This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Been waiting
To find
You could've been happier
Given the time
If he'd make up his mind
You'd give yourself to anybody
Who would cross that line
[Chorus]
And it was never question
He was crowing for repair
You'd give him love and affection
But you couldn't keep him there
Get over regrets
While you were sleeping with the angels
He was under the bed
And the more skin
That you shed
The more that the air in your throat will linger
When you call him your friend
[Chorus]
Staring at a cold little hand
Reading fault lines
Of a shell of a man
You were waiting for a word from above
Wouldn't you know it
No answer ever did come
And it was never question
You were crowing for repair
You'd give him love and affection
But you couldn't keep him there
To find
You could've been happier
Given the time
If he'd make up his mind
You'd give yourself to anybody
Who would cross that line
[Chorus]
And it was never question
He was crowing for repair
You'd give him love and affection
But you couldn't keep him there
Get over regrets
While you were sleeping with the angels
He was under the bed
And the more skin
That you shed
The more that the air in your throat will linger
When you call him your friend
[Chorus]
Staring at a cold little hand
Reading fault lines
Of a shell of a man
You were waiting for a word from above
Wouldn't you know it
No answer ever did come
And it was never question
You were crowing for repair
You'd give him love and affection
But you couldn't keep him there
Lyrics submitted by rabidpenguin
Crowing Lyrics as written by Glen Phillips Dean Dinning
Lyrics © THE ADMINISTRATION MP, INC.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Unfortunatly, I've been the man in this song all too often in relationships...here's my take...
Typical of many Glen Phillips songs, the first verse exemplies the feeling of waiting for love unrequoited (sp).
I've had the same exact conversation with past girlfriends as in the first verse. Simply said, all she wants is to be loved..and she could have been happier if she had moved on long ago and found someone that could truly love her, rather than waiting for her boyfriend to make up his mind whether to committ to her or not.
In the chorus, we find "it was never a question" how this would end. He is a broken man in need of deep repair. She continutes to hold out hope and give him support and love, but he cannot return this love and instead pushes her away. Despite her best efforts, the choice is not hers alone and she cannot hold on to him.
In the third verse, yes...this is a very clear indication /extention of the second verse and implies he has been unfaithful despite her being a dutiful girlfriend.
I think many are reading the second half of the third verse wrong. He is simply saying that this: The more energy you devote to a relationship, the harder it is to accept being friends. The more she tries, the more she loves the greater her commitment to this relationship...and the more difficult it is to simply be friends when it is over.
The final verse shows her final recognition that the relationship is doomed. "Staring at a cold little hand", she she is playing a week hand (card game analogy). She now realizes just how broken and flawed he is. I don't read into this song/verse anything other than that he is a very troubled man. In the very last line, we find that she's been praying to God for help...for an answer from above, but no answer came.
In fact, in this song both our hero and heroine are broken, but they find different ways of expressing it. She devotes herself to one man, despite his flaws...all the while she could be happier if she moved on. He can't commit to any single women, even thought there is one that loves him despite all his flaws.
Man...have I been there...
I always felt this song was about a girl who loves a guy and is always trying to fix him. I've been there. Too many times.
This song appears to be writen from the point of the women, refering to the man that doesnt know how to hold on to her... Don Quixote (theme)
My take on it is that these are two lovers who never could get on the same page. When she wanted him, he wasn't there...when he wanted her, she wasn't there...now the result has left them both longing for something more. She feels it when she refers to him as her "friend", in fairy tales they always come together in the end, but in the real world, where people move on "no answer, ever did come." Sh has regrets because she had her chances with him and now...it's no use.
WHY DOES NO ONE TALK ABOUT TOAD?? arg.
anyhow this song is great...its him talking to a girl about her relationships. about how she tried to help him, or more than one 'him' but she never really could and it didnt help her either. in the end he kinda says "the guys you have been with have been lacking in something, and in truth - you are too" she is hurting inside. tried to help and nurture these guys who are going nowhere maybe because she wants to feel needed? who knows. sounds like a psychology case to me. glen is playing the truthfull friend here...the friend with the truth that hurts to hear.
i love the line "youd give yourself to anybody who would cross that line" like she would be with anyone who gave enough effort to getting her. she is needy.
i absoluptly love this song, i wish more people would talk about toad...anyway...this song reminds me of me in so many relationships...the song is about this girl whos waiting to find a guy to come into her life, it doesnt even matter who he is. shed take anyone. the girl puts her heart and soul into the guy cuz shes just longing for some sort of relationship. the thing is the guy, he just doesnt care. but the realationship wasnt meant to be in the first place. there was nothing she could do to keep him there. my favorite part is where it says, "get over regret, while you were sleeping with the angels he was under the bed and the more skin u shed the more the air in your throat would linger when you call him your friend" its saying, its over and stop beating yourself up for it, he had his faults too and the more you try to fool yourself, the more you're going to feel stupid saying you guys are still friends and are on good terms. let him go...LOVE THIS SONG
The bandmember who wrote these lyrics must know something about Addiction and Codependency. As a therapist i've actually used this song in a codependency group i do.
It perfectly describes how codependents search out people they feel they can help "it was never a question, he was crowing for repair".
AS the relationship progresses so does the addiction, codependency and resulting resentment, "While you were sleeping with the angels He was under the bed And the more skin That you shed The more that the air in your throat will linger When you call him your friend"
and finally, most important of all for my group is the awareness that she too needs help, "And it was never question You were crowing for repair..."
great song. i see a girl here who is very confused. shes been through a lot, and doesnt really know at all what she wants...she only knows she wants things to be ok again. shes kind off living in the past and fretting over regrets, and because of this shes putting this guy through a very uneasy situation. he cant do anything for her, but all he wants is for her to be happy.
The line in this song that hits me most is "The more the air in your throat lingers when you call him your friend". I always pictured the "him" in the song as the best friend who's in love with her and has always been there for her thru all her bad relationships. And then when she finally realizes it, he's moved on. Great song. More people need to realize how awesome this album is.
This is a great song. One of my fave TTWS songs. Glen Phillips is a great songwriter and storyteller. His solo stuff is pretty good too. The lyrics in this are great.
My interpretation of the song is that it's about a friendship with "benefits." The story is told through the perspective of the guy. The girl always took him for granted. She always kinda felt he would be there. The girl would make it seem like he needed her more than she needed him. "he was crowing for repair" The girl is always looking elsewhere, looking for that person to be with and always overlooking her friend. She goes through a series of dead end relationships that leave her feeling worse than before. She sleeps with various men hoping to get closer to them, hoping that their the one for her, but she never ends up getting any closer to these men, they just use her for sex.
At some point the girl realizes her friend is the guy she has been lookin for all along, but by that time the friend has moved on. At this point the girl is the one who needs the guy more and now she is the one "crowing for repair." Plus she realizes the whole time she was overlooking her friend she was the one who truly needed him more. Great subtle change in the lyric from he was crowing to "you were crowing" in the end. 90's classic. What happened to this kind of music. That folky kinda of acoustic rock. Not enough of it, if you ask me.