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.
I don't keep much stuff around
I value my portability
But I will say that I have saved every letter
You ever wrote to me
The one you left on my windshield
Outside of the motel
Is in the pocket of my old gig bag
From back when life was more soft shelled
Letters littered with little lewd pictures
Drawn by the ghost of Woody Guthrie
Who would use your big thick hand
Just to draw one two for me
And I think of your letters as love letters
Which is how I think of songs
In that it is the writing of these things
That tend to carry us along
And I dance to one of your old tunes
With my true love on our wedding day
And your voice sang the way my heart would sing
That finally knew just what to say
Two people pulled over on the same night
To look up at the same stars
They both found their wheels
Were spinning in a soft shoulder
When they got back into their cars
They missed fate's appointed rendezvous
And then a whole lot of time went by
And finally they were done worshiping
The landscape and they put down their hands
And moved into the sky
And they had barely said hello
And it was time to say goodbye
Goodbye
I value my portability
But I will say that I have saved every letter
You ever wrote to me
The one you left on my windshield
Outside of the motel
Is in the pocket of my old gig bag
From back when life was more soft shelled
Letters littered with little lewd pictures
Drawn by the ghost of Woody Guthrie
Who would use your big thick hand
Just to draw one two for me
And I think of your letters as love letters
Which is how I think of songs
In that it is the writing of these things
That tend to carry us along
And I dance to one of your old tunes
With my true love on our wedding day
And your voice sang the way my heart would sing
That finally knew just what to say
Two people pulled over on the same night
To look up at the same stars
They both found their wheels
Were spinning in a soft shoulder
When they got back into their cars
They missed fate's appointed rendezvous
And then a whole lot of time went by
And finally they were done worshiping
The landscape and they put down their hands
And moved into the sky
And they had barely said hello
And it was time to say goodbye
Goodbye
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
this is the sweetest song.. it's like, telling peopel they can miss out on fate, which is scary... so, you still have to try. plus, its about other personal things that i don't know of. but, i love ani, and this song
I think she's trying to say that some things end before they ever really have the time to begin.... and those things just kinda become one of the "might- have- beens" in our lives..... This is one of my alltime favoite Ani songs....
Like 'This Bouquet', I wonder if this song was written for Greg Brown.
"And I danced to one of your old tunes With my true love on our wedding day And your voice sang the way my heart would sing If it finally knew just what to say".
I know how she feels. Greg Brown writes incredibly beautiful songs that capture relationships so well.
she's missed out on love, and is wondering whether, if this had happened at a different time, under different circumstances, it could've become something really huge... but it's over now, she's moved on to her "true love", but there will always be this memory tucked into the pocket of her gigbag, this what-if, and she'll never forget it.
i love these lyrics. i think they're so lovely.
Soft shoulder strikes me as quite mystical. Its a song that covers a long period of time, personal growth/maturity, self-awareness and the connectedness of everything. Of course, as mentioned before, the "old flame" theme is at the forefront. But behind that, I think it could imply that soul mates can meet and not connect except for a little while. They have their separate lives, learn their separate lessons. But their entire lives they are connected on a deeper level. Their memories, the letters and songs and the writing of them (and keeping them and reading them) helps the growth process. But their destiny is to be together. Often during their lives, separated by many miles, they look up at the same sky and "feel" each other out there. But maturity means that the stay the course, trying to have faith and patience until they meet again. Finally, in the end, they each have some limited input into what time they are going to move on (destiny --of course--having the upper hand in their fates). They finish what the are doing and become one again in the afterlife. Romatinc? Yeah, I guess I can't help it.