He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Young boy, you done me bad, I went and did ya wrong
Young boy, you done me bad, I went and did ya wrong
Then I got high, Lord I got high, and I got a bone to pick with you
And I'm sure you know it's true
Oh one day when you're looking back
You were young and man you were sad
When you're young you get sad
When your young you get sad, then you get high
Oh man
Young gal you done me bad and I went and did ya wrong
Young gal you done me bad so I went and did ya wrong
Then I got high
Lord, I got high
Now you got a bone to pick with me, but I wish you'd let me be
Oh one day when you're looking back
You were young and man you were sad
When you're young you get sad
When your young you get sad, then you get high
You get high
Oh the days the rain would fall your way
Oh the days the rain would fall your way
Then you be high, cause you got sad
Cause you got sad
Oh man
Young boy, you done me bad, I went and did ya wrong
Then I got high, Lord I got high, and I got a bone to pick with you
And I'm sure you know it's true
Oh one day when you're looking back
You were young and man you were sad
When you're young you get sad
When your young you get sad, then you get high
Oh man
Young gal you done me bad and I went and did ya wrong
Young gal you done me bad so I went and did ya wrong
Then I got high
Lord, I got high
Now you got a bone to pick with me, but I wish you'd let me be
Oh one day when you're looking back
You were young and man you were sad
When you're young you get sad
When your young you get sad, then you get high
You get high
Oh the days the rain would fall your way
Oh the days the rain would fall your way
Then you be high, cause you got sad
Cause you got sad
Oh man
Lyrics submitted by ang, edited by Mellow_Harsher
To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High) Lyrics as written by Ryan Adams David Rawlings
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
The Night We Met
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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"
Holiday
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
i love this song. i've been working on a "get totally fucked up with your best friends" mix tape and this is definately on there. so is "polar opposites" by modest mouse and "heaven knows i'm miserable now" by the smiths.
sounds like dylan in this song, but really good song nonetheless
I know what u mean, I've shown it to allot of pple an they all say "DYLAN", but it's not dylan in a true sense. Dylan wasn't always so wrapped up in personal dillema
Ryan is defenitely not hiding his Dylan influences on this one, but agree with Brettski in that this song isn't about the personal despair or shame or regretfulness that run through much of Dylan's work. It is a simple, truthful song about lost love, youth and drugs. It answers the question of why you do drugs when you're young - there isn't anything better to do.
wow... i almost just wrote "this song reminds me of bob" but now i feel young and stupid saying that... haha... i LOVE this song.. one of my faves on heartbreaker. i love when he says "lord i got high" it CRACKS ME UP!
If I was ever to make a movie about my life, this would be the opener.
lol, destructedstar. me too.
perhaps we could could work out a deal for the rights to the song and split the cost.
This girl I used to like, the only thing she ever said to me, was: "This is on the 'Old School' soundtrack, isn't it?"
The only thing I ever said was, "Yeah," then smoke a joint later that night...
good thing you stopped liking that dummie.
i saw a band cover this at a frat date function and was kinda surprised...but i guess it makes sense since it's from Old School. i had forgotten about that.