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The Living North Lyrics
I met the first guy
Who said "I'll always remember this night, Jane"
When I brought cigarettes home on a whim
It was really him
And all of us other guys
Who've said it since then
Well we've been trying to mean it as sincerely as he did
There is a metal divide
Between myself and this lake in New Jersey
Silver seaweed hands reach up and grab
A woman walking dog pulled in
Never heard from again
Focus on shining tension
We're striders on the surface
Of striders on the surface
I found a dog's leash on the shores of the Pacific
It means nothing to me
Who said "I'll always remember this night, Jane"
When I brought cigarettes home on a whim
It was really him
And all of us other guys
Who've said it since then
Well we've been trying to mean it as sincerely as he did
Between myself and this lake in New Jersey
Silver seaweed hands reach up and grab
A woman walking dog pulled in
Never heard from again
Focus on shining tension
We're striders on the surface
Of striders on the surface
It means nothing to me
Song Info
Submitted by
leahper On Mar 08, 2009
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"A woman, walking dog, pulled in, never heard from again...
...I found a dog's leash on the shores of the Pacific, it means nothing to me"
(That's what he posted on their site, although it's: "Your dog's leash on the shores of the Pacific, nothing to me!" in the actual song)
I love how the first part of this, it makes you feel sad/sympathetic because you know the story, but then when he finds this dog's leash out of the blue, he doesn't care... it could be saying that we see all these remnants of really tragic stories all the time and don't know/connect them, or that when it doesn't directly affect us, we don't care anyway.
I think he is talking about suicide, at least in regards to the woman "walking dog pulled in, never heard from again", and possibly in regards to himself "well there is a metal divide, between myself and this lake in New Jersey" as there is a very popular "suicide bridge" near my home in jersey called victory bridge, ironically enough. This would make the heartbreak spoken of earlier in the song "well i met the first guy who said ill always remember this night jane" :weve been trying to mean it as sincerely as he did" make since.
@palefoot sense*
@palefoot sense*
This song is great, maybe my favorite of the cd. Love the loose, relaxed feel to the melody. Absolutely great how he delivers the first verse casually and then screams the second.
Not really sure of the songs meaning. Probably just the writer playing with words, creating the imagery, no real specific meaning.
"I met the first guy Who said "I'll always remember this night, Jane" When I brought cigarettes home on a whim It was really him And all of us other guys Who've said it since then Well we've been trying to mean it as sincerely as he did" this makes it seem like it is about a girl named jane who he is inlove with but her past with other men, makes there love seem less important. but this idea does not really suit the rest of the song, the rest of the song seems to be about him on a bridge watching a women walk by with a dog, but then the woman goes missing and he later finds the leash, could be refernce to that women jumping off the bridge or dying another way i am not sure
always thought the last line was: "her on the dark, beach, on the shores of the pacific. Nothing TO ME!"
I partly agree with the suicide takes on this but dig a little deeper. The lake is societal collectivism pulling her in, she is killing her individuality. now fit the rest of the song to that