Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
When you leave us through the patient doors
That rattle in you ear will be the sound of our applause
raptuous, considered and due.
Oh the nasty laughter and desperate smirks
are tangled in the boredom where out brittle kisses lurk
well how can i believe you, when you can't believe your luck
and the shardes of past attraction lie visible
but shy and blunt and weak and worn
away by whining in the emery paper voice you use to speak
oh the shardes of past attraction lie visible
but shy and blunt and weak and worn
away by whining in the emery paper voice you use to speak
in the trap
you only want to be the first to laugh
you only want to be the first in the sandtrap
you only want to be the first to laugh
and your climbing holes and cinder claws
ring out the the ? all towards
Farwell, Farewell Farewell
That rattle in you ear will be the sound of our applause
raptuous, considered and due.
Oh the nasty laughter and desperate smirks
are tangled in the boredom where out brittle kisses lurk
well how can i believe you, when you can't believe your luck
and the shardes of past attraction lie visible
but shy and blunt and weak and worn
away by whining in the emery paper voice you use to speak
oh the shardes of past attraction lie visible
but shy and blunt and weak and worn
away by whining in the emery paper voice you use to speak
in the trap
you only want to be the first to laugh
you only want to be the first in the sandtrap
you only want to be the first to laugh
and your climbing holes and cinder claws
ring out the the ? all towards
Farwell, Farewell Farewell
Lyrics submitted by life_aint_chess
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
oh, and the meaning... I think it's from he viewpoint of an arctic monkeys fan whose just grown tired of the band. "and the shardes of past attraction lie visible but shy and blunt and weak and worn away by whining in the emery paper voice you ue to speak"... that basically means "I used to like this band but they're starting to annoy me now". The "weak and worn away by whining in the emery paper voice you use to speak" part is a reference to alex's yorkshire accent - the narrator found that annoying and ground away his appreciation of the band.
Or it could be about a person...