Blue and Gold Print

This song is so sad and beautiful... The words "replacement's a myth" (which are the correct ones) explain everything: you can find someone new and be fine, yet it will never be as it was before, cos you've already met the love of your life and you've lost them. So now you can't complain, because s/he is treating you right, but somehow you feel "a little bit lost" because there's something that's sorely missing. But you can't go back and the only thing you can do is treasure the memories you have.

I tried to correct these.

So long, lost loves I haven't forgotten you, just yet. I hung your picture before I knew next to scenes set in golden hues. Your face, still drifting inside my head. The weight is gone, heavy words that I could have said. I sang instead when other girls only cried I call it grace, I am a mindless child.

But I said, he's treating me right. I said, he's treating me right.

You're gone, what's left? Memories of greater days just hang. Look on, you say. Build together the obvious clues. Taught you, skip the series of laid out rules. Go sing outside as the clouds raining spark the night. That's how we met, was it the greatest day of this life?

I said, he's treating me right. I said, he's treating me right.

We're just a little bit lost inside our houses, We're just a little unkept out in the streets. But I won't ever pass up a second to tell you replacement's a myth 'Cause I know when the kids are all grown we will still have this blue and gold print.

He's treating me right. I know he's treating me right.

We're just a little bit lost (he's treating me right) But I won't ever pass up a second to tell you replacement's a myth We're just a little bit lost (he's treating me right) Cause I know when the kids are all grown we will still have this blue and gold print

From personal experience: this sounds like the perspective of someone who recently left an abusive relationship and is grieving and still in love.

“I hung your picture before I knew, next to scenes set in golden hues” This is the idealizing and intense romance that happens in the beginning

“I sang instead when other girls only cried I call it grace, I am a mindless child” This is what it feels like to have such a deeply damaged sense of self that you accept abuse as love

“He’s treating me right” This is the most obvious lyric to me. Its repetition sounds like someone still so trauma bonded they’ll go miles to convince themselves and others that they’re not being abused, protecting their partner.

“Memories of greater days just hang” The greater days are the cycles when their partner was love bombing them and everything was rose-tinted. They’re now beginning the process of unpacking the truth of the relationship.

“Look on you say, put together the obvious clues Taught you, skipped (sic) the series of laid out rules” She’s reflecting on all the red flags she either missed or ignored from the beginning, perhaps even referencing what others noticed, but more likely the former. I always thought the past tense ‘skipped’ was correct but it works either way.

“Go sing outside as clouds raining spark the night, that’s how we met” The circumstances surrounding their meeting were tumultuous and provided fertile ground for the seeds of abuse to be planted and germinate. Perhaps he initially came as a beacon of light before eventually turned into the lightning that struck her.

“We’re just a little bit lost inside our houses We’re just a little unkempt out in the streets” Her world is shattered as is the illusion of their romance. She is picking up the pieces and feels as if she has no real home to seek refuge in.

“But I won’t ever pass up a second to tell you replacement’s a myth ‘Cause I know when the kids are all grown we will still have this blue and gold print” My interpretation of the scene set in golden hues is juxtaposed with the mention of blue in the print: I think this represents the contrast between the idyllic love she felt (gold) with the abuse (blue). The imprint is on her forever and she must carry the pain of these memories for the rest of her life. Re replacement: this could either mean she’s still recovering and believes she may never find anyone who can match the intense love she felt at first, or that she’s beginning to move on and that she has no desire to replace her former lover either because she needs to heal or that she never wants to go down that road again.

it's "but together the obvious clues" and "go sing outside"

This song is epic. I haven't really analyzed what it is about yet.

someone needs to figure out what this song means, stat. because i am obsessed and i want to know about the blue and gold print and how it might apply to my life.

The very first time I heard this song (years ago, even though I am late to comment) immediately thought it was about being physically abused. You know when you are badly bruised it turns that "yellow blue" colour during the healing process? That's what blue and gold print is.