL introduced the song as a "song about imaginary friends". When I first heard this it reminded me of visitors as well. You can see it in their lyrics--

"I know we're all souls just trying to connect with someone, but we're all left searching on our own"

"Souls" as in spirits or ghosts. "Left searching on our own" suggests he is lonely. Searching for love. Perhaps he then imagined a ghost appear to keep him company.

The song also produces sounds that only the main person seems to hear. For example: "Tell me that you could hear it: three taps under the floorboard. Don't say I'm losing it, maybe you're deaf."

"Could have sworn that I locked all these windows fairly tight. Shut the door, hear a knock. she starts turning off the lights" This part would mean that there is actually no way for another person to enter the room. By "She starts turning off the lights" this could relate to the she-spirit blacking out the house (think scary movies).

"I saw you dressed all in white, I saw you pass right by. But maybe I had too much wine" "Dressed in white" clearly relates to "ghosts". By the line about wine, he is thinking maybe he isn't really seeing that spirit and it is the alcohol (another symbol for being lonely. Downing the "spirits" and drowning ones sorrows away).

"Tell me that you could see it, a ghost who's skin is porcelain" again with the title. Porcelain to me means something white and pure like the skin of a ghost or something beautiful.

"In a York hotel hall" seems to be a film setting as in a place where you're likely to be presented with a spirit.

"You say that you're alone. But I know I can't leave you lonely on your own" A lonely spirit? This to me relates back to the first lines in the song. Souls trying to connect with someone, but forever searching on our own. The main character is suggesting that they should be "lonely" together. I love it.

Finally, "I hope you come back tonight, you never said goodbye" is a line I'm not completely sure about. Perhaps the ghost left without a word?

To be completely honest this song does remind me of lost love (having experienced it myself) through death and now that person is visiting again. This could also tie in with the lines "you never said good bye" as in the person died suddenly. However this would have been before I read the lyrics properly. This song reminds me so much more about being visited by something beautiful and "imaginary" during lonely times. Longing for love and imagining it to appear.

I adore this song though. (Try listening to it in the middle of the night when you really are feeling lonely. It gives me the chills.)

After a few years of listening to this band i found they can be both cryptic and upfront with their music. I used to think this song was about a failed relationship but now i'm leaning towards the inability to forget a lost love.

He starts off on a heavier note saying we all live our lives alone searching for someone to share them with. The next verse shows he's haunted the memories of a lost love.

He can't get her out of his head even though he "locked all these windows fairly tight" trying to forget and move on but no matter how hard she still works his way into his head after "she starts turning off the lights".

In the next verse he "sees her in the corner of his eye" "dressed in white". It shows that he doesn't even have to fixate the memory of her to remember how beautiful and perfect she is dressed in white, a color associated with purity. He drowns himself in his sorrows fixating on her, hoping she find her way back to him.

"tell me that you could see it" rings throughout song almost like hes trying to convince himself shes not just a delusion. Even though she's merely a memory "a ghost whose skin is porcelain" shows he sees her as beautiful as ever did.

He fixates on her until he's sure he can see her ghostly figure glance at him from down a hall. That glance could mean so many things to him.

The last verse is my favorite. she says she lonely and he won't allow it asking those same questions until either she silences him with a kiss or by leaving

The instrumental to the song is also

this song is love

this is probably my favorite song off self-titled, dan nigro's voice is amazing.

my favorite by far.. makes me want to cry everytime i hear it

My favourite, probably, of this album.

I think it's about a guy that knows he's losing love, but still wants to hold onto it. He sees her all dressed in white and passing through walls, but 'hope's she'll come back tonight'.

i cant be bothered explaining it,

but i think its about a love who was lost. through either death (and hes imaginging her coming back) or she just left him, and hes speaking of her as a ghost coming back, because hes imaginging her coming back and revisiting their once shared love.

and, the voice is amazingly different in this.

Incredible song. I think it's definitely about losing the one you love that's passed away and you swear you continue to see them around because your life was so attached to theirs.