Peeping Tomboy

i really like these lyrics but the peeping tom-bit really throws me off.. anyone willing to take a guess? the rest of it is pretty self-explanatory i mean.

I think "peeping tom" is a way of addressing the dangerous side of having an inquisitive and skeptical nature. Looking into things he knows he shouldn't but can't help himself. The rest of the songs talks about a longing for something undefinable that he seems to search for, sometimes in wrong places. Perhaps when he met this girl, he got into trouble by spying on her?

checking these lyrics out in light of our species and behavioral evolution has the most intriguing spin on what exactly kurt might mean, even if he didn't intend it. It's also about being in and out of the games of life, sometimes not really wanting to participate. Sometimes you are peeping the woman and calling her up and sometimes you are just checking her out from afar.

I think it's "I was a peeping tom on that scene". I think it's a way to say he semi-stalked this tomlady but not in a too-perverted way.

I'd wager that the verses about general ennui connect to the chorus by just saying that when nothing else gives you real meaning, love/a connection with another person can be the thing that excites you and shows you the way.

just seems like a sweet little song that wears its heart on its sleeve. the tomboy detail makes the song juvenile and coy, and the peeping tom bit makes it devilish and somehow sweeter.

Can I just say that reading these comments really made my day. I went to look up the lyrics to this song, which is truly one of my favorites of all time and a rare one that really connects with my soul easily, and to find thoughtful discussion by others who also enjoy the song really made me happy. Hooray Internet. Hooray Kurt Vile!

Kurt Vile has penned several notable love songs in his collection, this one of them. I’m guessing this has to be about his wife. I believe he has been married for a couple decades. Is his wife tomboyish? If so, that would explain it. The song is very personal. And the choice of “peeping tom” as a description for himself in the song doesn’t seem to be intended too literally. It’s a sweet song, perhaps based on a memory. A lot of Vile’s songs express fragments of memories and thoughts that evoke personal feelings.