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.
All this short summer night long I've been waiting for you
Just to give me a sign that you feel this way too
There are people on the streets for the weekend
But I don't hear them
There are others I could meet for the weekend
But I don't see them
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
I have a dream, of an inky blue sea
You could give up your job and go there with me
I know we'd miss the football and the dancing
There's always something
And you'd worry that the people here'd be talking
But that's nothing
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
In the morning I sit on the train and wonder
If I can go through all this again you know I
Feel like staying till the end of the line this time...
This time, this time, this time
Oh yeah. uh huh.
We come to fight and dream in this fairground of a town
Through the sweet and sickly streets from the airless undergrounds
While the planes fly out of Heathrow taking people late at night
To where the fields are like Australia in the early morning light
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea
In the morning I sit on the train
Talk to me like the sea
Hey hey hey
Talk to me like the sea
In the morning I sit on the train
Talk to me like the sea
Oh oh yeah
Talk to me like the sea
Oh yeah, I sit on the train.
Talk to me like the sea
Just to give me a sign that you feel this way too
There are people on the streets for the weekend
But I don't hear them
There are others I could meet for the weekend
But I don't see them
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
I have a dream, of an inky blue sea
You could give up your job and go there with me
I know we'd miss the football and the dancing
There's always something
And you'd worry that the people here'd be talking
But that's nothing
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
In the morning I sit on the train and wonder
If I can go through all this again you know I
Feel like staying till the end of the line this time...
This time, this time, this time
Oh yeah. uh huh.
We come to fight and dream in this fairground of a town
Through the sweet and sickly streets from the airless undergrounds
While the planes fly out of Heathrow taking people late at night
To where the fields are like Australia in the early morning light
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea, makes me want to get out of the city
Talk to me like the sea
In the morning I sit on the train
Talk to me like the sea
Hey hey hey
Talk to me like the sea
In the morning I sit on the train
Talk to me like the sea
Oh oh yeah
Talk to me like the sea
Oh yeah, I sit on the train.
Talk to me like the sea
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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.
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
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