Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Goodbye to Mother and the Cove

She smiles
Then she laughs and then
She rights the wheel
On the road again
While all you fear are her thighs

A man
makes a man a man
is that the way
to kiss a friend?
She is not
She is so
Kindly meet me under stairs
a city skyline just don't care what comes
but we should mind that we don't

To sound
Them bells
Skin thick
To tell
Not sick
Nor well
The air
To speak
The nose
The feet
The ear
To see
Too fool
To stop
Too late
Blue cop
And you
Are meeeeeeeeeeeeeee
To wear
No clothes
To strike
No pose
No hook
No shoes
Quick eat
Then home
To clean them bones
To stick
To guts
The art
Of loud
Too neat
Too proud
No taste
No foul
The part
To keep
To yield
To beat.....


Lyrics submitted by cgnjny

Goodbye to Mother and the Cove song meanings
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12 Comments

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  • 0
    General CommentThe vibe of this song really makes it work
    cgnjnyon March 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI kind of get the feeling that this song may be about a friend accepting homosexuality. The lines "a man makes a man a man, is that the way to kiss a friend" and "all you fear are her thighs" stick out to me but in a way that I don't think Alec himself is gay
    AutumnGreenleafon August 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentThis song sounds like it has to do with a break up in a relationship, and the girl is leaving.
    yankeeboy1865on August 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI think the first line of this song is one of the best of any. I think this song is about a guy falling for a girl who is his best friend. Like the first lines, how they have fun and are comfortable together, but he is scared to want her. I can see the homosexuality aspect, but to me a line like "a man makes a man a man" could also refer to how guys objectify women when they hang out together, like peer pressure to be one of the guys. "is that the way to kiss a friend" is also along the lines of being friends, possibly more, but unsure.
    lightoftheworldon December 21, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI agree that it's about a guy that likes his friend. He must think highly of her too because guys don't usually like how girls drive - so when she "rights the wheel" (probably a metaphor for whenever she does anything girls don't typically do well, could even mean her taking charge and making the first move), he has confidence in her, and I'm sure he finds that really attractive so all that's left to fear are her "thighs", meaning the closest possible body part right before things get sexual - he's afraid to make a move because - the next line "a man makes a man a man, is that the way to kiss a friend", probably means that she's just like one of the guys, but she's clearly NOT a man. He cherishes that in a girl, so he's pretty scared to make a move because he doesn't want to risk losing that. Their kiss "under the stairs" is only visible to the "city skyline", who's obviously not going to tell anyone about it, so why should they care what happens for now? If something good comes of it, great, if not, they can pretend nothing happened and go back to how things were. The rest of the song with 2 word lines goes way above me.
    darbyconneron December 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI'm still wondering what the words in the background are at about the middle of the two word lines. Beautiful song, though.
    Uncommonon January 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti feel pretty sure that the first half of the 2 word lines refers to pregnancy and birth.

    "skin thick / to tell" beginning to show

    i think that instead of "the air to speak" it's "the air too sweet" and that "not sick / nor well / the air / too sweet" refers to morning sickness

    then goes on to describe the baby forming, then the trip to the hospital (running a light/stop sign on the way?), the birth, first feeding, and back home

    not sure about the last half, and the background vocals on that bit drive me up the wall. i come back to it every now and then, but all i can make out is "she will find his feet will run" (at least i think that is what's said) and something about a photo album.
    crustyknickerson September 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti dont think the line

    a man makes a man a man
    is that the way to kiss a friend?

    is at all gay. i think he's just saying that human beings define what a human being is and whats socially acceptable.
    enjoyyourrootson December 21, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Commentbut as for the song.

    i think its just about being a human.. its hard to tell though.

    but "the man makes a man a man"

    and the whole two word lines.

    "to wear
    no clothes
    to strike
    no pose"

    "and you
    are meeee"
    enjoyyourrootson December 21, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Commentbut as for the song.

    i think its just about being a human.. its hard to tell though.

    but "the man makes a man a man"

    and the whole two word lines.

    "to wear
    no clothes
    to strike
    no pose"

    "and you
    are meeee"
    enjoyyourrootson December 21, 2008   Link

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