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.
House up in Clearlake
Where I used to live
Picked the lock on the front door
And felt it give
Touch nothing, move nothing, stand still
Keep my ears open for cars
See how the people here live now
Hope they're better at it than I was
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
Pictures up on the mantle
Nobody I know
I stand by the tiny furnace
Where the long shadows grow
Living room to bedroom to kitchen
Familiar and warm
Hours we spent starving within these walls
Sounds of a distant storm
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
Fight through the ghosts in the hallway
Duck and weave
Stand by the door with my eyes closed
When it's time to leave
Steal home before sunset
Cover up my tracks
Drive home with old dreams of play in my mind
And the wind at my back
Break the lock on my own garden gate
When I get home after dark
Sit looking up at the stars outside
Like teeth in the mouth of a shark
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
Where I used to live
Picked the lock on the front door
And felt it give
Touch nothing, move nothing, stand still
Keep my ears open for cars
See how the people here live now
Hope they're better at it than I was
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
Pictures up on the mantle
Nobody I know
I stand by the tiny furnace
Where the long shadows grow
Living room to bedroom to kitchen
Familiar and warm
Hours we spent starving within these walls
Sounds of a distant storm
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
Fight through the ghosts in the hallway
Duck and weave
Stand by the door with my eyes closed
When it's time to leave
Steal home before sunset
Cover up my tracks
Drive home with old dreams of play in my mind
And the wind at my back
Break the lock on my own garden gate
When I get home after dark
Sit looking up at the stars outside
Like teeth in the mouth of a shark
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
I used to live here
Lyrics submitted by tragicweek
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I'm stricken by the fact that the narrator had to break the lock on HIS garden gate when he got home. Why didn't he have a key?
I think it's more like he's breaking the lock as a big "Screw You" to the Big Man Upsairs. If the character in this song is/resembles the mental state of Adam post-banishment, then it makes sense that he wouldn't necessarily care for locks on garden gates. <br /> <br /> It's a way of saying, "I'll be more welcoming and understanding than You."