I always dressed for success
But success it never comes
And I'm the only one who laughs
At your jokes when they are so bad
And your jokes are always bad
But they're not as bad as this

Come join us in a prayer
We'll be waiting, waiting where
Everything's ending here

And all the sterile striking
It defends an empty dock you cast away
And rain upon the forehead
Where the mist's for hire if it's just too clear
Let's spend our last quarter stance randomly
Go down to the outlet once again

Painted portraits of minions and slaves
Crotch mavens and one-night plays
Are they the only ones who laugh?
At the jokes when they are so bad
And the jokes they're always bad
But they're not as bad as this

Come join us in a prayer
We'll be waiting, waiting where
Everything's ending here

And all the Spanish candles
They sold away sold have gone away to this
And a run-on piece of mountain
Trembles, shivers, runs down the freeway
I guess she spent her last quarter randomly
We guess, a guess is the best I'll do

Last time, last time is the best time I spent


Lyrics submitted by vCheerUpEmoKidv, edited by Discordman, amoeba215

Here Lyrics as written by Stephen Joseph Malkmus Scott Kannberg

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Here song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

46 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +7
    Song Meaning

    Very clever lyrics. The lyrics themselves hint at the inherent ambiguity in interpreting speech and action. The final line:

    "We guess a guess is the best I'll do, I'll do" is a philosophical statement by the band regarding the inherent difficult of declaring absolute truths. So to say with certainty what the song is about is a risky thing to do! Nevertheless HERE goes:

    "I was dressed for success" is about the difference between appearance and reality. For example you may be wearing an expensive suit and look like you are ready to bestride the world like a colossus, but that's just not enough. You need to have some substance. Or perhaps the line refers to dressing up for a Sunday church service - in order to receive something that you think you deserve (ie. absolution and forgiveness). I think the latter is more likely as the chorus says "come join us in our prayer...we'll be waiting waiting there...everything's ending here".

    This brings us to the chorus and the heart of the song - which is religion and death and reflecting on the meaning of life as death approaches. I'll come to this in detail in a future post.

    Kiladion December 08, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    haha, yep

    id run S&E parallel with doolittle and surfer rosa actually

    uncletommyon March 31, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    This song is amazing, best pavement song. This was my official going away to college song.

    ...everything's ending here.......

    gouge_awayon April 17, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Here is the defining song of the 90's. It describes the futility of all the gen xers..."I was dressed for success but success it never comes". fucking righteous.

    And Pavement OWNS, OWNS the Pixies.

    What I See Is Meon November 09, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    shit, i was looking for songmeanings.net but i guess i was somehow redirected to pretentious-douchebags-compare-bands-that-sound-nothing-alike.net man i hate it when that happens.

    jigsawyouthon November 09, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Everclear is everything indie music isnt. How many songs can you write with the same three chords about how bad your divorcing parents/father were to you? Or your struggle with drugs?

    And shut up about the Pixies already, Jesus there are other great bands! If Pavement apes anyone its the Fall, but that doesnt take away that Pavement is definitely the greatest indie band of all time, hands down.

    tundradesert81on August 15, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    "I was dressed for success But success it never comes And I'm the only one that laughs At your jokes when they are so bad And your jokes are always bad..."

    Sums up everyone's life? (or at least some point in everyone's life)

    This song sounds very nostalgic and sort reflective/wistful to me without being schmaltzy, which is always admirable. My favourite song off of Slanted and Enchanted, and perhaps my favourite Pavement song in general (though they have somewhere around 487984753 great songs).

    sundayykindagirlon April 30, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    the Peel Session 1 version that closes out the first cd on the re-release starts "i was dressed for suc.... cess/but success it never comes/and i'm the only one who laughs/at the jokes when they are so bad/and the jokes are always bad/but they're not as bad as this"

    same lyrics, but the space in "success" kind of makes it sound like the stanza is an intentionally bad pun on giving head (success it never comes (cums). he then admits to that joke being bad. probably nothing to do with the intention, but i think sm is clever enough to realize that, even if it wasn't what he was doing.

    dcov28on March 09, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    yeah actually its called DOOlittle.

    ruxxellon March 08, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I don't know what it's about, but it gives off this kind of warm yet cold feeling, like, everything is wrong, but okay. I get the feeling he is singing about some girl who is alone, and tells bad jokes.... Okay, well all I know is that I really like it and play it a lot because it's pretty damn simple and I like making up other lyrics... but I always keep that crotch mavens and one-night plays line. It always makes me feel like happy to be where i am..... the drug-trip ends now...

    myeh_manon April 08, 2004   Link

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

Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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."
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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,
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Album art
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms. “Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.