Sheryl Crow

Crash And Burn

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Crash And Burn Lyrics

I watched the sun come up on Portland
I waved goodbye to all my friends
I packed my car and headed to LA
I gave away all my loose ends

Somebody said you gotta get away
To wanna go back home again
I left my universe standing there
Holding the hand of my best friend

And it's laughter that I feel when I think of you
It's one more dusty rose about to turn
I'll see you when I reach New Mexico
If I'm in the mood to crash and burn

I wrote a letter that I never mailed
I rehearsed a dialogue in my head
In case you ever wanted to track me down
I'll take my cell phone to bed

And it's laughter that I hear when I close my eyes
And it's one more punchline I forgot to learn
I call you up when my bottle's dry
I'm on my way to crash and burn

Antigone laid across the road
And let a mack truck leave her there for dead
Just because her lover split the scene
Well love might be great but why lose your head

Well, it's laughter that comes up when I cry for you
And my heart may break again before it learns
And I might be stupid enough to want to fall again
Cause I've gotten use to the crash and burn
I say I've gotten use to the crash and burn

Crash and burn
Crash Crash
Crash and burn

Submitted by

spliphstar On Jan 16, 2002

If It Makes You Happy

I watched the sun come up on Portland
I waved goodbye to all my friends
I packed my car and headed to LA
I gave away all my loose ends

Somebody said you gotta get away
To wanna go back home again
I left my universe standing there
Holding the hand of my best friend

And it's laughter that I feel when I think of you
It's one more dusty rose about to turn
I'll see you when I reach New Mexico
If I'm in the mood to crash and burn

I wrote a letter that I never mailed
I rehearsed a dialogue in my head
In case you ever wanted to track me down
I'll take my cell phone to bed

And it's laughter that I hear when I close my eyes
And it's one more punchline I forgot to learn
I call you up when my bottle's dry
I'm on my way to crash and burn

Antigone laid across the road
And let a mack truck leave her there for dead
Just because her lover split the scene
Well love might be great but why lose your head

Crash and burn
Crash Crash
Crash and burn

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spliphstar

Submitter

2002-01-16 14:25:53

6 Meanings

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by VegasJames

24y ago

I agree with Lilac Wine. I think, especially considering the "I packed by car and headed to LA" line, that this song was written about Sheryl's state of mind after her fiance left her and she booked it to L.A. from Missouri. It's about depression, but not really, about a loss of hope for love, but not really. She sings, "I've gotten used to the crash and burn," but I just don't feel like she feels disenchanted with the idea of love, despite this "rough spot" in life. This song is about the acute depression experienced right after the end of one particular relationship. And it is freakin' amazing.

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by ledzepfansince

9m ago

this was not even listed on the original cds when it came out.its about a failed affair.

Negative

Subjective

Sadness

Affair

Failed

Betrayal

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by Lilac Wine

24y ago

I think this song is about a failed love affair...she's moved to LA to forget this guy, and had to leave her home and her best friend, but she's still in love with him deep down. She's done all the usual things you do - writing a letter and not sending it; imagining the guy of your dreams tracking you down - what would you say to him? And now she's in LA she's going overboard thinking about back home.

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by VegasJames

24y ago

By the way, on the Globe Sessions CD, it says "(Work In Progress)" under this song's title. I never took Sheryl literally, expecting an actual new, more "complete" version of this song (to me, it's perfect as is), but it would be interesting to hear another take of it if Sheryl is ever in the mood to rework it.

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by DaverRaver

16y ago

I think the reason she left her hometown in the first place was because her lover ended up in a relationship with her best friend... "I left my universe standing there holding the hand of my best friend". Agreeing with VegasJames, I think the "crash and burn" refers to the instant heartbreak in being rejected (crash) and the slow and sometimes painful process of getting over it (burn). Now she sees the relationships that lie ahead of her having an inevitable "Crash and Burn".

My Interpretation

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by tomorrin

12y ago

"I left my universe standing there Holding the hand of my best friend " - That line, imo, gives huge context to the rest of the song.

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