In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
With the synth and sound we might just believe that we could do
All the things in our minds with exact knives and bing's that will make you
Write all the sounds, all men traded into worlds where we due to
Love, and defined all the leaves that we can speak about
Well, you know where you like that the cinder blocks are taking up our
View for a while with the simple mathematics of our
Lives and design. There's a head that pointed five degrees to the right
Do you know there will only be so many of our kind?
Give us some of the ghost notes
Give us some of the chosen, oh
Give us some of the closing slots
Give us some of the falsest hope
We are lies and go right down through the suction on the great
Eye and we climb do you know the knee scrapes represent that we thought of design?
It comes in and rolls you out with thoughts of the world not in line
Do you think that they're imaginary hearts?
It was right to return to pieces of the circle where we declined
I know military moments will believe us
It's a sound, and a tick-tock to the world that tells you
How you arrive do you think that we are momentary?
Give us some of the ghost notes
Give us some of the chosen, oh
Give us some of the closing slots
Give us some of the falsest hope
This is where the like, the like rude choir comes in, alright?
It goes like this, it's like
'Cause we wanna love, wanna sift through the creation time by
Night with your thoughts you know
I am just a literary fox with a song
They come in like shells and sink right through the
World and the rhyme you know pieces of the poetry go out for the cause
Does it feel like somethings missing?
Time to concede for a while because all that's right is always
that's what's wrong
In your mind are the churches right beneath the stairs of your
House and the time, it's the tick-tock going out and weary
All the things in our minds with exact knives and bing's that will make you
Write all the sounds, all men traded into worlds where we due to
Love, and defined all the leaves that we can speak about
Well, you know where you like that the cinder blocks are taking up our
View for a while with the simple mathematics of our
Lives and design. There's a head that pointed five degrees to the right
Do you know there will only be so many of our kind?
Give us some of the ghost notes
Give us some of the chosen, oh
Give us some of the closing slots
Give us some of the falsest hope
We are lies and go right down through the suction on the great
Eye and we climb do you know the knee scrapes represent that we thought of design?
It comes in and rolls you out with thoughts of the world not in line
Do you think that they're imaginary hearts?
It was right to return to pieces of the circle where we declined
I know military moments will believe us
It's a sound, and a tick-tock to the world that tells you
How you arrive do you think that we are momentary?
Give us some of the ghost notes
Give us some of the chosen, oh
Give us some of the closing slots
Give us some of the falsest hope
This is where the like, the like rude choir comes in, alright?
It goes like this, it's like
'Cause we wanna love, wanna sift through the creation time by
Night with your thoughts you know
I am just a literary fox with a song
They come in like shells and sink right through the
World and the rhyme you know pieces of the poetry go out for the cause
Does it feel like somethings missing?
Time to concede for a while because all that's right is always
that's what's wrong
In your mind are the churches right beneath the stairs of your
House and the time, it's the tick-tock going out and weary
Lyrics submitted by CinnamonJane
Churches Under the Stairs Lyrics as written by John Lamagna Brendan Canning
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
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I think this song is a postmodern critique of religion.
2nd verse is actually "I know military moments will devise" not "believe us".
'devise' pronounced with a random 'l' in the middle of it? I can't really hear it.
I dont hear an 'l' or anything even remotely resembling the letter 'l' in the word "devise". Not to mention "believe us" is 1 syllable too long to fit there.
I heard a non-finished version of the album leaked onto the net a while back. Do you have it instead of the fully mastered version of the cd? I have the mastered version and its obvious he says "devise".
I also have the mastered version, and I've been listening to it on big speakers at decently high volumes and getting some other people's opinions on it and we're not hearing 'devise'. It appears we are at an impasse.
Yeah.. I was also going to say that devise was one syllable too short. If you listen to it carefully I think you'll be able to hear that when Canning sings 'will' right before, the transition is pretty clearly into a 'b' and not a 'd' sound..
It sounds as if he isn't even pronouncing "believe us" fully because he says believe so quickly and non-chalantly that it comes out sounding like "devise". I think he says it funny to make it sound like it rhymes with "declined". He should have just used the word "devise" because it fits better with the song IMO.
I wish this CD was more popular so maybe we could have a third opinion, though I can now here how you came up with "believe us".
*hear
To me this song is a commentary on religion.. and here's the surprise: taken from the point of view of God or gods or whatever deity figure you think they are giving voice to!
The first verse is essentially God saying I can make you write about Me and about yourselves and My relationship with you. "There's a head that pointed five degrees to the right" can represent that image of Jesus' head tilted on the cross after He died. And the sentence immediately after that can only mean "there will only be so many of us, gods"
The chorus could mean: "in order to keep Me alive, attribute Me some subtleties, give Me some people you choose (as prophets) to represent ordinary people that went through a huge change or an epiphany, and just give Me all of your hopes!"
The second verse, God is probably conceding that He is a lie, and the "knee scrapes" line is just His way of looking at His worshippers. "military moments" could mean that in the middle of wars you will suddenly believe in Him, and that very belief is going to be your only way of explaining how you came to be in this world. The verse ends with Him asking the people "do you think I am temporary"?
The third verse, is kind of funny, God is saying "Hey I wanna love, that's why I created you. And I'm just good with words, they sink into your heart. I know that maybe some words you can't understand, but that's actually the time when you have to concede because when you think you're right is actually when you're wrong!"
I'm not sure about the last sentence of this verse. What are your thoughts? "In your mind are the churches right beneath the stairs of your house and the time, it's the tick-tock going out and weary..."
When I saw them in concert two days ago Brendan Canning said the song was about love...I dont know how that is exactly but it is an amazing song all the same. Wicked live shows too...