In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I'm in the city you hated
My eyes have fallen
Counting the clicks with the living dead
My eyes are red
I'm in the crush and I hate it
My eyes have fallen
I'm having trouble inside my skin
I'll try to keep my skeletons in
Is it weird to be back in the south?
And can they even tell
That the city girl was ever there or anywhere?
I'm having trouble inside my skin
I'll try to keep my skeletons in
I'll be a friend and a fuck-up and everything
But I'll never be
Anything you ever want me to be
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah, ah
I don't need any help to be breakable, believe me
I know nobody else who can laugh along to any kind of joke
I won't need any help to be lonely when you leave me
It'll be easy to cover
Gather my skeletons far inside
It'll be summer in Dallas
Before I realize, ah
I don't want you to grieve but I want you to sympathize, alright
I can't blame you for losing your mind for a little while, so did I
I don't want you to change but I want you to recognize, that I
It'll be easy to cover
Gather your skeletons far inside
It'll be summer in Dallas before you realize
That I'll never be
Anything you ever want me to be
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah, ah
My eyes have fallen
Counting the clicks with the living dead
My eyes are red
I'm in the crush and I hate it
My eyes have fallen
I'm having trouble inside my skin
I'll try to keep my skeletons in
Is it weird to be back in the south?
And can they even tell
That the city girl was ever there or anywhere?
I'm having trouble inside my skin
I'll try to keep my skeletons in
I'll be a friend and a fuck-up and everything
But I'll never be
Anything you ever want me to be
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah, ah
I don't need any help to be breakable, believe me
I know nobody else who can laugh along to any kind of joke
I won't need any help to be lonely when you leave me
It'll be easy to cover
Gather my skeletons far inside
It'll be summer in Dallas
Before I realize, ah
I don't want you to grieve but I want you to sympathize, alright
I can't blame you for losing your mind for a little while, so did I
I don't want you to change but I want you to recognize, that I
It'll be easy to cover
Gather your skeletons far inside
It'll be summer in Dallas before you realize
That I'll never be
Anything you ever want me to be
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah
I keep coming back here where everything slipped, ah-ah-ah
But I will not spill my guts out, ah, ah
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by jahjahjeh, Naninger
Slipped Lyrics as written by Matthew D. Berninger Aaron Dessner
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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He is describing the difficulty he is having in coping with the break-up but trying to act as if it has not affected him: 'I'm having trouble inside my skin / I try to keep my skeletons in'
However, he is also saying that he cannot see a way to live to her expectations: 'But I'll never be anything you ever want me to be / I'll be a friend and a fuck-up'
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that's my interpretation!