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Alameda Lyrics
You walk down alameda shuffling your deck of trick cards over everyone
Like some precious only son
Face down, bow to the champion
You walk down alameda looking at the cracks in the sidewalk
Thinking about your friends
How you maintain all them in a constant state of suspense
For your own protection over their affection
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
Walk down alameda brushing off the nightmares you wish
Could plague me when I'm awake
And now you see your first mistake was thinking that you could relate
For one or two minutes she liked you
But the fix is in
You're all pretension
I never pay attention
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
Nobody broke your heart
If you're alone it must be you that wants to be apart
Like some precious only son
Face down, bow to the champion
Thinking about your friends
How you maintain all them in a constant state of suspense
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
Could plague me when I'm awake
And now you see your first mistake was thinking that you could relate
But the fix is in
You're all pretension
I never pay attention
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
You broke your own because you can't finish what you start
Nobody broke your heart
If you're alone it must be you that wants to be apart
Song Info
Submitted by
enjoy Incubus On Jan 19, 2002
More Elliott Smith
Between the Bars
Needle in the Hay
King's Crossing
Twilight (Somebody's Baby)
A Fond Farewell
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i absolutely hate to compare all of elliott smith's songs to addiction BUT here i go..
i can't help but see the parallels between this song and my own personal struggles with heroin addiction.
"you walk down alameda shuffling your deck of trick cards over everyone" reminds me of when i first started seriously using and believed i fooled everyone. that nobody knew the truth. my own personal deck of trick cards was the facade of a life i lived. i went to work every day, paid my bills, was in a relationship. there was no sign that anything was wrong beneath the surface. i thought i had it figured out and actually got a kick out of knowing that i could shoot dope in the bathroom at work and walk into my boss's office 10 minutes later. "face down, bow to the champion."
the next phase of my addiction was, as with almost every addict, marked by increase use and its subsequent consequences. i started neglecting friends, family. still went to work but only as a means to support my addiction. "you walk down alameda looking at the cracks in the sidewalk thinking about your friends how you maintain all them in a constant state of suspense" my friends realized something was up and the history of our group of friends shows that those who go down the road of addiction typically end up either dead or in jail. what's it going to be? also i started relying on people around me more and more all as crutches to support my addiction. there are a few people i can think of who i'm sure absolutely dreaded my phone calls because they knew it wasn't just me calling to see how they were. not to mention the potential for phone calls from others saying i ended up dead like so many others have.
next was full blown addiction with little care for anything else. no care, i should say. i had been self aware for years at this point but only recently decided i really didn't care. addiction kept me arrested to the point that i watched everything i once loved and held dear to me crumble around me and the most fucked up part is that I DID NOT CARE. "walk down alameda brushing off the nightmare you wish would plague me when i'm awake." lost my job? oh well i still have a paycheck coming. lost my girl? good even less reason to have any restraint. no place to live? i always liked shooting dope in the park anyway. all these things that should have deterred me or at least kept me awake at night were complete non-issues. "and now you see your first mistake was thinking you could relate." this line rings so true to me. the whole self-pity mixed with a fucked up weird self-righteousness. you will never understand where i am coming from, why even bother trying? just leave me to my medicine.
anyway this is just what i get out of the song. i'm not claiming i know exactly where he was going, it's just an interpretation. regardless this song helped me through some extremely difficult times in my life. i've only been clean of heroin for 2 months but anyone who has been through the throws of any addiction can attest to how hard even one day is and i attribute a lot of what i have accomplished to this man. from the jaws of addiction to the horrors of withdrawal he helped me deal with my emotions (or lack there of during the worst parts of addiction) every step of the way.
if any of you are having trouble with addiction and need somebody, even a random person from songmeanings.net, to talk to feel free to email me at asouthern729@gmail.com and i'll try to give you any comfort i can. just know you aren't alone.
love, andrew
I dig your personal interpretation andrew, but at the same time I think its personalising some of the lyrics. Like:
I dig your personal interpretation andrew, but at the same time I think its personalising some of the lyrics. Like:
How you maintain all them in a constant state of suspense For your own protection over their affection
How you maintain all them in a constant state of suspense For your own protection over their affection
I think the second line reveals that its more about the empty living that goes on in the world of drugs. You never end up being connected to anyone cause users are all so insecure that they can't reveal themselves with any true depth.
I think the second line reveals that its more about the empty living that goes on in the world of drugs. You never end up being connected to anyone cause users are all so insecure that they can't reveal themselves with any true depth.
I like that you used the word 'facade' to describe your days using, but I think the notion...
I like that you used the word 'facade' to describe your days using, but I think the notion of facade goes deeper than just maintaining.
