This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Everyone I ever loved
Went down in history...
The blue eyes came
The brown eyes left...
And the rest is misery
Dreams are trash
On the side of the road
All starry eyed - tongue all tied
There's something you should know
I could have died with you
And Boston is the reason
I'm feeling so blue - damn you
City lights and colder nights
I'm innocent (minus the fights)
Praying out loud for a winter of quiet
Friday nights are killing me
I fall asleep - pen in hand
There's something you should know
I could have died with you
And Boston is the reason
I'm feeling so blue
Cities aren't a way to cure a disease
And I don't even know
Why you listen to me
A razor wristed kid
Looking forward to ends
If love was a bridge
You'd be the one in the fens
"All the kids are fucking dead"
I write "with love and a gun to my head"
these days aren't going to last too long
(i know - i know - i know)
I'm drawing words from a tired heart
I'm drawing blood from a tired heart
Went down in history...
The blue eyes came
The brown eyes left...
And the rest is misery
Dreams are trash
On the side of the road
All starry eyed - tongue all tied
There's something you should know
I could have died with you
And Boston is the reason
I'm feeling so blue - damn you
City lights and colder nights
I'm innocent (minus the fights)
Praying out loud for a winter of quiet
Friday nights are killing me
I fall asleep - pen in hand
There's something you should know
I could have died with you
And Boston is the reason
I'm feeling so blue
Cities aren't a way to cure a disease
And I don't even know
Why you listen to me
A razor wristed kid
Looking forward to ends
If love was a bridge
You'd be the one in the fens
"All the kids are fucking dead"
I write "with love and a gun to my head"
these days aren't going to last too long
(i know - i know - i know)
I'm drawing words from a tired heart
I'm drawing blood from a tired heart
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
God, I love American Nightmare. This song is amazing. I feel, and this is strictly my opinion, that this song says:
This person feels as though every relationship in which they have loved someone ended up hurting them. The things they dreamed of having are things that they feel have been discarded by their past lovers like worthless trash. They pray for release from memories of everything that went wrong. There is someone who they wish they could love, being afraid to even try again due to the fact that they have been hurt so much, but this person, for certain reasons, does not know how much he/she is loved. They have escaped to the city to be free of memories, but find that the city causes them more pain because they are reminded of how alone they are. They feel like all the people in the city are dead. . .at a loss with feeling. . .and they write this with contention and the feeling that they, themselves are dying on the inside. They try to explain, but their heart is weary, and tired of trying to make their love understand what exactly they are feeling, and if their loved one doesn't realize how they feel soon, that their days of trying to explain will be over soon.
this song is what turned me on to american nightmare. i love it. i agree with you Stars.
AMERICAN NIGHTMARE IS SO AMAZING...just got back from a show they played at...when this song went on....it was nuts. Got a chance to talk to Wes (lead singer)...he kicks ass....got a picture with him too...i was wet with sweat...quite gross....alright...american nightmare=amazing
This song is absoultely beautiful. The lyrics are just incredible! Wes explains raw emotions the way I always wanted to but just never could.
Hands down, my favorite American Nightmare song.
this is the only old school band I relate to. For the most part thier songs are about being heartbroken and living in a place you hate. That was my story for the past two years (I finally got to leave though)
this was the first american nightmare song i really got into, and fuck it is amazing.
i'm thinking that maybe the person he loved died before he had a chance to them how he felt ->"i could have died with you". and now he's thinking about suicide "with love and a gun to my head" and "these days aren't gonna last too long"
i think these are wes' best lyrics
"All the kids are fucking dead." I write, "With love, and a gun to my head." These days arent gonna last too long(i know, i know, i know..) " this is the ultimate fight song(aside from Your Arsonist). the breakdown after those lyrics is amazing! i love American Nightmare. I cant wait to see them in May.
Could I please have the answer to this question? What is "The Pru"???
Thank you x
To reply to Jotchy's question:
The "Pru" is the Prudential Center, a large skyscraper in Boston housing the offices of the Prudential Insurance Company as well as a huge urban mall. The building casts quite a shadow when the sun hits it right, so presumably that's where the title came from (hence the mentions to Boston).