In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Glue stuck to my shoes
Does anyone know why you play with an orange rind
You say you packed my things
And you divided what was mine
You're off to the mountain top
I say her skinny legs could use the sun
But now I'm wishing
For my best impression
Of my best Angie Dickinson
But now I've got to worry
Cause boy you still look pretty
When you're putting the damage on
Don't make me scratch on your door
I never left you for a banjo
I only just turned around
For a poodle and a corvette
And my impression
Of my best Angie Dickinson
But now I've got to worry
Cause boy you still look pretty
When you're putting the damage on
I'm trying not to move
It's just your ghost passing through
I said I'm trying not to move
It's just your ghost passing through
It's just your ghost passing through
And now I'm quite sure
There's a light in your platoon
I never seen a light move
Like yours can do to me
So now I'm wishing
For my best impression
Of my best Anigie Dickinson
But now I've got to worry
Cause boy you still look pretty
To me
But I've got a place to go
I've got a ticket to your late show
And now I've got to worry even still
You sure are pretty
When you're putting the damage on
Yes
When you're putting the damage on
You're just so pretty
When you're putting the damage on
Does anyone know why you play with an orange rind
You say you packed my things
And you divided what was mine
You're off to the mountain top
I say her skinny legs could use the sun
But now I'm wishing
For my best impression
Of my best Angie Dickinson
But now I've got to worry
Cause boy you still look pretty
When you're putting the damage on
Don't make me scratch on your door
I never left you for a banjo
I only just turned around
For a poodle and a corvette
And my impression
Of my best Angie Dickinson
But now I've got to worry
Cause boy you still look pretty
When you're putting the damage on
I'm trying not to move
It's just your ghost passing through
I said I'm trying not to move
It's just your ghost passing through
It's just your ghost passing through
And now I'm quite sure
There's a light in your platoon
I never seen a light move
Like yours can do to me
So now I'm wishing
For my best impression
Of my best Anigie Dickinson
But now I've got to worry
Cause boy you still look pretty
To me
But I've got a place to go
I've got a ticket to your late show
And now I've got to worry even still
You sure are pretty
When you're putting the damage on
Yes
When you're putting the damage on
You're just so pretty
When you're putting the damage on
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
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”
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.
It's about a soldier who she liked. Somwhere along the line they got seperated. The soldier is righteous, fearless, valient, and can put the damage on. She admires these traits in him, even when he is putting the damage on.
I love the lines: "there's a light in your platoon... I've never seen a light move, like yours can do to me"
It's so meloncholy, yet comforting.
Love the french horns in this song.
@PopeyeDoyle i think, "there's a light in your platoon" means "there's a light in your other you", stating she can wait for his nicer "him" to appear. in some cases platoon means a "substitute player". so not realy a soldier, though definitely someone very manly. ...one of the best song in known universe.