Grand Canyon

This song really captures the helplessness of a lost love. "And you used to love me that way..." It's so painful. You want to ask what's changed. You want to know how you can recapture the love again. Usually there is nothing you can do. "But I'm just me, I'm only me, and you used to love me that way, so you know how to love me that way."

This is a song about losing love and trying to find it again with the same person. It's saying "I'm not that special...but you loved me that way before, so just try again." So beautiful.

Merritt's got a really evocative vocal style. The lyrics to this song are great, but his execution is the best part. I think there's a tone of resentment in this song -- as if the character is addressing this guy to say, "I was wrong to believe that you were different, that you would stay interested in someone besides yourself for very long."

I think he's being sarcastic about believing he's nothing special -- it's more as if he feels, at least in the beginning of the song, that he is special enough to deserve love, and that he thought he wanted this person to love him, but this guy is too self-involved. He wants an gaping chasm of a syncophant, not a complicated, flawed lover. So Merritt's character in this song is cranky and disappointed. The guy in question did take time out from his self-centeredness to love the narrator, so the narrator knows it's possible and maybe not even difficult, but that this guy is not willing to put forth the effort required.

I love the simplicity of this song. He's saying, 'I haven't changed, so obviously you still can love me like this since you did before'. You're right about it sounding cranky - it does sound that way. In a way he's right to be pissed off, however I guess people change. Maybe he has too, without realising it. Stephin Merritt's lyrics are amazing. He must work really hard at them - they're all so evocative. I love the tunes too, especially the ones with electronica-pop on them. I'm so happy I've found the MFs!

one time, i was at a new pornos concert and this band benjee ferry or something was opening, and the guy was like, this is for all the stephen merritt fans out there and i was like, YEAH and no one else said anything and everyone looked at me strange...ANYWAYS they played this song, and it made me happy.

LOVE this song! simple & beautiful.