Handwritten

To me it seems like this song is about looking for love. He knows there's someone out there just like him (feeling the same pain, similar life experiences, etc.,)...a soul mate.

VERSE 1:

The first two lines are like a "let's compare scars" sort of thing. Music means a lot to him and sharing his favourite (and obviously emotional) song is like sharing something really deep with this other person.

The rest of the first chorus is about how he knows that perfect other person is out there, and how long he's been looking/waiting for them.

CHORUS:

"Sirens that never come"...sirens as in those on emergency vehicles(not literally). Hearing sirens would mean someone/something is coming to help him. This basically means he's waiting for someone to come rescue him...but of course that's not how life works.

"we only write by the moon"...nighttime is when your mind comes to life and things start to eat away at you (mistakes, his past, etc.,). Writing about all this in songs, poetry, etc., provides an outlet for everything.

VERSE 2:

He's found this other person and he wants them to open up to him. There's no one better to talk about something with than someone who's been through the same pain and/or knows what you're feeling. Now that they've let it all out they can start to move on/heal.

I'm sure I only scratched the surface, but that's how I understand this song. It's a fucking amazing song BTW.

I'd say it's about... music. And how much music can mean.

In the first verse, I think he's addressing the listener. What's your favorite song? He know's there's someone waiting for his songs, holding their breath and waiting for the songs that can heal them, really speak to them. And he's holding his breath too. Maybe waiting for the song that can really heal him to come out from within himself.

Then in the chorus, he talks about actually writing these songs. Every word handwritten. He writes for a lot of reasons: to ease the loss of youth, to ease how long he has missed someone, to plead forgiveness. But whatever he's writing about, it's handwritten. From heart to limb to pen. Nothing else in between.

"There's nothing like another soul that's been cut up the same." When you really connect with a song, there's nothing like the writer knowing exactly the words to describe what you are feeling. They've been there too. There's a connection ("take a hold of my hand"). He asks the listener /someone else if they want to drive without a word in between, with just the music playing. The music (maybe his) that has the power to sew up the seams.

I think the end just stresses again the connection that music can give us. With this pen, with this song, "I thee wed." To wed someone is to have a deep connection with them. I think us listening to his songs represents that bond. From his heart, to his limb, to his pen, to our ears, to our hearts. When you listen to these songs, it doesn't feel too far.

The thing everyone misses here is that this is a nostalgic song. Every word "handwritten". When was the last time any of you actually picked up a pen? Back before texting and email, THIS is how you expressed your undying love for someone... with a goddamned pen. You poured it all out in the dim light of your room staying up way passed your bedtime bleeding words to a page. And it was very personal and intimate. There was a power in the writing and it took real passion and commitment to accomplish it.

Now... pfft... a text message saying "LuvU" is supposed to suffice... or a tweet... or a relationship status on Facebook.

It's sad that youth today don't even realize how deprived of passion they've become... they don't know what they're missing.

These are the wrong lyrics. Maybe it's my computer's fault, but this page is showing the lyrics to "Here Comes My Man".

I'm not quite sure about the interpretation of that one... mainly wondering about two things.

1) The sirens. Does he mean the Greek mythological sirens as a symbol for his past loves again (as he did several times on the Horrible Crowes record Elsie), or are they literal sirens this time?

2) Those last two lines. I can't even grammatically comprehend them, let alone interpret what they mean in the greater scheme of the song.

Any suggestions? :)

My favorite song by this band. It has a lot of depth for me.

I looooove this song! It's like the listener and a love story are all tangled up into one. I get this totally hopeless romantic feel out of this song. It's like someone is reminiscing about a past relationship that may not have worked out and by writing about it, they know they can find other wounded souls who will understand what they're going through and be able to heal from their beautifully handwritten songs. It's the inspiration we get from beautifully crafted lyrics. <3

To me, the devastatingly sad love story comes from these lines:

And to ease the loss of youth And how many years I've missed you Pages plead forgiveness Every word handwritten

As the listener, this is totally how I feel about the songwriter:

I'm in love with the way you're in love with the night And it travels from heart to limb to pen

The songwriter wants to help us, the listeners, heal through our tragic love stories by sharing and writing out his own:

And with this pen, I thee wed From my heart to your distress

Every word handwritten

SOOOOOO GOOOOD! <3

I think the lyric is "There's nothing like another soul that's been cut with sand."

I think the verses are flashbacks to how the relationship started, and how it was alive and well. Then, the chorus is whats going on in the current day.

To me "Every word handwritten" means real and heart-felt, like 'hand-crafted'; the painstaking work of an artisan. Often when I am writing something now I think to myself, "and was every word handwritten?"