This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Do you think I'm sort of alive?
Should I set these motives aside?
Do I feel? Well sort of, but not
When you walk your body through mine
What's keeping my tongue tied?
I see when you roll your eyes
I swear any moment you will hear
My spirit explode
[Chorus]
When there's fire on the ground
Should it turn my whole world around?
When the wheel's in the lake
Should I think it's a big mistake?
When there's smoke in the sky
Please wake me, I don't know why
When your hand stretches out
Is it way beyond, way beyond my reach?
Do you think it's sort of a crutch
When you try to rule me to touch
Do I shake? Well sort of, but not much
When the shades are summoned and crushed
What's keeping my tongue tied?
I see when you roll your eyes
I swear any moment you will hear
My spirit explode
[Chorus]
Reach
Keep reaching
For me
Does it make you nervous
When you hear my bones
Animate my body
Without my soul?
What's keeping my tongue tied?
I see when you roll your eyes
I swear any moment you will hear
My spirit explode
[Chorus]
Should I set these motives aside?
Do I feel? Well sort of, but not
When you walk your body through mine
What's keeping my tongue tied?
I see when you roll your eyes
I swear any moment you will hear
My spirit explode
[Chorus]
When there's fire on the ground
Should it turn my whole world around?
When the wheel's in the lake
Should I think it's a big mistake?
When there's smoke in the sky
Please wake me, I don't know why
When your hand stretches out
Is it way beyond, way beyond my reach?
Do you think it's sort of a crutch
When you try to rule me to touch
Do I shake? Well sort of, but not much
When the shades are summoned and crushed
What's keeping my tongue tied?
I see when you roll your eyes
I swear any moment you will hear
My spirit explode
[Chorus]
Reach
Keep reaching
For me
Does it make you nervous
When you hear my bones
Animate my body
Without my soul?
What's keeping my tongue tied?
I see when you roll your eyes
I swear any moment you will hear
My spirit explode
[Chorus]
Lyrics submitted by AllChokedUp
Sort Of Lyrics as written by Christopher Andrew Guanlao Brian Nolan Kalei Aubert
Lyrics © Word Collections Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The Night We Met
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I think this is about someone incapable of feeling or expressing emotion, and their inability to connect to someone else. The chorus especially makes it clear that they're just full of apathy for everything, who knows why.
i friggin love this song
This song is about being incapable of speaking your true feelings. Repression. He desperately needs to spit everything out! --I swear any moment you will hear my spirit explode-- Even though he doesnt know exactly what's wrong with him. --What's keeping my tongue tied?-- Sometimes pain turns into anger or hate. Even the sound of the song shows anger, powerlessness.
For me this could be the II part of "Draining". All that waiting turned into apathy. His definition of being strong was to bottle up his feelings. Everything went downhill and now they cant help each other --When your hand stretches out is it way beyond (...) my reach?--
I get that from the song but I'm having trouble with these metaphores. Specially the third line:
--When there's fire on the ground Should it turn my whole world around? When the wheel's in the lake :( Should I think it's a big mistake? When there's smoke in the sky Please wake me, I don't know why--
Can someone help me please? I would appreciate it very much
Sounds like it's about being in love with someone who is troubled.
"What's keeping my tongue tied? I see when you roll your eyes. I swear any moment you will hear my spirit explode"
To me that line speaks of the troubled person completely resenting the singer's love / presence / advice / help... or whatever. The singer recognises this resentment and wants to speak out because it's hurting them.
Also, the whole fire on the ground / wheel in the lake / smoke in the sky thing. They sound like metaphors for these troubles the other person might be going through. And the singer is saying like... why should i care? "Should it turn my whole world around?"
The singer is unsure about whether they can help this person who doesn't want to be helped "When your hand stretches out... is is way beyond my reach?"
Also, the troubled person is taking advantage of the singer's interest (sexually, probably) "do you think it's sort of a crutch, when you try to move me to touch" which is ruining the love the singer has for them, but not their lust... "so i shake, well sort of, but not much" "does it make you nervous when you hear my bones, animate my body, without my soul?"
I don't know if i've explained that very well, but it makes sense to me.
Singer is in love with troubled individual. Troubled individual does not / cannot return these feelings. The singer is gradually becoming emotionally numb. But they stick around anyways for the sex...
"Do you think i'm sort of alive? Should i set these motives aside?"
I think that the chorus of this song is about carrying on the face of adversity:
"When there's fire on the ground Should it turn my whole world around?"
Ie, 'When the world around me is burning, should I let that stand in my way?'
"When the wheel's in the lake Should I think it's a big mistake?"
Brings to mind a car accident; certainly something tragic. The singer asks himself, 'Should I blame fate somehow and decide that there has been some cosmic error, or should I accept tragedy for what it is, and move through it?'
"When there's smoke in the sky Please wake me, I don't know why"
Here the singer shows that in spite of his resilience, he is not indifferent to the suffering in the world. He doesn't know why he cares, but he does.
"When your hand stretches out Is it way beyond, way beyond my reach?"
Finally though, the singer admits his isolation. When someone reaches out to him - whether to save him or be saved - he questions whether he is capable of being rescued or of making a difference.
im not too sure what this ones about buts its one of my favorites on the album. this songs awesome
i agree one of my favs but i think the son g is about a war and wen he speaks about the person rolling there eyes hes talking about someone dying and in the song i think he is expressing how he regrets being in the middle of it all he even talks abou scenery when he says "the wheels in the lake smoke in the sky please wake me i dont know why" and when he says "does it make u nervous when u hear my bone anim ate my body without my soul" hes expressing the numbness he feels because he cant allow himself to feel in the beginning he say "should i set these motives aside" hes confused but its too late because he is already there.
I think it's "Do I feel well sort of benign" and "When you try to move me to touch"
Ah, yes. Good catches, thanks.
i think its about someone who has experienced something traumatic and now seems indifferent to everything. or something along those lines.
Reach Keep reaching For me Does it make you nervous When you hear my bones Animate my body Without my soul?
I think the question ends in bones. Another thing about this, is that in Silversun Pickups website, they publish their lyrics and this one's wrong. it's clear he say MY soul, not A soul. Here is ok.
What's keeping my tongue tied? I see when you roll your eyes I swear any moment you will hear My spirit explode
He wants to, lets say connect with her, ( What's keeping my tongue tied? ) but for some reason he remains with apathy, and so does she.
from my understanding, this song is clearly about death in many ways, the fear of death, our own demise, and the temptation to do ourselves in at times.
when theres fire on the gound...fear of death, when the wheel's in the lake...suicide, when theres smoke in the sky...armageddon or war. when your hand stretches out...a call for help