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Colly Strings Lyrics

Take a leaf of paper and draw your mind
Your bourbon brown that can burn my eyes
I lost your presence underneath the bridge

Lock the door, let's talk it out
Against the wall, hands on my mouth
Could this be it, is it really over now?

You wore a pink T-shirt and khaki pants
You played your songs and you danced your dance
I unwrapped your presents underneath your feet

Nine to eleven you're getting weak
The tile is cold, I can barely speak
And I think she's gone, but I'll be sure for safety's keeping

If you say no, then no it will be
I'll stick it at our skin, pierced with colly strings
Just play it cool, yeah, and try to avoid being seen

I'll stick it at our skin, pierced for nothing

Well, yeah, I saw inside the mirror your smoking gun
[Incomprehensible], the subscribing one by one
And I fell flat in Seth Ott's bedroom

You said, you saw it coming but you didn't see nothing
Your eyes are on the living room, your eyes are on the closet
Don't worry about, don't worry about anything

A pity invitation to an awkward house
For pseudo-boy that would rather wear a blouse
I sincerely saw your skin for the very first time

My curly hair and a voting booth
Confessingly, this is the first time I've loved you
And God I mean, God I mean it, I hope that I mean it

'Cause like dying young, idols got the best of me
Well, don't stop calling, you're the reason I love losing sleep
And the building collapse, we'll shop one, we'll shop one for something

I'll stick it at our skin, pierced for something
Besides, don't release me until it's over

Besides, you can't believe without fear
Besides, you can't believe without fear
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Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

Also, just found this in a new absolutepunk interview:

ANDY: "Colly Strings" is a song I wrote on the first record I wrote for my fiancee. Each phrase of four lines switches back and fourth from my perspective and hers. The song tells the story of the hard things we had to get through to finally find each other. "Besides you can't believe without bleeding" references the idea that before you can experience real joyfulness, you have to experience pain. It's the only way you can appreciate the good. And to clear confusion on the lyric people can't understand... it is "And I fell flat in Seth Ott's bedroom"."

http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=321973

So it's obvious the pink shirt and khakis are describing what Andy's wearing. Those of you who thought that was a gay reference, nice.

Not Valid

wow that's so clever! thanks!

Not Valid
Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra
  • played your songs
Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

Ok, my thoughts on this song are completely different from everyone else's... I may be totally wrong but hey, just throwing it out there.

To me its one of those relationships that only half work. The first stanza explains the mystery behind the lover's eyes, the unpredictability of her mind. Then after a while he loses her presence, Shes changed beyond his understanding. In my mind, shes just one of those incomprehensible people who cant settle in one place for too long.

He dosent want to lose her. He just wants to understand her, so to try to pin her down he locks them in a room together. to talk it out. But shell have none of that and turns it into a game.

is it really over? he asks him self... can he really be in a relationship with this much vagueness, all about fun and no deeper meaning to him? its a gamble he hasn't decided to take yet.

The next stanza is more about how shes all about fun. Singing her songs, dancing her dance. Its also saying that the songs and dance are all hers. Shes one of a kind, and so is everything shes doing. Hes submissive, under her, unwrapping her presents under her feet. Being her rock to keep her down so she dosent just float away. In my mind, she dosent appreciate that face. She likes floating.

Time goes on. Someone with so much energy all the time who keeps going and going needs to rest at some point. So shes getting weak now. And he sees that shes probably moved on from him now, but he just wants to make sure.

Shes now definitively not his. shes said no, so he accepts it. moves on. The longer he stays in one spot the more it hurts, pierced with the colly strings. He dosent want to break down in front of everyone, because her no probably happened in the middle of the action because thats the kind of person she is. So he tries to keep his emotional breakdown hidden.

All of his trying to understand, for nothing.

Then he hears about one of her exploits and is blown away. Its way out there, even for her. (not sure what it might be...) so he "fell so fast is Seth Ott's bedroom" reference to passing out after big news in a friends room.

so when approached about it, she says that it was bound to happen sometime, but he dosent believe that. He knows her to be a better person. But shes had enough conversation, and shes restless. cant focus her attention in one place, so "Your eyes are on the living room your eyes are on the closet" i think just shows that her attention is shifting a lot, no particular emphasis on the closet.

