The Olivia Tremor Control – Jumping Fences

Lazy man who can't find his words
All caught up inside his head
He is there with you, he is there with you
And when he can't speak from too much wine,
You're always there with his line
He wants to go home
You know the jolly show must go on
But he sees me on you
And you on summer buzz and summer heat
But I don't know
For go to the picture show today

We're living day by day
And we both know
That this world can make no sense
When you jumped everybody's fence

We're living aimlessly
And we both know
That this world will make no sense
When you jumped everybody's fence
And you know we can
And you know we can
Know we can, yeah yeah


Lyrics submitted by darnee, edited by septapus

Jumping Fences song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • 0
    General Commenti don't this song means anything; but am i alone when i say this could belong in an episode of scooby doo? when they're chasing around the monster?
    ullberryon May 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentTo me, I think this song is about having a casual affair. The girl in this song has a drunk husband who wants to go home and leave, but the girl wants to stay. The husband then sees the girl with another man. He seems to be using the excuse that the world is so confusing and it's better to live day by day. "Jumping fences" seems like a term to describe leaving home, cheating, etc.
    Skylingon August 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General CommentIt's about making decisions and being unable to stick to them. So instead of a person being "on the fence" about something, he/she makes their stand but ends up doing the opposite later. The world wouldn't make sense if everyone was contradictory.

    And the song would make a good Scooby Doo youtube video.
    Primeon January 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General CommentTo me, it's always seemed like it's about a woman trapped in a relationship with an abusive husband. She has an affair, but then he finds out.It also sounds like she has just run from decisions all her life.
    theneedlethatsingsinyourhearton January 06, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI always thought that the phrase "jumped everybody's fence" had more to do with escaping societal borders and boundaries, dull ways of thinking, and living a life that's open and free to a kind of cosmic wonder that ultimately renders life itself as completely absurd. Momentarily escaping the humdrum of day-to-day life to think about how crazy it is to be alive at all.
    hillergoodspeedon April 11, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General CommentThis song is about two people, the "lazy man" and the narrator. The lazy man is a person at a party but doesn't really want to be there. But his friends are there (and the narrator) and they are encouraging him to stick it out (the jolly show must go on). But ultimately, the lazy man (or shy man, or introverted man, something like that) just gets jealous from seeing everyone else having a good time (me on you and you on summer buzz and summer heat). The closing refrain of the song talks about the attitude of the narrator and his friends, we're living day by day and you know this world makes no sense. A carefree attitude, the attitude of a joker. But it's also aimless (we're living aimlessly). One of the themes of this album I think is to find a greater purpose. We're living aimlessly, yeah that's great, but maybe we can do more than that.
    Glasscaton September 04, 2016   Link

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