This Is Yesterday

shame no-one's commented on it yet, a work of art that is as good as it is hopeless. Despair and envy at others, as if life has beaten the protagonist

"The only way to gain approval Is by exploiting the very thing that cheapens me" is probably Richey's cutting/self-exposure through his lyrics

I always thought this was looking back on the writers childhood. Possibly giving his younger self - or another person advice. He tells the person to just do what is important to him, "just listen to what I can't keep silent" the things that Have to be said / done. Also the second verse seems to fit this idea - he's telling the person he knows that someone will help him, but he can't at the moment because his world is falling apart. I've always thought maybe this is to Richey, saying he's sorry that he can't do more but Richey was such a major part of his world & watching him fall is breaking Nicky. I then think the person is talking about how this didn't matter in his childhood. He didn't have to do housework or gardening, what is the point when you can just forget it and have fun? The chorus always reminds me of when you just lie on the grass & watch the clouds - close your eyes & think of memories.

This song makes me feel caged, like I want to burst out of my life.

It reminds me of a caged tiger.

I think it's about nihilism , about giving up and abdicating respnsilbilty to someone else. The lyric is at odds with the the almost joyful melody. Amazing song.

Wow this song is beautiful. It sounds like someone that wants to make a difference but can't because he is a mess himself:

And I stare at the sky And it leaves me blind

• He looks for answers but can't find them, can't make sense of life

I close my eyes And this is yesterday

• Admitting defeat, trying to forget the problems. I also like how 'this is yesterday' could refer simply to the passing of time - each day you just fall asleep and your problems are yesterday, you don't really care or you try not to.

Houses as ruins and gardens as weeds Why do anything when you can forget everything

• Doing mindless activities is preferable to anything constructive, as it's a form of escape.

Melancholic song.

"Why do anything when you can forget everything. Memory more comforting than future. "doing nothing = happy"." (Richey James; THB Tourbook)

"That's the simplest song, musically and lyrically, on the album. It's about how people always look back to their youth and look on it as a glorious period. No matter what walk of life you're in, you always revert back to childhood and look at it as a beautiful time when, as the song says, 'Someone, somewhere soon will take care of you'." (Nicky Wire; Melody Maker 27.8.94)

I always assumed Richey wrote it, and Nicky wrote ifwhiteamerica and P.C.P., because both of those songs rhyme and are political. This seems far more like one Richey would write. But I dunno, I'm only guessing.

I'm not 100% sure what this song is about so I'm just guessing. But I believe it's about depression. Obviously the lines 'the only way to gain approval is by exploiting the very thing that cheapens me' refer to Richey's self harm. I also think the song's about looking back and wishing you were happy again, like when you were young. But, this is just what I believe, so I could be completely wrong!

The lyrics fit in, but as for the music, it sounds more Everything Must Go. Still great song though.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think this lyric is entirely Nicky's. It does provide a good contrast point for the album, prevents the listener from suffocating in the intensity of it all.