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.
I'm sick and tired of everybody tryna tell me what to do
If I'm in need of your advice then surely I would come to you
I didn't get in this position just by happenstance
I work my bones beyond my limit just to have half a chance
It matters how you play the game
It matters that you can take the pain
You don't wanna lie, steal or cheat your way to the top, ohh
It matters what your people think
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see
That it matters whether you win or lose
Why don't we see who is the wizard and play some one on one?
I think you'll find me sympathetic to ya, when I've won
It seems you've got the brawn to beat me, if beef was all it takes
But I've got skills to pay the bills and punish each of your mistakes
You know it
It matters how you play the game
It matters that you can take the pain
You don't wanna lie, steal or cheat your way to the top, ohh
It matters what your people think
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see
That it matters whether you win or lose
One hundred years from now
They'll look back on this day
Where you goin' to be?
And what are they goin' to say?
I see my name in lights
The people call my name
It's all up to you
Will you find your way?
It matters how you play the game
It matters that you can take the pain
You don't wanna lie, steal or cheat your way to the top ohh
It matters what your people think
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see that it matters
Whether you win or lose
It matters what your mother thinks
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see that it matters
Whether you win or lose
1, 2, 3, USA!
If I'm in need of your advice then surely I would come to you
I didn't get in this position just by happenstance
I work my bones beyond my limit just to have half a chance
It matters how you play the game
It matters that you can take the pain
You don't wanna lie, steal or cheat your way to the top, ohh
It matters what your people think
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see
That it matters whether you win or lose
Why don't we see who is the wizard and play some one on one?
I think you'll find me sympathetic to ya, when I've won
It seems you've got the brawn to beat me, if beef was all it takes
But I've got skills to pay the bills and punish each of your mistakes
You know it
It matters how you play the game
It matters that you can take the pain
You don't wanna lie, steal or cheat your way to the top, ohh
It matters what your people think
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see
That it matters whether you win or lose
One hundred years from now
They'll look back on this day
Where you goin' to be?
And what are they goin' to say?
I see my name in lights
The people call my name
It's all up to you
Will you find your way?
It matters how you play the game
It matters that you can take the pain
You don't wanna lie, steal or cheat your way to the top ohh
It matters what your people think
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see that it matters
Whether you win or lose
It matters what your mother thinks
You represent your family
But that's just one more reason to see that it matters
Whether you win or lose
1, 2, 3, USA!
Lyrics submitted by seaneb, edited by rawkgalore
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
They wrote it for Football (I'm English so i'm aloud to call it that)
Is that also why you butchered the spelling of allowed?
But yes, this was written as an anthem of sorts for the US Men's National Team just prior to the 2010 World Cup.
Now when I hear the bridge in this song, I just think of Landon Donovan's stoppage time winner against Algeria. Greatest sports moment I've ever witnessed.