Slow It Down

This song is so powerful. Aptly named, it's the slowest song on the album and I hope it doesn't go overlooked because it is certainly one of the best.

The first verse is about having a hard time letting his girl go despite the fact that she may have done something horrible to him in some way. He wants to be rid of her, the memory of her. He wants to wash his hands of her and be free. But it's just not that easy; the walls are closing in on him. But the curtains are closing and the show is over for good.

The second verse is describing two different kinds of love and the struggle faced when two people want two different things. Some love was made for the lights, a grand romance that everyone should see and admire, and I think that's what his girl wants. But some love kisses your cheek goodnight, it's not interested in being in the spotlight. He wants to be private, his girl in his arms, completely happy with each other just lying in bed together. He's telling his girl to lift up her red high heel, to lock up her doors with steel. If she wants to live her life in the spotlights, getting all the attention, going out to clubs and bars, then do it.

The third verse is terribly sad. This girl was everything to him. She was his life. Now that she's gone, he feel like he's not living life any more. He's just sitting at home, blinds drawn, listening to the sounds of the world, not being a part of it. And he's so frustrated with it that he smashed in his car window. Maybe he was even so upset that he ended up driving drunk and crashing. But he never touched the stereo (I'm not quite sure what this means -- maybe they had a stereo that meant something to them, and he makes sure she knows he smashed his car window before smashing their stereo).

The fourth verse is talking about how he thinks she's going to live without him. 'Act like you've been here before; Smile less and dress up some more.' He thinks that she's going to continue living as if she hadn't lost the best love of her life, because he certainly did. She's just going to keep dressing up in her high heels and scarves, going out and getting drunk, pretending to smile and have fun, but really is going to smile less and is trying to distract herself from the memory. But he warns her, if this is what she's going to do, tie that scarf up real tight and protect yourself. These boys are out for blood tonight. Wow.

At this point I think the chorus makes a little more sense. He's telling her to slow it down and come back to bed. He wants her to stop all of this nonsense because to him, their love is the most important thing. He seems to be confused and frustrated as to why she wants anything other than their love. He wishes that she could want what he wants, just being happy with each other, lying in bed, resting their arms and legs, without all of the lights, high heels, and boys who are only interested in having sex with her. Insecurity might also be part of it. It seems like he believes this girl is extremely attractive, and that other boys do as well and only seek to use the girl he loves.

The last parts of this song take a different turn and are absolutely phenomenal. In the fifth verse, he praises his girl. She stands tall with confidence (again, she must be attractive). She's got the beauty, and the brains to go with it (she'll make a fool of you all). He then goes on to say, don't bother asking her for cigarettes, she ain't got nothing left for you. I think this girl used to be a smoker, her only flaw in his eyes, and he was the one that made her quit.

The sixth verse is my personal favourite. It's simple but so real and powerful. He first says that once they broke up, neither of them looked back at all. That wasn't what they were good at. To me, that line means that they never dwelled on the past. Maybe their pasts before they met each other, or maybe past fights that they've had. Either way, they had an amazing relationship where they knew each other well and never let anything ruin that, especially something as insignificant as the past. Unfortunately though, with the most powerful line in the song, he says 'And when it came to love; We were not good enough.' For reasons not revealed in this song, they just couldn't make it work. They really loved each other but sometimes that just isn't enough. As much as he loved her, as much as he thought of her, he understands that the two of them weren't good enough to keep their love going.

One last time, he tells to slow it down. Live her live as she wants, but please just slow it down. He doesn't want anything to happen to her while she lives her craze-filled life. At the same time, don't frown when you think of me, because I know it'll make you sad sometimes. That feeling is the feeling of lost love. You may not know it now, but you will. But don't frown, because there is a way to fix it. Only love can dig you out of this.

Reading takatsch's comment had a weird effect on me. It made me think about the relationship I just got out of and made me pretty sad. But the end where he talks about never looking back oddly made me smile. Don't look back. The future is vast.

I just went to one of their concerts recently in a small venue, and they said that the song was actually about their car getting broken into and having all their instruments stolen when they were first getting started. They said that they had a tremendous amount of help getting started back up because they were too poor to afford new instruments, so they met a bunch of people along the way that would donate instruments or help them raise money to get started back up. There may be allusions or symbolic meanings to other events in their life in this song, but I just thought I would share what their main intention was for the song coming directly from the band themselves.

I’m sorry I’m not very good to write in English. This is my interpretation of this song, a very precious one for me. I think it’s about a girl and a boy who live relationships differently. Angie for me is a girl who don’t knows anything else then have sex with men, acting in public, smiling a lot, being always so happy. Everybody what to be her friend or what her body. She shinning and everybody what to have his part of light. But Angie is fragile, she reel inside, but nobody see that and when people have taking what they want, they left her there. She became too being cold, live a circle life where she make a show for everybody. Forgetting what reel love his, the softness and simple things.

The boy is one of rare who can feel all the fake attitude and he love her but it’s hard to see her act like this when it’s so simple for him, the simple happiness to have each other.

First verse is about how he feels beside her. He don’t appreciate the things she doing and the way she live. For him it’s dirty and that trouble him discover this make the love he have for her darker (velvet curtains don’t let sun pass by windows) and he sad.

The second verse for me talk about the love made for the lights, great love with passion romance. But I like the analyze of takatsch when you say kind of love who everybody see and admire, like on the spot light. The other kind of love for me is more like simple one, with no fireworks, kiss cheek and good night. The rest of the verse it’s more like she put red high heel to be seen by everyone and see look up his door with steel because she can’t share what she is. She lock up a lot of her inside self.

