Step

‘Every time I see you in the world, You always step to my girl’
Everyone is always questioning and criticizing his music, ‘girl’ being another word for music throughout the song.

‘I was a hoarder but girl that was back then’ He was writing and making music but wasn’t showing anyone, unlike now. he was ‘hoarding’ his music.

‘The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out what you on about?’ The ‘wise’ critics and people are ‘stepping up’, ‘taking off their gloves’ so they can pick holes in him and his music. Referring I think to the back-lash vampire weekend received after their second album, for being posh, and publicly educated, detached from the real world. These were however, unfair, untrue criticisms and he asks ‘what you on about?’ confused and shocked at the rumors and their lack of substance.

‘I'm stronger now, I'm ready for the house’ He’s prepared for the criticism now, he wasn’t before.

‘Ancestors told me That their girl was better She's richer than Croesus, she's tougher than leather’ The older generation always talks about how their music has more substance, more longevity, and a ‘toughness’ in comparison to the throw away 1 hit wonder pop and dance songs of today. About how they are still good songs even now - they’ve stood the test of time.

‘I just ignored all the tales of a past life Stale conversation deserves but a bread knife’ He tries not to take influence from other, older songs, tries to be original. ‘stale’ old songs that are out dated don’t deserve a look in.

‘And punks who would laugh when they saw us together Well they didn't know how to dress for the weather I can still see them there’ The people of the time who liked punk used to laugh at his style/genre of music. But he knew punk music wouldn’t stand the test of time. Although the punk fans still think their music is superior.

‘Wisdom's a gift, but you'd trade it for youth’ Being an older ‘has been’ band, out of the limelight, is a good thing. But every band that has past it’s time would snatch at the chance to become famous and popular once more, to ‘go mainstream’ for popularity and record sales.

‘We saw the stars when they hid from the world You cursed the sun when it stepped to your girl’ It was better when he wasn’t popular and famous. In fact, it was a curse when the public (‘the sun’) got hold of us and made us big, or ‘mainstream’.

‘Maybe she's gone, and I can't resurrect her the truth is she doesn't need me to protect her’ He, in the back of his mind, because of the criticism is sometimes gets, doubts his own music. Maybe with every album he makes his music is getting worse? And he should stop trying to ‘resurrect’ his music because it will never be as good as it used to be, before he was ‘mainstream’. But he really knows that he doesn’t need to defend, or ‘protect’ his music from the critics, because he knows that the music should speak for itself.

‘Everyone's dying, but girl -- you're not old yet’ He finally comes to the conclusion that his music is still fresh, and still good.