This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
[Chorus]
They said I'll never make it out
But I know I'ma make it one day, one day
Told my momma I'ma make her proud
I promise I won't let you down, you down
How you gonna tell me how to live my life?
How to live my life?
You don't know what's that like, yeah
You don't know what's that like
[Verse 1]
I can't be collective, I've never faulted for the fame
Only time I'm tripping's when I travel countries on a plane, yeah
The more you gain, the more they think you'll pay for everything
They say, "Don't let the fame change you"
I'm not the one who changed, look—
People break you for the dollars, that makes sense
Take favors that they pitching me? They'd pitch tents
Livin' life, man, what a ride; they said this was suicide
Did you forget the alphabet? All you say is "you and I," yeah
Step outside and it's really cold out
You was cool in highschool but you're broke now
Hit the stage, I bet it sold out
I'm in the zone now
They couldn't get the picture even if they had they phones out, yeah
I've never had a lot to say, just follow your dreams
But if I let the pride talk, does that say more about me?
Am I exhaling the pain or am I letting it breathe?
The more likes that I see, the less I really do see
All this anger that I carry has been seeping out
Hard for me to keep it out, so they see me leave it out
Sixteen, making music, so they left me out
Always had to put me down
See me up, they friendly now
That's why I never come around
[Chorus]
They said I'll never make it out
But I know I'ma make it one day, one day
Told my momma I'ma make her proud
I promise I won't let you down, you down
How you gonna tell me how to live my life?
How to live my life?
You don't know what's that like, yeah
You don't know what's that like
[Verse 2]
Pourin' second chances back and forth only makes it worse
They're wasting every drink, so love and hate will always seem to blur
Pull back the curtains and all this pain will immerse
Then resurfaces when surfin' lines servin' the verse, like
Ay, let me set it straight
When I'm down, I elevate
It's your 5-2, only time that I medicate
Bought a house, can't buy the gate
Can't turn me down, I radiate
'Til eighty-eight; they can't get me, so they try to replicate
They don't like me, they can't do it like me
I don't do this lightly, I just do it nightly
In the clouds, I might be—I just like to sightsee
My work ethic is melodic, all I know is high-key, yeah
I either feel nothin' or feel myself too much, yeah
Lookin' at this mirror like it's really just us
When the money keeps addin', you just gotta adjust
It's not the colors you can buy; it's who's behind the paintbrush
Caring less on 'em, can I flex on 'em?
Show the bag, throw them bills on 'em
That isn't me, I can tell you that
But I'm stressed out, 'cause you checked out
Now you want a check now
Oh, we all best friends now? Funny, 'cause
[Chorus]
They said I'll never make it out
But I know I'ma make it one day, one day
Told my momma I'ma make her proud
I promise I won't let you down, you down
How you gonna tell me how to live my life?
How to live my life?
You don't know what's that like, yeah
You don't know what's that like
They said I'll never make it out
But I know I'ma make it one day, one day
Told my momma I'ma make her proud
I promise I won't let you down, you down
How you gonna tell me how to live my life?
How to live my life?
You don't know what's that like, yeah
You don't know what's that like
[Verse 1]
I can't be collective, I've never faulted for the fame
Only time I'm tripping's when I travel countries on a plane, yeah
The more you gain, the more they think you'll pay for everything
They say, "Don't let the fame change you"
I'm not the one who changed, look—
People break you for the dollars, that makes sense
Take favors that they pitching me? They'd pitch tents
Livin' life, man, what a ride; they said this was suicide
Did you forget the alphabet? All you say is "you and I," yeah
Step outside and it's really cold out
You was cool in highschool but you're broke now
Hit the stage, I bet it sold out
I'm in the zone now
They couldn't get the picture even if they had they phones out, yeah
I've never had a lot to say, just follow your dreams
But if I let the pride talk, does that say more about me?
Am I exhaling the pain or am I letting it breathe?
The more likes that I see, the less I really do see
All this anger that I carry has been seeping out
Hard for me to keep it out, so they see me leave it out
Sixteen, making music, so they left me out
Always had to put me down
See me up, they friendly now
That's why I never come around
[Chorus]
They said I'll never make it out
But I know I'ma make it one day, one day
Told my momma I'ma make her proud
I promise I won't let you down, you down
How you gonna tell me how to live my life?
How to live my life?
You don't know what's that like, yeah
You don't know what's that like
[Verse 2]
Pourin' second chances back and forth only makes it worse
They're wasting every drink, so love and hate will always seem to blur
Pull back the curtains and all this pain will immerse
Then resurfaces when surfin' lines servin' the verse, like
Ay, let me set it straight
When I'm down, I elevate
It's your 5-2, only time that I medicate
Bought a house, can't buy the gate
Can't turn me down, I radiate
'Til eighty-eight; they can't get me, so they try to replicate
They don't like me, they can't do it like me
I don't do this lightly, I just do it nightly
In the clouds, I might be—I just like to sightsee
My work ethic is melodic, all I know is high-key, yeah
I either feel nothin' or feel myself too much, yeah
Lookin' at this mirror like it's really just us
When the money keeps addin', you just gotta adjust
It's not the colors you can buy; it's who's behind the paintbrush
Caring less on 'em, can I flex on 'em?
Show the bag, throw them bills on 'em
That isn't me, I can tell you that
But I'm stressed out, 'cause you checked out
Now you want a check now
Oh, we all best friends now? Funny, 'cause
[Chorus]
They said I'll never make it out
But I know I'ma make it one day, one day
Told my momma I'ma make her proud
I promise I won't let you down, you down
How you gonna tell me how to live my life?
How to live my life?
You don't know what's that like, yeah
You don't know what's that like
Lyrics submitted by musicmayo
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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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,
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.