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Brand New Shoes Lyrics
I had some brand new shoes
They were all red but they gave me the blues
And they're running away, they left me a letter
It's just like you told me it'd be
It's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all
We are all made of air
There's stars in my eyes and there's sun in my hair
And I'm running away, it makes me feel better
It's just like you told me it'd be
It's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all
When it comes down to this
I'm neither sorry nor cross nor unfit
And I'm running away, there's smoke on my sweater
It's just like you told me it'd be
It's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all
They were all red but they gave me the blues
And they're running away, they left me a letter
It's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all
There's stars in my eyes and there's sun in my hair
And I'm running away, it makes me feel better
It's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all
I'm neither sorry nor cross nor unfit
And I'm running away, there's smoke on my sweater
It's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all
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I think She & Him's summery, feel-good sound often distracts from the darker underside to Zooey's lyrics. (Example: In The Sun--> "we all feel ashamed, sometimes every day") Brand New Shoes, to me, doesn't seem like it's about heartbreak or a relationship but the general idea that one realizes more and more as one gets older that even when we get them, our desires don't give the fulfillment we hope they will. It seems like Zooey might be talking about fame and success, something she may have dreamt about as a little girl. Now, having attained it, she realizes that it's "nothing at all." It's a bleak statement but it's delivered with such honesty that it really adds to my respect for Zooey as a songwriter. The simple guitar part and the verse lyrics ("We are all made of air, there's stars in my eyes and there's sun in my hair") also strike me as extremely powerful.
cute song... why would there be smoke on her sweater?
The smoke on her sweater could be a metaphor for a lingering, unpleasant memory.
The smoke on her sweater could be a metaphor for a lingering, unpleasant memory.
Brand new shoes = new relationship. They were red because well red = love. In other words when a new relationship starts there's that whole honeymoon phase where it's all lovey-dovey and what not. Like everything though, it doesn't last forever hence why they ended up giving here the blues.
Another possible explanation is that the brand new shoes are just an example of some superficial material possession. Zooey Deschanel wrote this song and let's face it, she has fame and fortune. She can basically have anything money can buy... But she realizes that life is deeper than that. "We are all made of air" We are all equal no matter what our monetary or social status may be. "It's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all" She knows that all of the material things don't matter. I'm guessing this song is basically thanking someone who told her in the past that she shouldn't let fame and fortune go to her head. A great lesson, and I think it is effectively portrayed through this song.
One other little tidbit that I got out of this song is that all that fame and fortune can be gone in an instant. It can "run away", as it's put in the song. Don't take anything for granted.