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.
[Verse 1]
And the dark seems to light my way
And the path is deceiving
And the end is so far away
It might just defeat me
But I gotta take my time
And I won't let it take me away
And it never got the best of me
[Pre-Chorus]
Don't do it
Don't give in
Won't you ever get it?
Won't you ever get it?
[Chorus]
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
[Verse 2]
In my heart lies a blackened rage
Sometimes it overtakes me
Why the fuck did I run away?
My shadow is waiting
But I gotta face the facts
Of a twisted reality
And it never got a hold of me
[Pre-Chorus]
Don't do it
Don't give in
Won't you ever get it?
Won't you ever get it?
[Chorus]
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
[Bridge]
Crawling down the path, I'm helpless, reaching for the light I see
Every time I get too close, the light proceeds ahead of me
Taking deep, I take a step; standing up, I take a breath
Running towards the light, I feel the fingers wrapped around my neck
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
God is making fun of me
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
[Chorus]
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
And the dark seems to light my way
And the path is deceiving
And the end is so far away
It might just defeat me
But I gotta take my time
And I won't let it take me away
And it never got the best of me
[Pre-Chorus]
Don't do it
Don't give in
Won't you ever get it?
Won't you ever get it?
[Chorus]
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
[Verse 2]
In my heart lies a blackened rage
Sometimes it overtakes me
Why the fuck did I run away?
My shadow is waiting
But I gotta face the facts
Of a twisted reality
And it never got a hold of me
[Pre-Chorus]
Don't do it
Don't give in
Won't you ever get it?
Won't you ever get it?
[Chorus]
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
[Bridge]
Crawling down the path, I'm helpless, reaching for the light I see
Every time I get too close, the light proceeds ahead of me
Taking deep, I take a step; standing up, I take a breath
Running towards the light, I feel the fingers wrapped around my neck
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
God is making fun of me
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
God is making fun of me
He's laughing up there, I can see
[Chorus]
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
You've chose to walk a thin line
Replaced the hurt without healing mine
You hold disgust in your heart
You just fucked with me, idiosyncrasy
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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I think this song is about the specific kind of heartbreak someone feels when they are forced to leave an abusive relationship
"it never got the best of me" and "don't do it, don't give in" are alluding to how the speaker still feels the part of them they once were somewhere deep down inside (the "dark" lighting their way, with the end seeming far away). They almost lost themselves to this person, but now they're seeing them for who they really are. The speaker leaves and sees the other person moved on and 'replaced their hurt', while the speaker is left continuing to suffer. The abuser is 'idiosyncratic' which means they have a 'unique personality', and even this cushions the reality that the speaker has been forced to endure. They're still defending them, even by suggesting they have a 'quirky personality'.
The speaker knows the abuser only holds 'disgust in their heart'. They think God is laughing at them, because how could they have been so foolish? Love pulled them in, but the shame they feel shows how they feel dumb and alone because others don't understand what they went through and how it changed them.
Love this powerful song.
You know yourself and what you have done, but this other person does not... And this particular choice of words they use are not accusations (because how could they know ?) but they ring that bell in your mind, because you know you are guilty. Being faced with this kind of event too often shapes your reality as if GOD is torturing you for your past errors but in reality you are judging yourself, you hate yourself...