Legit Tattoo Gun

I find it interesting that the chorus of The Thermals - A Pillar of Salt also mentions "dirty god" and "dirty body" "For our dirty god Our dirty bodies"

What I got out of it is that he's dealing with the person he loves being with someone else, and she is still selfishly holding onto a part of him ("I am the only guy she's hooked up with tonight/Probably, probably not" & She is the sun trying to touch him but there's something or rather someone in the way)

But yeah, I mean, the whole "Who did I think I was.... Just let them be happy" verse is definitely giving me that feeling, like he knew her before she was with this other guy, and he was hopeful and such, but it turns out she never felt that way (Or did but is with someone else).. Like I said, in this situation the 'tree' could maybe be the guy between him- the puddle- and her, the sun.

I can't ever make heads or tails of the dirty god lines, but I love them nonetheless! Dunno if my interpretation is 'right' but the song is awesome.

I feel like this song is filled with vulnerability. He is very honest about how he feels. I also think it is about being alone and not being with the person that you love. Possibly an ex who is now happy whereas he is not. This song makes me think about being rejected and alone and sad.

I don't know exactly what he's talking about. It doesn't matter. The feeling of the song is that he is being very open. When he says that he is not a "dirty god" and doesn't have a "dirty body". I feel like this is him having guilt in his life but trying to defend himself. The next line- "I am alone only half the time, the other half I am hiding"- I feel like this is him talking about being alone in this world and this is the way that he sees himself in society or at parties. I think that he is drifting through situations and keeping a lot of his emotions to himself.

There is something beautiful in the way that he says "She was getting high, she was smoking pot". Because it's such a simple thing to say but you can tell that he has an aching within himself. I think he feels unwanted- "I'm pretty sure I am the only guy she's hooked up with tonight but probably, no, probably not.". Don't know for sure but this is probably talking about an ex. I think he can see her happy with someone else and he says "Let them be happy. I'm gonna go crazy"

"Who did I think I was? Who did I think that I could be?"- Again feeling rejected and defeated. The first time he says this, he even scoffs almost to add how pathetic he thinks he is.

And the entire puddle, ice and tree analogy. I think he is in self pity. He is the puddle. Nothing ever seems to work out for him and even though the "tree" feels bad and he wants things to be better- "the ice won't melt". Basically saying that things are not working out and they won't get better. He is sad. It is a very somber and sad song. I think he feels really shitty about himself. I think it's really personal and beautifully written and is probably my favorite song by them.

And then at the end he says how he is smoking pot now. Even the way that he says that... you can tell that it's a tremendous feeling of hopelessness. That all he can do is smoke pot and he's still alone with nothing.

In a general sense, I think the song's about feeling lonely or unwanted. The dirty god/body thing could be referring to how he feels when he keeps hooking up with the same girl even when she probably doesn't feel the same way.

I think we've all been there. We wish another girl/guy felt the same way about us but for whatever reason it doesn't happen. So maybe we'll start being someone who we're not (I think Brian has said in an interview that he had never smoked pot, so if that's anything to go by, he's not exactly being "himself" in the song), so we start smoking pot, hiding, hooking up or any number of things that makes us feel dirty or desperate. Then we take a step back and realize we shouldn't hurt ourselves like that.

My favorite line by far is: "And I am alone only half of the time The other half I am only hiding"

"My head has thoughts What a ridiculous place to start She said, well, how about my chest Or, more specifically, my heart"

"Whenever I'm alone or feeling lonely I pretend I can play the drums Inside my head and I am good I love these songs I love my songs"

These two verses show his initial nerves and how quickly she stole his heart. She seems to be on the exact same page. And he is truly happy about this. In his head he thinks of what the future could be with her. And how hard he'd try for her. He loves these thoughts. He loves her.

" I am not a dirty god And I don't have a dirty body And I am alone only half of the time The other half I am only hiding And she was getting high Yeah, she was smoking pot I'm pretty sure I am the only guy She's hooked up with tonight But probably, no, probably not. "

Here he's feeling that somethings up. He doesn't know why it's going on. The first two statements seem to show he feels uncertain of how he's managed to cause a rift. He knows that he's alone but almost by choice. Half the time he's alone because he truly is, the other half he is avoiding those who are reaching out to him. His morals or convictions are being challenged for her. The last three lines are pure doubt and uncertainty. He's is in a dark place where nothing makes sense because he knew he loved her but she may love someone else or not even be the person he thought she was. His pretty sure he's the only guy refers to him not wanting to accept she's not who he thought she was. But probably not speaks to all the red flags he can't ignore.

"Who did I think I was, Who did I think that I could be? Oh, how dare me, Oh, how dare me. And there's a voice in the back of my head In the back of my head, says, 'let 'em be. Just let them be happy.' I'm gonna go crazy"

This is his frustration and hurt because to him this is what THEY both wanted. What she'd led him to believe. The last four lines here are the most tragic in this song. If the person you loved fell for someone else would you care about anything other than her happiness? Frankly the other person they fell for really doesn't really cross your mind. Just her. Unless she's with someone he actually cares about. Then he just wants what's best for BOTH of them. He doesn't want to be in the way of there happiness. But it kills him. It eats him. He's going crazy. Remember this is a person who's alone. So two of the people he cares for the most care for each other enough to through him to the wolves. His world is upside down.

"I am the water in a puddle in the shade of a tree I freeze over, you are the sun You cannot touch me And the tree feels bad I can tell by the way that it felt But it still won't move So, the ice won't melt. No, it still won't move So, the ice won't melt"

She's all he wants. All he need to be happy. The tree is the other person he cares for. And he knows that the tree cares for him. But not enough to give him want he wants. Trees need sunlight to grow. He knows that she would do so much for him. He knows she really wants him.

"But I am not a dirty god I don't have a dirty body And I am alone only half of the time The other half I am only hiding"

This is him reiterating who he is and selective he is when it comes to letting people in. And how he doesn't know what else he could have done differently. What could he have changed to avoid this? He was the good person who only wanted her.

"Keep my body alive. Keep my arms reaching out towards anyone"

He's free falling. Spiraling into despair, pain, loneliness. But he's searching for anyone to help him. To catch him before he's hit the bottom. He just needs ANYONE to be there.

"But I am not a dirty god And I don't have a dirty body And I am alone only half of the time The other half I am only hiding And we were getting high And I was smoking pot I'm pretty sure I am the only guy She's hooked up with tonight But probably, no, probably not."

Here he once more states who he is but also show that he so into being with her that he would change into who SHE wanted HIM to be. But none of anything they shared really mattered because she wanted more.

It's 3:30. Time to sleep. Haha Just my opinions on the song.