But she relapses back to him, she needs that grounding for a while and feels bad for whatever event that had happened which obviously hurt him. thus, pity invitation. The "pseudo-boy who would rather wear a blouse" probably lives in the awkward house and is probably one of the eccentric characters that she has made friends with. A Trans-gender is what im thinking. At this party which is very her scene, and probably not his, they finally get some alone time. he 'sincerely saw your skin for the very first time' use your imagination. But they probably also finally had a conversation and he sees her now, naked and bare. Sees the real her.

Imagery of his curly hair and a voting booth are probably remember another incident in this relapse into a real relationship. He loves her for real now, because this time hes decided to take the gamble, he thinks. He hopes.

Idols (her) get the best of him, and again shes gone. Shes just one of those people. Shell call him sporadically and obscene hours of the night, but he likes it. The building (their relationship) colapses, but theyll shop for another one. Shell be back again.

again, hes done all of this understanding to go back to nothing.

Its not really over, hes not released. its not really over. shell be back.

you cant really and truly believe in something, its not concrete in your mind until its gone, and it hurts.

like i said, just throwing it out there. If anyone has read winter dreams by Fitzgerald, it reminds me of that kind of relationship. She cant settle until shes found someone who she loves more that he loves her, because everyone loves her so much. Hes different that that everyone, but its not quite enough.

I didn't realize you could reply to a specific person like this. I'm a noob.

Anyway dude you are my mind. haha I was going to add to the part where he says he loves her and means it this time, meaning he's tried to before and couldn't and that he hopes he means it. He's saying he still doesn't know if he is meaning what he's saying or thinking, he just hopes it's love, real love because he wants it so bad. But I'm not sure. Just what I think he means.

It's weird I feel like I was...

Not Valid

i abdolutely agree... everything you said is how i interpreted the song

Not Valid

There are too many "she's and her's " in your thoughts!...HE IS BISEXUAL! its not a she he is talking about its a "HE" as in a boy with a penis!

Not Valid
Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

i love the lines: "I sincerely saw your skin for the very first time"

"Confessingly, this is the first time I've loved you, And God I mean, God I mean it, I hope that I mean it"

"Well don't stop calling, you're the reason I love losing sleep"

seriously amazing.

those are my favorite lines too. exactly

Not Valid

@tsuggsgotwoe well don’t stop calling, your the reason I love losing sleep I say to my close friend Danielle. From the first time I heard it, it described our relationship perfectly. I never want to give up. I never want her to stop calling. That line will always be very meaningful to me as I love her very much.

Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

Back to Manchester, what about the song "Colly Strings". Several of our users are curious about the story behind this song.

Andy: "Colly Strings" is a song I wrote on the first record I wrote for my fiancee. Each phrase of four lines switches back and fourth from my perspective and hers. The song tells the story of the hard things we had to get through to finally find each other. "Besides you can't believe without bleeding" references the idea that before you can experience real joyfulness, you have to experience pain. It's the only way you can appreciate the good. And to clear confusion on the lyric people can't understand... it is "And I fell flat in Seth Ott's bedroom".

http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=321973

Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

For those wondering about the meaning, here you go. It's a song for his fiancee, and he's switching back & forth between her perspective and his.

Take a leaf of paper and draw your mind Your bourbon brown that can burn my eyes I lost your presence underneath the bridge

(1st person: Show me what you were thinking. Why did you do what you did? "Bourbon brown that can burn my eyes" refers to the mistake that hurt the other person. "I lost your presence" means that before I could always find you and we were connected, but now that's lost. I don't know who you are anymore. Something happened "underneath the bridge" or out of my sight that changed us.

Lock the door, let's talk it out Against the wall, hands on my mouth Could this be it, is it really over now?

(Other person talking now: Let's commit to talking about it. Let's see if we can figure it out. I'm against the wall. I have no other option even though I don't want to talk about it --hands on my mouth. Other person is questioning if they screwed up bad enough that it's over.

You wore a pink T-shirt and khaki pants You played your songs and you danced your dance I unwrapped your presents underneath your feet

(1st person talking: You looked all preppy and perfect when we first met. You put on a big show and said all the right things. "I unwrapped your presents" means you showed me what you wanted me to see, the best parts of you. "Underneath your feet" means that when I was close to you, I couldn't see the real you. I was prevented from seeing how you really are.

Nine to eleven you're getting weak The tile is cold, I can barely speak And I think she's gone, but I'll be sure for safety's keeping

(Other person talking. "Nine to eleven, you're getting weak" means it's almost over (referencing time like it's almost midnight). You're getting tired of this and worn out. Your heart is becoming cold. I don't even know what to say to you to make it any better. It's like you're already gone, but I have to do something to see if I can save it. )

The music up to this point is very simple, suggesting pure and honest communication.

