2 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Chaos and Clothes Lyrics
The ground was wet and the sky was dark
You took her bet, she took your heart
Wrapped it 'round an oak tree
Like you did that '67 GTO
Oh no
Lovers leave chaos and clothes
In quiet corners where you rarely ever go
One day you find proof that she was real
Despite your struggle to forget
Oh yes
You're in a fight to the death my friend
Black metal t-shirts your shield
You've got your past on your breath my friend
Now name all the monsters you've killed
Let's name all the monsters you've killed
The man she chose to take your place
Turns his collar up to better frame his face
How you'd love to hate her
But you just can't hate somebody you don't know
Oh no
Did she leave a trail of crumbs
So you could find her when you're what you could become
Or did she know you well enough to realize
That garden just won't grow?
Oh no
You're in a fight to the death my friend
Airwaves a grand battlefield
You've got your past on your breath my friend
Now name all the monsters you've killed
Let's name all the monsters you've killed
In my sleep I build machines
But nobody ever wants to hear about my dreams
Last night I saw a burning Ferris wheel
The meaning's anybody's guess
Oh yes
Lovers leave chaos and clothes
More debris that you can sort through in one go
You say love is hell
But it's the ghost of love that's made you such a mess
Oh yes
You're in a fight to the death my friend
Fight like you're chained to the wheel
You've got your past on your breath my friend
Now name all the monsters you've killed
Let's name all the monsters you've killed
You took her bet, she took your heart
Wrapped it 'round an oak tree
Like you did that '67 GTO
Oh no
In quiet corners where you rarely ever go
One day you find proof that she was real
Despite your struggle to forget
Oh yes
Black metal t-shirts your shield
You've got your past on your breath my friend
Now name all the monsters you've killed
Let's name all the monsters you've killed
Turns his collar up to better frame his face
How you'd love to hate her
But you just can't hate somebody you don't know
Oh no
So you could find her when you're what you could become
Or did she know you well enough to realize
That garden just won't grow?
Oh no
Airwaves a grand battlefield
You've got your past on your breath my friend
Now name all the monsters you've killed
Let's name all the monsters you've killed
But nobody ever wants to hear about my dreams
Last night I saw a burning Ferris wheel
The meaning's anybody's guess
Oh yes
More debris that you can sort through in one go
You say love is hell
But it's the ghost of love that's made you such a mess
Oh yes
Fight like you're chained to the wheel
You've got your past on your breath my friend
Now name all the monsters you've killed
Let's name all the monsters you've killed
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I believe that this song is about his friend Ryan Adams going through a divorce with Mandy Moore. There’s lots of references to Ryan (Monsters, Black Metal t-shirts, Ferris wheel) and his struggles with sobriety (you’ve got the past on your breath my friend) it seems like Jason is telling him to be careful lest he go down a dangerous path of self-destruction, something that a friend wouldn’t want for a friend
This song is Jason Isbell's take on a friend's nasty breakup. As usual, his lyrics look at the situation from an interesting perspective. The guy knew that falling in love with this girl was a gamble -- "You took her bet, she took your heart." Like so many broken relationships, along with the clothes that were inevitably left at his place, there was chaos, too. And what better way to describe her cool new boyfriend as a guy who "turns his collar up to better frame his face." Turns out, this poor guy did not even know her that well, after all, which...
This song is Jason Isbell's take on a friend's nasty breakup. As usual, his lyrics look at the situation from an interesting perspective. The guy knew that falling in love with this girl was a gamble -- "You took her bet, she took your heart." Like so many broken relationships, along with the clothes that were inevitably left at his place, there was chaos, too. And what better way to describe her cool new boyfriend as a guy who "turns his collar up to better frame his face." Turns out, this poor guy did not even know her that well, after all, which makes his emotions even more complex -- "How you'd love to hate her but you can't hate somebody you don't know." And adding insult to injury, it seems that she left the door open for him down the road, in case he gets his shit together and reaches his potential ... "Did she leave a trail of crumbs so you could find her when you're what you could become? Or maybe she realized he will never get his shit together ... "Did she know you well enough to realize that garden just won't grow?"
For sure about Ryan Adams. There are lyrics in this song that are references to lyrics in Ryan Adams songs: "Love is hell" (love is hell), "burning Ferris wheel" (I see monsters). Also said to be a fan of black metal, and the real smoking gun is the line about crashing a '67 GTO.
I also love the shade in this song thrown at Dawes' front man, who dated Moore (is dating?) after the break up.