Away

When I hear this song, I get a really relaxed feeling. It reminds me of being out in a cabin or something out in the wilderness. Being away from the city and all the people, just relaxing. I don't really have any insight into what it might mean to other people, though.

I think that he wants to leave his families world of religion behind, while still loving them as a family. He says that his door is still open, and he wants care from them to cover him, but he wants to be away from religion, even though deep down he knows he should be more religious.

I definitely see the religion aspect of this song. But I see it differently--He's talking about the comfort that Christ gives him. Todd knows where he's going once his wordly life ends--"I say that's where I'm goin'." In the part where he says "I confess. I shiver," the "I shiver" part isn't shivering in fear. It's like the times where you hear an awesome song, and it just gives you goosebumps. Having Christ's love is just so amazing, and it does give you the shivers. And being away, is just being in Heaven. I have loved the Toadies for the longest time. Can never go wrong with the Old School stuff. I'm just so glad that I got to see them before they broke up. I hope Lisa's art is worth breaking up the band. God bless.

i can see the religious connotations and definitely agree with banana5050 about the 'and i confess a shiver" line being about getting the goosebumps (and seriously, what a damn eloquent way to write ive got the goosebumps). but...

the thing is, i find the song more sinister than mellow, so i dont know that the religious themes people are getting out of it (if they even are really present) are meant to be sincere or cynical. something about the guitar riff during the verses: its a quieter, maybe even more elaborate version of the riff that's played at the beginning of the song and between the verses. its almost like its sneaking almost out of earshot under the vocals and creates a gradual tension. especially since other songs on the album have extremely sinister storylines (tyler, possum kingdom) i feel like that tense feeling in the song probably does reflect the subject matter somehow. also, at the end during the "come right on in's", i'm always waiting for it to turn into the quiet "do you want to die" part of possum kingdom.

To me (well, my sister came up with this idea, but I have the account), like in some of his other songs (mainly Tyler), he's the stalker, but in this one, it's the other person who's stalking him. The catch is that he actually lets this person stalk him. I probably take lyrics too literally, but it's still our interpretation.

"You say forever, / And I confess I shiver. / You say hope. / I say that's where I'm goin'"

The fact that this person will always be stalking him kinda makes him shiver, but he doesn't mind them knowing that he's going somewhere anyway..

"To be in the shade, / The oldest trees above my head. / When I'm away, I know in my heart / There is a heaven."

He doesn't care whether this person stalks him or not, he's still going to go out and enjoy life anyway.

"If I'm out hunting, / Come right on in, yeah. / And even when I'm gone, / My doors are always open."

Well, first two lines are pretty obvious. The last two, another way of saying that he's giving them an invitation to stalk. He leads a trail.

"And if I'm asleep, / Make sure my blanket covers me, yeah."

He doesn't mind that they're in his house.

"Come right on in, yeah."

Ditto for this one.

One of the best songs by the J.D. Salinger's of alternative music.

I think it's about death. especially when he's goin "to be in the shade" shade being a metaphor for death.

The speaker is God, not a man who's being stalked.

He's portraying God like a human, someone who "shivers" at the dependency placed on him, and hope is "where I'm goin'", as in that's what he's striving for. God is not immaculate or celestial, but rather just as human as those that believe in him (so he's portrayed). He has no ultimate jurisdiction or god-like presence.

Even when people don't believe in him ("when I'm away") he still believes in Heaven; either it shows the power in human belief and faith, or it mocks people who believe in an afterlife because their Heaven is seperated from the one man who determines their entrance.

However, God says "Go right in"; Might show that anyone, everyone deserves a ticket into paradise, not just the forever faithful or never-been believers. Again, maybe to mock overly religious and atheist people.

I believe the song to be about spending too much time with one person, being why he shivers when she says shivers, and he needs a break but honestly doesnt mind her company.

I think at least part of this song is about trust. I think it's from the viewpoint of someone who is able to center himself in solitude, but he still needs people in his life that he knows he can trust and depend on. He wants to do his own thing without worrying about getting hurt, physically or emotionally.