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”
You left Billy with the kid
And all the selfless things you did with Billy
You left your home town in the spring
And turned your back on everything
You thought your life would just go by
Without a pause to wonder, don't be silly
But you can't live your life in the baby seat
You've got to stand on your own
Don't admit defeat
He came down from his retreat
She saw him later in the street
He said, "You are the only one
To recognize that I'm the son"
So she bent down and kissed his feet
And then that night, between the sheets she told him
You can't live your life in the baby seat
You've got to stand on your own
Don't admit defeat
You can't live your life in the baby seat
(Ah-ah-ah)
(Ah-ah-ah)
Forty days at sea
Then she turned and said to me
"If we make it back
I'll renounce Jack Kerouac
And all that romantic crap
Like I'm an artist don't look back"
Now we're living somewhere else
We keep opinions to ourselves
But still we seek a sneaky peek at heaven
When the working week defeats us
If you think growing up is tough
Then you've just not grown up enough, baby
You can't live your life in the baby seat
You've got to stand on your own
Don't admit defeat
You can't live your life in the baby seat
(Ah-ah-ah)
(Ah-ah-ah)
You can't live your life in the baby seat
(Ah-ah-ah)
(Ah-ah-ah)
And all the selfless things you did with Billy
You left your home town in the spring
And turned your back on everything
You thought your life would just go by
Without a pause to wonder, don't be silly
But you can't live your life in the baby seat
You've got to stand on your own
Don't admit defeat
He came down from his retreat
She saw him later in the street
He said, "You are the only one
To recognize that I'm the son"
So she bent down and kissed his feet
And then that night, between the sheets she told him
You can't live your life in the baby seat
You've got to stand on your own
Don't admit defeat
You can't live your life in the baby seat
(Ah-ah-ah)
(Ah-ah-ah)
Forty days at sea
Then she turned and said to me
"If we make it back
I'll renounce Jack Kerouac
And all that romantic crap
Like I'm an artist don't look back"
Now we're living somewhere else
We keep opinions to ourselves
But still we seek a sneaky peek at heaven
When the working week defeats us
If you think growing up is tough
Then you've just not grown up enough, baby
You can't live your life in the baby seat
You've got to stand on your own
Don't admit defeat
You can't live your life in the baby seat
(Ah-ah-ah)
(Ah-ah-ah)
You can't live your life in the baby seat
(Ah-ah-ah)
(Ah-ah-ah)
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Ooooh, thank you for pointing that out about the Dylan reference... I love when there's a link between favourites of mine :-) The stand-out line for me here is "If you think growing up is tough then you're just not grown up enough." A classy put-down if ever there was one!
My interpretation is actually completely opposite from Kwazy's. I think this song is, if anything, an attack on youthful idealism. The "40 days at sea..." part seems to be saying that this woman dreamed of wandering around like Jack Kerouac, but now that she's actually gotten herself lost, she's thinking she was kind of dumb. And if she survives the experience she once thought of as so romantic, she's going to become more of a grown-up and stop daydreaming about "leaving it all behind."
"like i'm am artist, don't look back" is borrowed from Bob Dylan, "She Belongs To Me." I just figured that out.. if anyone cares..
@luckye225 Sweet. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy catching references by one artist to another. See Blink 182's "Adam's Song" ("I took my time, I hurried up<br /> The choice was mine, I didn't think enough") referring to to Nirvan's "Come as You Are" ("Take your time, hurry up, The choice is yours, don't be late").
"You can't live your life in the baby seat You've got to stand on your own Don't admit defeat "
It means that you can't live life by letting everyone else do things for you. You have to stand up and do things yourself.
I agree with gracelyn. My favourite part. especially the way he says baby after that line.
* Steven Page for president!!! *
The bridge is by far the coolest part of this song. "40 days at sea" refers to a Israelite style wandering about, further evidenced by the Jack Kerouac reference (read On the Road). It's sarcastic, not literal.
The entire song is saying don't give up your youthful idealism. It's trying to create nostalgia for another time (see also Old Apartment) and counterpointing complacency for our Fight-Clubesque lot in life (see also Never Do Anything).
BNL is at their best when they're at their most introspective. I love Pinch Me and 1-Week types of songs, but the deeper stuff is truly great.
I think this song is about Jesus...the parallels are amazong...too many to list in fact.
Oddly enough, I'm not Christian : )