Australia

When I saw Amanda live last year, she played this song. She said (from memory):

"I just broke up with my boyfriend of a few years and I was talking to my friend in Scotland. He said, yeah, it hurts that you break up with him, but y'know. I CAN DO ALL THIS STUFF NOW THAT I'M NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP!"

Amanda wrote this as a song of "should I/shouldn't I?" and its a song about hope nonetheless.

Hope it helped :)

I get the feeling it's about stepping out of your comfort zone for someone.

"I could make a button out of plaster that said "finished." I could nail it in my closet to the left side of the lightswitch. I could go out to a restaurant and try drinking to forget it, and then come home less afraid and then press it and press it. . ."

I think these lyrics are particularly significant. The button is a metaphor for something that the narrator is afraid to do. That something would be an ending, but also the beginning of something else which could possibly be much better for the narrator.

Or, because this verse comes just before the chorus, pressing the "finished" button could be the equivilent of giving up on life, or committing suicide. The alternative, which requires an equal or greater amount of courage, would be going to Australia.

These are the corrected lyrics for the track on Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under. I listened to the song on the album and the lyrics are quite different than what is posted.

I can do the dishes while talking on the phone I could ask you for an answer but you want to be alone I can never do the dishes a single dish at a time It's too much of a commitment so I line them up and fire

I could calamine your insides I could wind them all around me I could Tiptoe on a tightrope made of fear and looking down see All the people do they see me I can wave or I could carry all the dishes that they gave me that are keeping me steady

Or I could go to Australia And carry a bowie knife and wear my hair like Hepburn parted on the side And learn card tricks and buy Everyone drinks and take boxing and write Songs about my bowie knife

I could do these dishes I could try to do these dishes I could try

I could bake a cake My kitchen is small but I could clear the space I could write my name Because practice makes perfect yes that's what they say

I could make a button out of plaster That said 'finished' I could hang it in my closet To the left side of the lightswitch I could walk down to Columbus and try drinking to forget it And then come home less afraid and then press it and press it

Or I could go to Australia Carry a bowie knife And wear my hair like Hepburn parted on the side And learn card tricks and buy Everyone drinks and take boxing and try Eating things only with chopsticks and write Songs about my bowie knife

I could do these dishes I could try to do these dishes I could decide to do these dishes I could decide

Or I could go to Australia Carry a bowie knife And wear my hair like Hepburn parted on the side And learn card tricks and physics and buy Everyone drinks and take boxing and try Eating things only with chopsticks and finally Be like a person I think you might like

I could do these dishes I could try to do these dishes I could decide to do these dishes I could decide to do these dishes Time to decide

Fuck it! I'm gonna go to Australia I'm gonna go to Australia I'm gonna go to Australia She's gonna go to Australia Bye-bye