Ships in a Bottle Lyrics
But I haven't done that in the last few weeks or so
And yeah, I know the remedy
But they ran out yesterday
I can't re-fill anything
Especially my heart. especially my brain
If I could bottle up this mess I could do it all again
Don't wanna feel if I'm alive
Don't wanna smell the bed where we used to sleep
I'm gonna miss it again, miss it again
And take the fact that I've been burned
And maybe let you know I'm still standin'
If you miss it again, miss it again, I'm around
And I watched you through the windows draped with sheets so white
And yeah, it looks a lot like me
Is it a comfort that you need or coincidence that's everything
Especially my eyes, 'specially my clothes
But does it move you inside out
Maybe I don't wanna know!
Don't wanna feel if I'm alive
Don't wanna smell the bed where you used to sleep
Gonna miss it again, miss it again
And take the fact that I've burned
And maybe let you know I'm still standin'
If you miss it again, miss it again I'm around
How we would just become the ships inside a bottle
Breakin' down, sails fallin' off
Tryin' to stay afloat inside a place you can't survive
Don't wanna feel if I'm alive
Don't wanna smell the bed where we used to sleep
Take the fact that I've been burned
And maybe let you know I'm still standin'
If you miss it again, miss it again, I'm around
its obviously about a relationship and it seems like maybe the girl knew for a long time that it wasn't gonna work but didn't say anything and then he wants to let her know he's ok and not gonna let his whole life be ruined because of a relationship. awesome, song!
One of my favorites off of Sycamore Meadows. Seems to be about the end of a relationship and that broken feeling that comes with it. You keep trying to put yourself back together and questioning why bother? And knowing that even if you could "bottle up this mess" you'd go back to them in an instant. You know, if they "miss it again, I'm around". Ready to have my heart broken again. If it could ever be whole enough to be broken, at least.
Agh... the not wanting to "smell the bed where you used to sleep"... reminds me of wanting to burn the sheets. Or the bed. Or the apartment.
The second verse- do you think it means that she's seeing someone who reminds him or himself or the way she's acting reminds him of himself?
The ships in a bottle imagery is pretty accurate for me as well. As if you could watch it from the outside and see things falling apart, but can't touch it or fix it. It's just going to happen, helpless to prevent it all falling apart.
Butch always does the heart wrenching break-up songs so well. Better than therapy, ha.
To me, this song is about being trapped in a relationship that isn't good for you but you feel you can't leave. You know that its over and the right thing to do is get on with your life ("walk away from the ashes"), but you keep coming back. You don't want to be back in their bed, but you end up there anyways and it just makes you miss them all over again. You never thought it would be so hard to end it and move on, but now you're trapped and everything is falling apart ("breakin' down, sails fallin off...") but for some reason you keep trying to make it work ("...trying to stay afloat inside a place we can't survive") I have a tattoo of this song, its a clipper ship in a bottle going up the side of my ribs. I got it when I thought I finally broke out of my bottle, so to speak. I didn't.