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 looking at pictures of myself smiling
With people I don't talk to or even talk shit on anymore
I want to talk about them with you
I want to tell you about my past
I want to tell you about trips I took when I was running away
Or fist fights I got into that got me out of class
I want to tell you about everything
I wish you could've been there
I wish you could've saved me that summer I swore
Pictures of planes crashing into bridges was the only way to express how I felt
Making broken seals in dissolvable stitches
Tracing new found veins into each tiny digit
And staring at screens
Living life around a battery
Oh I'm sorry, I can't go out
I'm stuck inside
Watching everything eventually go
But I'm happy
Because if you let me
I will watch you die
I can't take how easily the earth moves underneath my feet
But I'm too, too restless to sleep, no I haven't even rest in weeks
I've been trying to find similarities in others that I could see
Is this all real life or is this just all bad tv
Why are we so afraid to watch the dead when they finally die
Is it because we see their opportunities pass them by
There's a family in a cemetery
There's a family in a home
If I can't even afford a grave for myself
Then why am I so afraid of dying alone
With people I don't talk to or even talk shit on anymore
I want to talk about them with you
I want to tell you about my past
I want to tell you about trips I took when I was running away
Or fist fights I got into that got me out of class
I want to tell you about everything
I wish you could've been there
I wish you could've saved me that summer I swore
Pictures of planes crashing into bridges was the only way to express how I felt
Making broken seals in dissolvable stitches
Tracing new found veins into each tiny digit
And staring at screens
Living life around a battery
Oh I'm sorry, I can't go out
I'm stuck inside
Watching everything eventually go
But I'm happy
Because if you let me
I will watch you die
I can't take how easily the earth moves underneath my feet
But I'm too, too restless to sleep, no I haven't even rest in weeks
I've been trying to find similarities in others that I could see
Is this all real life or is this just all bad tv
Why are we so afraid to watch the dead when they finally die
Is it because we see their opportunities pass them by
There's a family in a cemetery
There's a family in a home
If I can't even afford a grave for myself
Then why am I so afraid of dying alone
Lyrics submitted by xshedx
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
awesome