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She Says Lyrics
she says forget what you have to do
pretend there is nothing
outside this room
and like an idea she came to me
but she came too late
or maybe too soon
i said please try not to love me
close your eyes, i'm turning on the light
you know i have no vacancy
and it's awfully cold outside tonight
the rain stains the brick a darker red
slowly i'm rolling out of her bed
the rain stains the streets a darker black
i dress my face in stone
because i can't go back
i feel her eyes watching me
from behind the curtain of her hair
and she says i'm sorry
i didn't mean to stare
i say i think i really have to go now
but oh baby, maybe someday
maybe somehow
"She says forget what you have to do, pretend there is nothing outside this room!"
I can just imagine the desperate feeling, when you know your love is hopeless, and you're trying everything to get the other person to stay for just a little longer.
"And she says I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare." Aw. Having to apologize for having feelings is never fun.
This is one of my favorite Ani Difranco songs.Ani always seems to have such a great perspective on the world and on society, and this time it's no different.This is another one that makes me tear up when I listen to it.The fact that this girl is in love with her,and ready to give up everything to be with her just to be refused because she came along in life too late,it's heartbreaking.You can't just tell someone not to love you.Once the feeling is there,it's there.Atleast, these are the feelings I get when I hear it.
i... love it... argh.
i think it's about being with someone... but then finding someone else who loves you, and yea..
x Nash
The song is about someone who is unable to enter a loving relationship despite desperately wanting to (exact reason is left unsaid).
There are a few ways to interpret specific lines and metaphors, but I'll present one options here.
The singer is with a woman ("she" in "She Says") who wants to protect the singer from some sort of dark past or other pain ("Forget what you have to do / Pretend there is nothing / Outside this room"). The singer is deeply compelled by the safety offered, but realizes that she (singer) would be unable to change enough to embrace it ("And like an idea she came to me / But she came too late / Or maybe too soon"). The woman is like an idea in that she represents a new way of being for the singer (i.e. a happier one); a new paradigm, if you will. Sadly, the woman comes after some past event that makes it impossible for the singer to feel at ease being happy (came too late), or at least not yet (or maybe too soon).
The singer realizes she must break things off and tries to have a moment of complete honesty ("I said please try not to love me / Close your eyes, I'm turning on the light / You know I have no vacancy"). "Turning on the light" means complete openness, but often hurts (i.e. since eyes are adjusted to the dark).
The singer leaves the woman's bed and faces the cold outside ("It's awfully cold outside tonight"). The rain here serves to emphasize that the singer is drawn to an outside where things are not improving, the bricks and street are being stained "darker shades" rather than becoming brighter.
The singer's pain at leaving happiness behind and her resolve are emphasized when she must "dress her face in stone / Because [she] can't go back." She must purge herself of feeling, lest those feelings prevent her from doing what she must do.
The woman is clearly hurt by the singer's departure and there is now a distance between them. The woman watches the singer "from the curtain of her hair," implying that the singer can no longer see her face (i.e. is no longer as connected to her). The moment is awkward and the woman breaks off the limited contact, saying "I'm sorry / I didn't mean to stare." The singer leaves.
The last lines (before the repeats) talk about the singer's regret and potentially unrealizable hope for a better future. "Oh baby, maybe someday / Maybe somehow."