You Stole

One of Brand New's best. It's beautiful.

I didn't get the whole 'souless relationship' vibe. That's 'Play Crack the Sky' I definitly can see the abortion thing though. There's the line about sleeping in the same place (that the child was convieved) and hoping to wake up as the same people. Him being a liar (saying he's okay with the abortion) and her being the theif (of the life inside of her). Also the 'there you go' gives the life a pronoun, where'there it goes' degrades it, as if it's something to be put behind them, in the past. This is one of my favorite songs off of Daisy and the guitar is so delicate and graceful in the intro it chills me.

This song is definitely talking about God. Go back to the Song Jesus Christ, where he says Jesus will come in like a theif in the night.. and he calls himself a liar.

"I know you're coming in the night like a thief But I've had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique I know you think that I'm someone you can trust But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up "

I think from there it everything clears up, he's really not saying anything new he's just saying God is a thief and has stolen the lives of babies. He is very sarcastic when he says "I wish I could be as good as you" because immediately after he begins to explain his state, uncaring and untrusting but ultimately he feels God made him this way. I'm not sure if the fire is a simile for his current state of apathy or not or if it's to exemplify how uncaring he feels God is by allowing the fires to continue and burn the houses or himself.. or maybe even these feelings inside him.

He feels as though he has NOTHING to say to God because God has allowed babies to die before living, He goes on to say the end of the song.. that He feels he knows what type of person God is and God knows what type of person he is so he wants God to end this. In other words, he feels as though his perspective isn't going to change.. he's come to terms with his fate and is ready to go to Hell if that is what awaits him.

I'm not unreligious. I don't think Jesse is, either. I get the impression, from a lot of his lyrics, that he thinks people can have a tendency to overdo it. I mean, when you're so batshit crazy about religion that you do something like, say, blow up an abortion clinic and kill a bunch of people, you've pretty much missed the entire point of the Bible. "Beating with a book everyone that book told you to love," type of thing. When it comes to religious undertones, this song actually has less, than some of the songs on Daisy. Really it's the beginning that made me think that, the part about saying prayers, and flames burning him in his bed. I take it it's a metaphor, and really I interpreted the rest of the song based on that, and the themes throughout the album.

In my opinion, this song is about someone who religion was forced upon and it ultimately led to them losing their faith altogether.

"Last night they said the fire had spread and we said our prayers. And now the flames are burning me in my bed, but I just don't care"

-Something bad was going to happen (in this case a "fire") so the people just simply prayed, hoping that God would save them from the fire but he didn't, so now he's burning in his bed but he doesn't care because it must have been God's plan.

"We all go to sleep in the same place and in the morning, hope that we're all the same. Just sit around like broke down cars in the lot waiting for repairs."

-The visual I get with this song is an older person who lived a life of poverty but was raised to be very religious. They all sleep in the same place, meaning everyone as humans are the same, but some strive for what others have. If everyone "was all the same" those who are less fortunate than others would never be looked down upon. However, since they have their faith, they're just sitting around like a broke down car in a lot waiting for repairs - they're waiting for God to give them a better life.

"There you go. There it goes..."

-The way I see it, the person in poverty or living a bad life is finally giving up and losing their faith in God because they prayed their entire life but they were never answered; they never got a chance to live a better, more rewarding life.

"Well, I wish that I was as good as you caring and trusting. And I wish that my condition was new but I'm old and rusting."

-Now they're looking at someone, possibly younger, who has full faith and trust in God, caring about their religion and following it precisely. They wish they could restore their faith in God and be 'new' but they can't because of everything they've gone through in life - they're getting older and their faith has rusted.

"So we just hurry up only to wait, add to the list of all the places we hate. And I pretend like I got something to say, but I've got nothing."

-I think this part is about trying to live your life with the expectations that you're either going to Heaven or Hell. You try to live a perfect life but in the end you still don't know where you're going to end up - you hurried up (lived an ideal life) only to wait (not know where exactly you stand in God's eyes).

"Now I know that you stole. Yeah, you stole from the cradles they were rocked in. You took the first words that they spoke Yeah, you stole. Yeah, you stole."

-This could be directed toward the person's parents, guardians, religious advisors - they're angry because they feel like they aren't giving children a chance to choose whether or not to follow a religion, it's just forced down their throats because they're so young and impressionable.

"So if I'm a liar and you're a thief, at least we both know where the other one sleeps, so let's end this tonight."

-Since the person's angry they're speaking out against religion and whoever forced it upon them. The enforcers would call this person a liar for denouncing their faith because they believe in it and think everyone else should. In turn, the person would call them a thief for figuratively stealing their choice to follow a religion.

I could be way off, but hey, that's what this site's here for.

My initial reaction to the song and the lyrics was one about a souless relationship with childrne. Both parties are just going through the motions, for example they still sleep in the same bed but don't feel any attachment

"we all go to sleep in the same place and in the morning, hope that we're all the same just sit around like broke down cars in the lot waiting for repairs"

The day to day life is lacking any fizz or passion, they both are unhappy with everything, and it implies that the rest of the family notice the breakdown in their parents relationship and they too reflect the hopelessness of the situation, the homelife is painfully dull but the two adults are too spineless to end the relationship.

"Well, I wish that I was as good as you caring and trusting. And I wish that my condition was new but I'm old and rusting.

So we just hurry up only to wait, add to the list of all the places we hate. And I pretend like I got something to say, but I've got nothing."

This just outline some of the themes present in their relationship.

"now I know that you stole from the cradles they were rocked in you took the first words that they spoke yeah, you stole

so if I'm a liar and you're a thief at least we both know where the other one sleeps let's end this tonight

because you stole from the cradles they were rocked in you took the first words that they spoke yeah, you stole"

This section either refers to a future where they have split up and she has the kids and hence influences them against their father. Or they havent got divorced just yet but she is stealing them slowly away from him, further isolating him. Also the Liar and Thief might also refer to things that have happend in their relationship, maybe an instance of infidelity.

Anyone else see this way?

Great song though and great album

10 min ago

Rated 0 rate down rate up I think this song is about growing up and losing your innocence and purity.

Last night they said the fire had spread then we said our prayers and now the flames are burning me in my bed but I just don't care

The fire spreading i think refers to his innocence being burnt up and he knows it and prays about it. But when he goes to sleep thinking about he knows he wont change.

Also i think the message is how as you get older you almost become cold.

"we just hurry up only to wait add to the list of all the places we hate"

When you are young everything is so new and exciting and the younger you are the more excited and happy you are for the most part. As you grow up you start to realize how messed up the place we live is actually is and everything we hate in this world.

Ever since the day we were all born we have "stolen" our own innocence and happiness hence "now I know that you stole from the cradles they were rocked in you took the first words that they spoke yeah, you stole

I find it interesting how their last album had a bit of a nautical theme and this one has a lot of references to fire.

I have come to the conclusion that "You Stole" is about them not giving us our lyric books...

so if I'm a liar and you're a thief at least we both know where the other one sleeps let's end this tonight

They lied about the books, we downloaded their demos for free.. They want us to now call it even and let it go.

To me it sounds :

Yeah, you stole, yeah, you stole So if I'm a liar, THEN you're a thief At least we both know where the other one sleeps So let's end this tonight.

What do you think about it ?