The Third verse it’s the harder for me to understand. Like she out again with other guys around her. And she will probably finish the night in one of these bedrooms. But he can’t see that because she won’t tell him. Smashed in my car window, like they will sleep whit her with no feelings, it is why they don’t touch the stereo, her heart where the music come from music make feelings…

He know that the key for her it’s to slow it down. Don’t have fast and animal sex. Just being soft and take time. Let him touch her, taste the simple things.

The fourth verse is about her comportment. She surely acting like she is the queen everywhere. She so comfortable every bar she go, smiling a lot, have subjective clothes. All the things that make everyone like her, want her. He want her to quit all this, he want to be the only one. To not have to be scare about other boys who want her for her fake show she always doing.

In the fifth verse But he know how she feel inside. She is so beautiful standing here real tall, like a queen, a beautiful girl, a precious one. She don’t care that much of these boys. They take what they want and she don’t want them to stay, not even for a cigarette. She don’t love easily.

For the six verse, they just go on with this relationship. They don’t look back of alle she doing and on what he don’t like. Like they are broken but they don’t fix anything. They decide to try to be a couple, love each other, but she didn’t know how and he don’t know how to teach her. So all just fall apart.

The end of the song just broke my heart. It’s like he talking to her. Like “we didn’t be able to love each other to fix you, to make you love you as I love you” something like that. Like he wanted so bad to build something with her, but that dosen’t work and now with time he see clearly what didn’t work. He know she have to slow it down, stop that fake show, be real, be able to show herself. He hope that she will be able someday and he tell her how. She may know went she acting fake and she have to want to change to live real love. Cause went she will feel real love, she will understand what it is.

what do you think?

It's about a guy that loves a girl that doesn't love him anymore. He's blind to the bad things. The walls close in but with velvet curtains meaning he knows the shows over. Smashed in his car but somehow he is only focused that the stereo is still there. He loves her but knows it's not even worth trying to get her back. So like her, he will tell himself that he never looked back. In his head he is saying come back to bed and relax instead of running away from love. The girl is living a life of "running downhill" and he says only love can dig you out of this. But when it came to love...they weren't good enough.

I think this song is about a guy who's in love with a girl who is promiscuous and/or sleeps around. Even though he knows that she's like that and that they will never work out, he loves her anyway and wishes the she would change her ways.

I feel her filth in my bones, wash off my hands till it's gone

He knows she's a loose girl, but tries to forget about it

The walls they're closing in with velvet curtains

Because he has to constantly try to forget about her promiscuity, he knows that all that it'll never work out. The velvet curtains closing are a metaphor for saying "the show is almost over"

Some love was made for the light, some kiss your cheek and goodnight

He laments that there are all different kinds of love, their love is definitely not perfect Lift up a red high heel, lock up your doors with steel He thinks that she dresses up in high heels and sluts herself around as a way to keep her guard up. By "locking up her doors with steel," she doesn't have to let anyone into what she's really like or doesn't have to feel anything real

They're making noise in my street, my blinds are drawn I can't see

Everyone is telling him that she's not the right girl for him but he's blinded by his love for her and can't see what they are talking about Smashed in my car window, didn't touch the stereo They bash only what they can see (window), but they have no interest in hearing what he has to say about her

Slow it down, Angie come back to bed Rest your arms and rest your legs

He wants her to slow down her fast lifestyle and come to bed where she seems to be herself and where he's seen the real her and fell in love with her

Act like you've been here before, smile less and dress up some more

He wants her to be herself around him, stop putting on a show and start putting on some more clothes to look less slutty Tie up your scarf real tight, these boys are out for blood tonight He knows what boys think of her and want to do with her, so he's trying to be protective

Slow it down, Angie come back to bed Rest your arms and rest your legs

And when she stood, she stood tall She'll make a fool of you all Don't ask for cigarettes, she ain't got nothing left for you

He knows how smart and confident she is, but knows people take advantage of her and wants everyone to stop

I never, she never, we never looked back that wasn't what we were good at

They both have tortured pasts, neither of them like looking back And when it came to love, we were not good enough Because of their pasts, both of them also aren't meant to have relationships and struggle with love constantly because they feel they aren't good enough to have it

Slow it down, Angie come back to bed Rest your arms and rest your legs Don't you frown, when you're feeling like that Only love can dig you out of this

He doesn't want her to get upset about how she is, but just wants her to know that when she lets down her guard and lets love in, she won't have to live her promiscuous lifestyle and feel the need to sleep around anymore

I would almost like to go with the prostitution interpretation. I think he is a lonely guy, and perhaps this girl who is selling herself is actually someone he has known for a while. He sorta feels dirty when he's with her, "Some love was made for the light" which leads me to believe that whatever they did was not. "Some kiss your cheek and goodnight" leads me to believe that that is not usually what happens with her. He wishes that she could just be there with him, and act like its just the two of them and get away from it all "act like you've been here before", "Come back to bed, rest your arms, rest your legs". He explains that she is actually better then what she lets on, and that when the other guys are done just get on, don't ask for anything else. He finishes just saying that if she finally let him in, and let love grab ahold of her, that she might be able to let go of her current situation. Could be just a very free woman, or a prostitute, either way it works

With respect to the person who talked with the band, to me it is clearly a love song about a woman who - despite his intense love for - he isn't meant to be with for various reasons. This song haunts me like some others as it speaks directly to a relationship I was in for 6.5 years which ended in divorce. Just listen to the emotion in his voice. Not much more to say.

Sounds like the story of a love that shouldn't have been given up on. So full of regret.

i think he loves a woman that slept around on him for awhile. he just waited for her to come around while he forgave her time after time. when she realized she was strong enough to only be with him they forgot the past. "And when it came to love, We were not good enough" i think is more of them realizing true love isn't easy it takes a lot of work and forgiveness to survive.