Future Crimes

Wild Flag is amazing. That is all.

From the album sleeve:

Pardon my life this time I'll swear off future crimes Lighten my soul I'll give up everything The kick, the bite, the scream Be tame and old I want to go back to front I want to go front to back I want to feel this again Just like a heart attack I want to make it pure I want to make it good And make it right

Pardon my life this time 'cause I am so hardwired To be alone You want to know everything But you are just kidding Don't want to know My blood flows out to in My nerves are inside out This voice is in my head It's like a bark, a shout But I can't turn it off I can't turn it down Or make it quiet

If you're gonna be a restless soul Then you're gonna be so, so tired If you're gonna keep me up all night Then you better learn to love this fire If you're gonna be a restless soul Then you're gonna be so, so tired If you're gonna give up on the fight Then I'm gonna call you a liar

I always assumed this was about someone turning over a new leaf, and their struggle to stay pure and good even though their evil intentions are still nagging at them.

I've always thought it was about what its like to be a punk getting older, and not being very happy about it. The line,"This voice is in my head/It's like a bark, a shout/But I can't turn it off/I can't turn it down/Or make it quiet" seems like it is referring to tinnitus (ringing of the ears), a problem many older musicians face, due to the loud volume at concerts. (side note: i have no idea whether or not Brownstein is a sufferer of it.)

My favorite Wild Flag song.

I think this is about a relationship that is breaking down before it even begins. The people are in love and trying to decide if they're going to take the next step. Carrie is trying to promise that she won't ruin the relationship by "swearing off future crimes," but the statement itself is ironic; by calling a breakup a "crime," she's giving off a bit of 'tude, as if to say it's an unfair ask.

The second verse is introspective, discussing Carrie's personal life and her difficulty with long-term relationships, having set the context that Carrie does want to try, even though she's "hardwired to be alone."

Then she switches it up. It's not clear whether the last verse is still from Carrie's perspective, but I bet if she sang this song with Corin, Corin would have taken this verse. Carrie is the restless soul, of course. But the very last two lines, "If you're going to give up this fight/Then I'm going to call you a liar," sounds like Carrie again (arguing in favor of the relationship). The line acknowledges the fact that staying in a relationship is a fight. It's interesting because it's almost a step into the future, and from the other woman's perspective. The last two lines could be saying, "Hey, you swore off future crimes, and here you're doing it, so you're a liar. And by the way, if you're going to be a restless soul, you're going to have a miserable life."

Overall, probably the best and truest snapshot of Carrie's complex and difficult love life.