Frightened Rabbit

Learned Your Name

2 Meanings

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Learned Your Name Lyrics

I wish I had
I wish I had
Learned your name
But I couldn't read
I couldn't speak
Ah nobody taught me
Met you when you were full of lemonade
You strode boldly
In bold clothes
Covered the fear
Spent four years inside you
Day upon day
You pushed colours and borders
Lit by my gaze
Oh the photograph
The last gasp on steps at the end
Just a tiny glance
All I ask
Amidst all this tension
You know a man visits
Every day
With barely a love affair
He may love me
But I do not love him
Can I move to where you move
Dash down the street
With the degree that I gave you
For all you gave me
You've demolished my heart
Whichever room it lived in
Oh I wish I had, I wish I had
I wish I had learned your name

Submitted by

kedr On Feb 01, 2010

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kedr

Submitter

2010-02-01 18:56:27

2 Meanings

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by Kellygreener

16y ago

I can't believe that I'm the first to comment on this one. OMG I am in love with this song. I love every FR song, but this one is no different. It's SO beautiful.

I could definately be wrong about this, but I think it's about a first crush. He met her when she was "full of lemonade". This could relate to how many little kids have lemonade stands in the summer. "You pushed colours and borders" could relate to coloring in school, such as kindergartners. And he talks about how there is a man who visits everyday that may love the singer, but the singer does not love the man. This could be talking about perhaps a step-dad/a man that his mom is dating. All of the things that he talks about could easily relate to the perspective of a little kid. And perhaps he wishes that he had learned her nname because maybe she moved away before he really got to confess his feelings for her.

I could easily be wrong, this is just what I came up with about this song.

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by massivetypo

15y ago

This song was originally written as an ode to The Mackintosh Building of Glasgow's School of Art where Scott studied Fine Art for four years. (Four years inside you, graduation photo on the steps)

It was featured in a BBC show about the building. In fact, all the sound effects you hear were recorded while walking the halls. (Door hinges, footsteps, etc.)

Couldn't tell you any more than that though.

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by montherabbits 15y ago

Typo is right. It is an ode to the School of Art.Scott said that he wrote the song imagining the building was an old man and this is his conversation with him.

I take the meaning to be meeting him when he was full of lemonade (a young man just out of school), strode boldly in bold clothes covering the fear (a young student just out of school arriving at this famous place). Spending four years inside you (studying) etc etc

there are a few misheard lyrics:

"With barely a love of fear" should be "barely a love affair"...

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