More lines like "your all pretension" and "for one or two minutes she liked you" reveal that its about someone who just can't show his true face while he's masked by his addiction.
Keep up the fight man, I'm a little under a month away from my 1 year key tag myself.
For one or two minutes she liked you But the fix is in
For one or two minutes she liked you But the fix is in
...it says it all. You can meet the person of your dreams -- who cares? A junkie will take their drug over anyone. Even themselves.
...it says it all. You can meet the person of your dreams -- who cares? A junkie will take their drug over anyone. Even themselves.
@asouthern729 I love your interpretation of this song -- and also that you aren't trying to tell us what you think Elliott meant, but what the song means for YOU. I enjoyed your explanation of what it says to you, line by line, too. I can hear Elliott's regret, in this song, for not letting people get close (and I'm sure his addiction was intertwined with that) but I'm betting the song's mostly about heroin addiction, because of how clearly it resonates with you.
@asouthern729 I love your interpretation of this song -- and also that you aren't trying to tell us what you think Elliott meant, but what the song means for YOU. I enjoyed your explanation of what it says to you, line by line, too. I can hear Elliott's regret, in this song, for not letting people get close (and I'm sure his addiction was intertwined with that) but I'm betting the song's mostly about heroin addiction, because of how clearly it resonates with you.
You sound like you feel like you're looking into a mirror. I know that feeling...
You sound like you feel like you're looking into a mirror. I know that feeling -- it usually means you have something REALLY BIG in common with what you're looking at.
Also I love that you offer support to people with addiction, and your email address. That's very special, and I hope it hasn't been abused. I hope you're well, and that you were able to stay off the stuff -- or re-recover, if you've relapsed. (I used to work with addicts, and I know that's a frequent pattern.) The heroin addicts were always so introspective, and easy to talk to :-D.
I'm well aware of my addictive personality, so, not something I'd try. (I told my kids I'd try almost anything once, but there are certain drugs that it's not worth trying, in my opinion. Heroin, meth, tobacco -- no. Alcohol and pot, sure. Those are only addictive to those of us who get addicted to anything. Right now it's Elliott I'm addicted to -- for the past 2/3 of a year since I first heard him. (I was driving when I first heard him, and Pandora played Angel in the Snow. I almost had to pull over.)
I've been listening to Alameda every chance I get since I found the Either/Or album 2 days ago. Wow, what a lovely song, just haunting. He was such a great combination of musical genius and all heart and soul. I'm bummed I never knew about him while he was alive..... and much more bummed that he died so young.
ANyhow I just wanted to say that I appreciated your explanation, and sharing of yourself, and offering to help people. It feels like a very fitting way to honor Elliot.
-- Nadine (and here's an icon of my other big addiction :-D)
e>
Ô /~O\O
@asouthern729 Wow man is incredible how some personal stories fit with Elliott's songs.
@asouthern729 Wow man is incredible how some personal stories fit with Elliott's songs.
I absolutely have no idea of how it's like to pass through a hell addiction like the one you suffer.
I absolutely have no idea of how it's like to pass through a hell addiction like the one you suffer.
Nevertheless, remember the problem is not the drug itself, is the emotional-mental background, if you can deal with it if you can cope and confront your own family loyalties if you can confront your most grounded set of beliefs then you can overcome addiction! hope you get help man!
Nevertheless, remember the problem is not the drug itself, is the emotional-mental background, if you can deal with it if you can cope and confront your own family loyalties if you can confront your most grounded set of beliefs then you can overcome addiction! hope you get help man!
Best wishes!
Best wishes!
I would be extremely surprised if there were not multiple layers of meaning to this and Elliott often uses drugs as a vehicle to portray other human emotions. The thing I think everyone is missing here is that it's not about Elliott. This is one of the few times I think that Elliott is actually speaking about someone else when he says "you". The reason is because you can see he changes person a couple times in the song.. he literally says "the nightmares YOU wish could plague ME". He also says "I don't pay any attention" when talking about...
I would be extremely surprised if there were not multiple layers of meaning to this and Elliott often uses drugs as a vehicle to portray other human emotions. The thing I think everyone is missing here is that it's not about Elliott. This is one of the few times I think that Elliott is actually speaking about someone else when he says "you". The reason is because you can see he changes person a couple times in the song.. he literally says "the nightmares YOU wish could plague ME". He also says "I don't pay any attention" when talking about "she loved you for a minute or two". I think this is actually about a girl who doesn't seem to know what she wants, maybe hiding her real emotions to protect herself. So she is alone, but feels like someone broke her heart when really she's the one running.
