The lady is dying
She bends back like a wave
As her spirit is climbing
Through the hospital wall and away

And I wanted to hold you
As you made your escape
But now I should have told you
When your eyes were alive and awake

Always in life we all must make this mistake
And so I go it alone
And the pressure is great
I hold on to my own
Oh please oh don't go away

And I wanted to know you
Before you started to fade
But I gave everything to
A lie and a farce and a fake

Always in life we all must make this mistake
And so I go it alone
And the pressure is great
I hold on to my own
Oh please oh don't go away

I'd like to see you
When all of these angry days fall away


Lyrics submitted by PLANES, edited by barttool

You've Passed Lyrics as written by Jeff Mangum

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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You've Passed song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    "I wanted to know you Before you started to fade But I gave everything to A lie and a farce and a fake"

    Good stuff.

    xReadysetSTABon June 21, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the way i think about the song is this: either "the lady" is dying actually or metaphorically (spell check) and the singer was in love with her before she died and now he feels regret for not telling her before she died (died maybe meaning leaving,going with soemone else, or ..of course...dying)

    Abex22on May 09, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I agree with you aeronautical... actually I read in an interview it was written about his grandmother who died while he was leaving town and he didn't get to go to the funeral

    Kola_tea_timeon January 22, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It sounds so cool when he breaks into the chorus with the "always in life we all must make this mistake" this song is really underrated

    evilflexon December 12, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I feel so sad when I listen to this song, because I already felt this way, and I'm always feeling like I'm making the same mistake, because again I feel like I'm not seeing and talking with very important people.

    I heard something about this in a movie once and it always makes me so sad. I really wanted to spend all the time wich is possible with people that I love, but, for some reason, I never do it, even when I can.

    jeffbpon January 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this reminds me very much of my grandmother, i watched her wither away due to cancer.

    _aeronauticalon December 04, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yes, it was dedicated to Jeff's grandmother. I love this song.

    Cynothoglyson August 13, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Can anyone make out the words to the second unreleased part of this song that Jeff sings on the Live at Sudsy Malone's, Cincinnati, OH 7/23/96 bootleg? There are two verses to it. The first one goes something like:

    Every sing every single day and its flares would go on the clam blue gray and we made and we made all the way and we know and we know that its all ran away

    Then comes the part where he really starts to get into it and is shouting and going nuts and the band is playing and you can't hear a fucking thing. If anyone thinks they can discern even a single word of that clamor I am open to suggestions and would be much obliged.

    mrwuggson January 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Can anyone make out the words to the second unreleased part of this song that Jeff sings on the Live at Sudsy Malone's, Cincinnati, OH 7/23/96 bootleg? There are two verses to it. The first one goes something like:

    Every sing every single day and its flares would go on the clam blue gray and we made and we made all the way and we know and we know that its all ran away

    Then comes the part where he really starts to get into it and is shouting and going nuts and the band is playing and you can't hear a fucking thing. If anyone thinks they can discern even a single word of that clamor I am open to suggestions and would be much obliged.

    mrwuggson January 12, 2008   Link

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