A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte

So, this is the second mention of Charlotte, second and third if you count the title and lyric separately. Who is she?

"That said, with hand in pockets I mean it hand on heart you held a gun to his head pressed your thumbs to his throat, in these letters... letters from me to Charlotte."

She'd a bruise so black they watched it fade through the full spectrum of colours They kept it like a pet, a private joke they told no others And oh woah, how the tissue repaired And how it turned to yellow And she found it disgusting, cause it didn't match her clothing He said that it's not yellow, it's golden

*stiff as starch, only perceptible.

*and dressed it up in quotations and fluff and i had a dream...

not that it really matters.

Official lyrics

She'd a bruise so black they watched it fade through the full spectrum of colours. They kept it like a pet, a private joke; they told no others. And how the tissue repaired, and how it turned to yellow And she found it disgusting, 'cause it didn't match her clothing. He said "thats not yellow, it's golden."

Walk out onto your front lawn and face into the rain, Shout into the wind this'll never be the same.

The promised they'd be best of friends from now until forever, But both were far too needy not to fall for the other. And how the frequent public displays of sisterly affection, Left her feeling safe, left him with an erection.

Walk out onto your front lawn and face into the rain, Shout into the wind this'll never be the same.

Her body barely visible, as bleach white as the bedsheets. As stiff as starched, only perceptible as her middle was still branded With a heat rash, in the perfect shape of the Show Me State. Your come on lines sound disastrous; noise more foreboding than volcano or earthquake.

Walk out onto your front lawn and face into the rain, Shout into the wind this'll never be the same.

Letter from me to Charlotte; "They appropriated Everything we ever loved, and dressed it up in quotations and fluff. And I had a dream: [though said with hands in pocket, I mean it hand on heart] You held a gun to his head, pressed your thumbs to her throat". In these letters. Letters from me to Charlotte.

Walk out onto your front lawn and face into the rain, Shout into the wind this'll never be the same.

If I were to analyse it, my first impression would be that of him and Charlotte talking about a couple they know where he's abusing her. I think that she's delusional, whereas Gareth and Charlotte seem to have a real problem with this guy.

"She'd a bruise so black they watched it fade through the full spectrum of colours. They kept it like a pet, a private joke; they told no others."

Indicates psychological and physical violence.

"Walk out onto your front lawn and face into the rain, Shout into the wind this'll never be the same."

Suggesting that she wants out, but with the rain and the wind blowing into her face, she's being silenced. The repetition also shows that maybe nothing changes, as though there's a vicious circle.

There's more on that in the song which backs it up, but let's look at the Gareth/Charlotte side;

"[though said with hands in pocket, I mean it hand on heart] You held a gun to his head, pressed your thumbs to her throat"

There's more violence being used on the guy. Thumbs couldn't cause strangulation. I think they feel sorry for her, but irritated that she keeps being drawn back to him.

Obviously, just an opinion, but there you go.

I interpreted this as a story of two people who fall in love with one another, actually, though it is told in the sarcastic perspective of someone who sees them as sort of pathetic.

"And she found it disgusting, 'cause it didn't match her clothing. He said "that's not yellow, it's golden"." Always came off to me as if he worshiped a lot about her, and tried to make her seem a lot better than she actually was.

"And how the frequent public displays of sisterly affection, Left her feeling safe, left him with an erection." as well as "Her body barely visible, as bleach white as the bedsheets. As stiff as starched, only perceptible as her middle was still branded With a heat rash, in the perfect shape of the Show Me State." Make me feel as if she had previously been in a bad relationship that ended in abuse; she flirted with this guy not necessarily because she liked him, but because he made her feel safe; he did it only for sexual pleasure.

""They appropriated everything we ever loved, and dressed it up in quotations and fluff. And I had a dream: [though said with hands in pocket, I mean it hand on heart] You held a gun to his head, pressed your thumbs to her throat". " This is from the perspective of the person who finds them repulsive, who often feels a bit violent in regards to how ridiculous and fake the two are.

This song picks up where "My Years In List" left off. The lead singer, Gareth, has said in the past how he was in a long distance relationship (brought up a lot on Hold on Now youngster) many times. The two, one of them being Charlotte, would send letters a lot to each other. I feel in this song Gareth is accepting that the relationship was always doomed, while at the same time reflecting on the tender moments between the two involving, er, bruises.

Anybody understand the reference to 'The Show Me State' (Missouri)?

This, to me, is about an abusive relationship viewed from the outside. The narrator and charlotte discuss this relationship in their letters but never actually act. By the end of the song the girl in the abusive relationship is dead ("her body barely visible, it was bleach white as the bed sheets. stiff as starch...") and both the narrator and charlotte know their lives will never be the same, as they will forever more have to deal with the guilt of not telling someone about their suspicions. The narrator goes as far as to blame charlotte for the whole affair "You held a gun to his head, pressed your thumbs to her throat" This quote suggesting the narrator feels charlotte ruined both their lives. Well, that's my opinion at any rate!