If you say no, then no it will be I'll stick it at our skin, pierced with colly strings Just play it cool, yeah, and try to avoid being seen I'll stick it at our skin, pierced for nothing

(1st person: If you won't talk about it, then we're done. Our skin (referring to the love that once protected them) will be broken. Colly means soot or grime. Strings typically refer to the heart. It basically means whatever love we had is now damaged. And if you won't talk to me, we'll both be broken and damaged, and you can keep trying to play it cool and try to avoid being seen for what you really are. We'll be broken and damaged with nothing to show for it) -- Music here becomes more complex and dark suggesting the pain that leaving the relationship would cause them both.

Well, yeah, I saw inside the mirror, your smoking gun [Incomprehensible], the subscribing one by one And I fell so fast in Seth Ott's bedroom

You said, you saw it coming but you didn't see nothing Your eyes are on the living room, your eyes are on the closet Don't worry about, don't worry about anything

(other person: "I saw inside the mirror, the smoking gun" means when I look at you, I see how I hurt you and how you're still hurting. I see myself for who I really am. I can see the gun that I used on you, and it's still smoking. "And I fell so fast in Seth Ott's bedroom" is referring to his friend that he turned to after the mistake and broke down behind closed doors. He's now telling her that you think you saw it coming but you didn't. You weren't paying attention to what was going on inside of my heart. You were focused on the living room (friends, socializing) and the closet (keeping things hidden that they didn't want others to see). You should've been focused on where the love and intimacy is, like the bedroom. And he didn't open up about what was going on. He just kept saying "don't worry about anything." I'm fine. ) The music speeds up suggesting emotional turmoil and confession.

A pity invitation to an awkward house For pseudo-boy that would rather wear a blouse I sincerely saw your skin for the very first time

(1st person: A "pity invitation" means she was just kind of there. He didn't know how to love or appreciate her. "Awkward house" means he looked like he was holding things together but he was about to fall. He wasn't being a man but rather a "pseduoboy who would rather wear a blouse." And when he fell, that was when she sincerely saw him as an imperfect person for the first time.) The music turns from being angry in the first 2 lines, and then loving when he sings the 3rd.

My curly hair and a voting booth Confessingly, this is the first time I've loved you And God I mean, God I mean it, I hope that I mean it

(1st person: "My curly hair and a voting booth" means we go all kind of directions, we're unruly, we're not perfect and we try to keep those things hidden. I accept that. I'm telling you that this is the first time I really see you and I still love you. God I mean it, God I mean it (The use of the word God indicates that it's the kind of love that God has for us -- loving you despite your flaws). "I hope that I mean it" indicates that she's afraid she'll get hurt again but wants to still love him.

'Cause like dying young, idols got the best of me Well, don't stop calling, you're the reason I love losing sleep And the building collapse, we'll shop one, we'll shop one for something

(1st person: I was young and stupid. I made you into an idol. I elevated you to the level of God and expected you to be perfect and never hurt me. Well don't just walk away because I still love you. Even with your imperfections and the pain you cause me, I still want you. "You're the reason I love losing sleep." And if things fall down again, we'll figure it out. )

I'll stick it at our skin, pierced for something Besides, don't release me until it's over

(Even though we may hurt each other, we stand for something greater....Love. So don't leave me until it's over -- until death do us part).

Besides, you can't believe without fear Besides, you can't believe without fear

(He's saying you can't experience real, unending love without experiencing pain and deciding to accept what someone truly is...a human being who makes mistakes and is going to hurt you. Love is a choice and sometimes it's really hard to keep going when they've hurt you. But, pain teaches you whether they're worth it or not).

Song Meaning
Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

to me this sounds like a guy's clandestne relationship with a guy who is in the closet.

Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

*clandestine. I could very well be EXTREMELY off. I'm curious to see what others say. Absolutely amazing song.

Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

Amazing song.

Cover art for Colly Strings lyrics by Manchester Orchestra

I agree IamI. . .I think, at the very least, it's about someone who's cheated on their significant other, but after all is confessed, they feel more in love with him/her than before, and want to make it right. Curious lines: "i lost your presence underneath the bridge" "I fell so fast in Sufat's bedroom" (the cheating?) I'd be interested to hear other people's interpretations.