It's Elliott singing to himself. It's not about drama queens or ex-girlfriends, it's about Elliott's inability to be closer to people.
@pretorben Bingo - you got it. This song is about Elliott. He flirts with relationships and realizes it is only him who is responsible for his actions. He had a lot of friends but could like or accept himself. There is an old saying you have to like yourself first before you like others. Elliott could never get there and resorted to suicide.
@pretorben Bingo - you got it. This song is about Elliott. He flirts with relationships and realizes it is only him who is responsible for his actions. He had a lot of friends but could like or accept himself. There is an old saying you have to like yourself first before you like others. Elliott could never get there and resorted to suicide.
@pretorben I very rarely comment, but it's not about Elliott. This is one of the few time's I think that Elliott is actually speaking about someone else when he says "you". The reason is because you can see he changes person a couple times in the song.. he literally says "the nightmares YOU wish could plague ME". He also says "I don't pay any attention" when talking about "she loved you for a minute or two". I think this is actually about a girl who doesn't seem to know what she wants, maybe hiding her real emotions to protect herself....
@pretorben I very rarely comment, but it's not about Elliott. This is one of the few time's I think that Elliott is actually speaking about someone else when he says "you". The reason is because you can see he changes person a couple times in the song.. he literally says "the nightmares YOU wish could plague ME". He also says "I don't pay any attention" when talking about "she loved you for a minute or two". I think this is actually about a girl who doesn't seem to know what she wants, maybe hiding her real emotions to protect herself. So she is alone, but feels like someone broke her heart when really she's the one running.
Ithink the song is about someone who never lets anyone get too close. A fear of rejection, or perhaps a fear that someone might actually see him for who he really is. However, he blames the world rather than himself. Yeah, that last line kinda says it all.
This song is a perfect example of Smith's trademark bittersweet style. The song is gorgeous and ethereal in delivery, but the lyrics are brutal and scathing. Elliot adresses the listener by writing in the second person perspective - all of his accusations are directed at 'you.' This line is probably cruelest: "how you maintain all (your friends) in a constant state of suspense / for your own protection over their affection." It implies that an entire personality could be nothing more than a gimmick. It suggests that someone might be so insecure that they would utilize friendship as a scam. Elliot was very good at finding our worst flaws and exaggerating them. It must have been an awfully heavy cross to bear.
"If you can't get rid of the skeletons in your closet, you'd best teach them to dance." -George Bernard Shaw
It just hits you with subtlety and knocks you for six. It's just about everyone who's ever pushed someone away when they need them most
People get a bit far off about the religious stuff. Sure, Elliott used metaphor extensively, but you have to think of all his songs as a translation of some simple event or raw feeling that he experienced.
It's a dirge about pathological behavior, being motivated to the core by control or a need for attention. All very on point.
'Shuffling your deck of trick cards over the heads of everyone' - Not only is he admitting being manipulative, but he's also saying he's a showoff about it. I think maybe his 'deck of trick cards' is his music, his gimmick for attention.
'Like some precious only son' - has about a million valid meanings in this context. Childish behavior. Maybe he grew up with this tendency, being an only son to his mother and father (despite step-siblings). Could mean he makes sure his friends need him, and won't abandon him no matter how childish he acts.
'Look at the cracks in the sidewalk, think about your friends' - the road you've put yourself on is crumbling beneath you, you're walking into oblivion. Soon you'll be disconnected from everyone.
'First mistake, thinking you could relate' In bitterness reflecting that you'd be better off alone, in despair.
I always listened to this song with an outside perspective, and now that I see it here, I realize that it's the story of my life. What a horrible epiphany - Elliott, ouch - so damn harsh.
This song just climbed significantly further up my list.
I know I'm not contributing anything but...I love listening to Elliott Smith when i feel blue. I live in a town called Alameda. It's kinda funny when i listen to this song on my MP3 player while im walking home from school.
I went to high school in Alameda, and this song is a nice nostalgia trip.
I went to high school in Alameda, and this song is a nice nostalgia trip.
This is about a man who is realizing his narcicism. He's not a bad guy, but he thinks that he should deserve special treatment from people. He walks around doing whatever he pleases, without real concern of others. Right now, he is in a state of self-reflecting and realizes that the life he lives isn't really as great as he thought because he keeps himself from getting close to people. He wears his arrogance as a mask to hide his insecurity. 'nobody broke your heart, you broke your own cause you can't finish what you start' He might be coming of age and realizing he needs to just be himself and not be afraid to get close to people.
We all know people like this.
I don't think the song is as specific as a lot of you are making it out to be, but I agree with your themes. I think the song is about someone who is unable to allow himself to be dependent on others for fear that they will leave him in one way or another.