The Rat Within The Grain

The first time i heard this song, i knew i must have it...This song is definetely about someone's self struggle about their feelings about the other person. It's clear when he sings "I wouldn't want you to want To be wanted by me" and "I only really wanted to be wanted by you" that he feels something for that person but does not want that person to feel anything, but of course he admits to really want the person to have feelings for him.

I can totally relate to this song right now. I have feelings for someone and he does too, but I don't want him to feel anything. I'm glad he does, but I don't want him "to want to be wanted by me"

Great song from Damien new album 9 crimes!. This song is really sad, remind me a past relationship, she want me to love her, but my love for her was over. I felt kind of guilty 'cause I couldnt love her anymore...

this is probably my favorite damien rice song

mine also.

I had never heard this song until I heard him perform it live, but I instantly fell in love with it.

He has feelings for this girl but he was refused, but she was influenced by what other pepole said. So she refudsed him, she thought he was lieing. And now he feels rejected and pretends it's all ok, that he doesn't feel anything for her. Yeh, in his heart, things go a little different.

one of y favourite damo songs!!!! also with one of my favourite lyrics ever (i believe to be misprinted on this page): "so go play on your piano and write a mediocre song about this shell of mediocrity and pretend there's nothing wrong" i think this song has three different assesments of one relationship shown throught the three verses: in the first the narrator is tryin to reassure his partner that whatever someone had told her (perhaps that the narrator had been unfaithful) that it isnt true in the second he is admitting that he has been lying to her and is nearly insulting her for not realising it and in the third he is saying that his partner refuses to believe that what he has told her is true

heard him do this on tv live i was in a little 'head zone' brilliante. Taped it on video replayed it so much the quality is now dire. Easy to remember lyrics aswell. Such a simple sounding song.

hello all, I'm not English - maybe that's why I have some problems with english songs. Can you tell me, what exactly "rat within the grain" means? is it some kind of idiom? because I don't think it should be understood literally :) thanks for any help Marta

i think the lyrics are "i never thought you were a chicken / shit, i never thought of you at all," as opposed to "chickenshit." in certain live versions, he enunciates this break in thought more clearly.