Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
You thought I wasn't lonely
Did I win it on my own?
She said, slow down stranger,
There are two kinds of good.
But I'm always there to win
Oh I wasn't in it then
I guess it's upon you.
Born in December but there's nothing but a cold
Gain it something more than
In my heart it's a hope
Thought I always there to win
Or I wasn't anything
Guess it's a point of view.
And I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, but don't get by,
'Cause I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, but don't get by.
Came alone, but all I need it was just one
Safety came in numbers, but all I needed was just one
You're a glowing, you're the only candle one.
Thought I always there to win
Or I wasn't anything
Guess it's a point of view.
And I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, but don't get by,
'Cause I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, I don't get by.
And I ain't hanging on to you.
Did I win it on my own?
She said, slow down stranger,
There are two kinds of good.
But I'm always there to win
Oh I wasn't in it then
I guess it's upon you.
Born in December but there's nothing but a cold
Gain it something more than
In my heart it's a hope
Thought I always there to win
Or I wasn't anything
Guess it's a point of view.
And I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, but don't get by,
'Cause I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, but don't get by.
Came alone, but all I need it was just one
Safety came in numbers, but all I needed was just one
You're a glowing, you're the only candle one.
Thought I always there to win
Or I wasn't anything
Guess it's a point of view.
And I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, but don't get by,
'Cause I know it's hard to be alone
Count the days, count the nights, I don't get by.
And I ain't hanging on to you.
Lyrics submitted by lisasonoda
Varsity Lyrics as written by Cullen Mitchell Omori Cameron Mccourt Omori
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Love this song! I used to only really hone in on the chorus. What is it - obviously a guy who's alone, or two separated lovers, either way - alone, and it's hard.
But then I really started to get the verse. The guy is lonely and looking for someone or something to fill that hole. He's interested in the superficial - slow down, stranger, there are two kinds of good. He's more interested in conquering the girl for his own purposes, rather than actually loving the girl for who she is. Stranger she calls him, they don't even really know each other! One good - superficial pleasure/puppy love; the other good, the Supreme good, unconditional Love. Slow down, stranger - this second kind of love requires patience!
I always had to win. Or I wasn't anything. It's not enough just to be with a person and appreciate him or her for who he or she is. I have to win. I have to conquer this person, be with this person. Otherwise I'm nothing. If she doesn't love me as a lover, it must be that I'm worth nothing. Throw friendship and anything else aside. That's not valuable to me.
Guess it's a point of view? He has doubts, maybe it's not really that way, maybe this is just the portrait I'm painting in mind. In fact I think he knows this.
Then the chorus. I think the guy gets it - he's barking up the wrong tree looking for Love. Supreme Love. The second kind of good. But that doesn't change the fact that he's lonely. Everybody wants somebody. Everybody needs somebody. Everybody deserves somebody. Yes unconditional Love is what we're after, we know that, but I still long for somebody to hold and to be held, right here, right now. Count the days, count the nights, but don't get by.
And I ain't hangin on to you. Hmm. Never understood what he was saying til I read this. In one sense, perhaps he means it - I'd love somebody to hold, but I'm not hanging on to you, I'm going to live my life and get on with it. But also in the ironic sense - he pours his heart out, but then claims he ain't hangin on to you. Seems like a contradiction. Take it which way you want. :)
This is my interpretation, as it very much relates to my life right now. Beautiful song with a wonderful mix of emotions. Captures the essence of life in a way. Ha!
Take care all.
I think it's about a guy finally getting into the dating life for the first time, also a couple of the lyrics are wrong here. The actual first lyric is "Thought I was a loner, til I went out on my own" which implies that he really felt okay being by himself for some time. The girl doesn't literally tell him to slow down but rather her presence is what changes his outlook.
"Thought I always had to win, or I wasn't anything" This part is talking about how he never tried to find anything because failure at any stage would make him feel like he wasn't worth anything. And he follows up by saying it was just a point of view and didn't really mean anything.
"Born in December but there's nothing 'bout her cold"- Nice descriptive line about how she makes him feel "Gave it something more than anger, in my heart to hold"- Admits that his lack of a love life made him bitter and now she's replacing that with something else
The chorus is pretty self explanatory, he's just stating that he felt extremely lonely when he was alone.
"Safety came in numbers, but all I needed was just one, You're a four-leaf clover, You're an only kind of one"- He's talking about how all of these other people are just going around fucking as many people as they can like it's a numbers game and implying that that's "safe" because there's no emotional attachment for that, but how he prefers the one that he has and how her uniqueness makes her worth it.
The bridge and chorus play again and the final line is actually "And are you hanging onto me?" like the song is his confession about his feeling the girl he's speaking of and he's asking her if she feels the same about him.
I don't know, maybe I'm projecting a bit with the interpretation but I am 100% sure about the changed lyrics in this one. Very clear if you listen to the song.