Reservations Lyrics
In the summer of 2001, I saw Wilco perform at the Pageant, the first time they had played in St. Louis in roughly 5 years. This was also the first time I had seen them since Jay Bennet and Ken Coomer had left the band, so I was nervous as to how they would sound. I had heard "Reservations" before, but was not prepared for what I heard that night. Jeff Tweedy has truly found beauty in noise. I was astounded at how gorgeous of an arrangement was created. For the majority of the song Tweedy was on the floor, using not his guitar, but his guitar pedals as the instrument. It was unreal. You were able to close your eyes and the sound enveloped you. If you can see this band live, it is worth every penny.
This song is definetly about depression in one way or another. Jeff Tweedy once said, "“I’ve failed. I’ve let the band down. I sound like the most depressed person in the world.” This album was made during this time in his life.
It's really sad, because he doesn't love this girl. He can't. He can't be close or intimate with her. He tries to pretend he is, but it's just a joke, or a lie.
He has reservations about everything because he has no idea what the hell he's doing. He's so uncertain about himself that, until he figures that part of his life out, nothing makes sense.
I like this song. I saw them once, but they never performed it live.
i agree with you for the most part. i really like your interpretation though cuz it makes a lot of sense. when he says "How can I convince you its me I don't like", i think he's implying that she really is noticing now that he almost purposely treats her like he doesnt care. He just doesnt care and she notices. Consequently, she think that he doesnt like her anymore. The character then thinks to himself "How could i tell you that i act this way because i have no other choice. ...
i agree with you for the most part. i really like your interpretation though cuz it makes a lot of sense. when he says "How can I convince you its me I don't like", i think he's implying that she really is noticing now that he almost purposely treats her like he doesnt care. He just doesnt care and she notices. Consequently, she think that he doesnt like her anymore. The character then thinks to himself "How could i tell you that i act this way because i have no other choice. I'm too scrared to leave so i have to stay here with you but i just dont love you. Stop making me love you." And for that entire reason, he dislikes himself. He is playing an unavoidable sick cruel joke, on everyone, including himself.
"Not be so indifferent to the look in your eyes" again, he doesnt care and he knows that he,(almost unwillingly) acts in a horrible, sad way towards her simply because he's tired of being in a relationship that, at that point in time, is just not for him. When she looks at him lovingly with nothing but pure, unadulterated love, he sees it, but feels extremely sad that he cannot give her the same.
"When I've always been distant And I've always told lies for love" lies for love. he lies that he loves her. He can’t convince her that he just doesn’t love her, perhaps just because he has realized that his lies have grown so far, that it is almost umhuman to tell all and leave all thought, unsaid. She loves the narrator so much, with every bit of her soul.
"I'm bound by these choices so hard to make I'm bound by the feeling so easy to fake None of this is real enough to take me from you" He’s bound. He’s tied up. He can’t go anywhere and he feels helpless almost. But the thing is, she or he, is sadly his support system, closest friend. He cannot leave. She cannot leave. I’t would ruin his life and hers, though it is surely bound to happen, at one point or another, and he knows this. Because of his fear of losing his support system, he believes its easier to fake love, because, ultimately, that act prevents extreme hardship on both of their lives that could last a looong time, and affect them both as people, because of the utmost uniqueness of this case. It wasn’t just a story about heartbreak. It’s a story of an intelligent, creative man who simply chose to not follow his heart during the beginning of his relation ship with the person whom he sings about in this song.
“None of this is real enough to take me from you” Like I said earlier, none of the discomfort/bore/ dis interest that he currently experiences is worth the suffering that he is trying to impede, though perhaps he knows he needs such suffering.
Hell, My first important crush/love was this song!
His Name's Billy. I liked him instantly, and he liked me (this was when I was a freshman) but i didn't know that. He was damn good at hiding it. he was two years older than me, and I just felt like he hated me. We were friends, but there'd be periods of weeks where we wouldn't talk, or he'd just be a complete jackass.
Well, recently, or moreover January 7th, we started dating. (I'm a junior now) For awhile i wasn't sure if he was dating me just because i wanted him to, but then he sang this song to me, and it made me realize that he was just scared.
Billy's reserved about everything, he couldn't make up his mind whatsoever when he was in highschool, and now he's a freshman in college, and he's still unsure of himself. We talk about his future a lot, and he always tells me that the only thing he's sure of is me.
I know, gross disgusting love story. Sadly, it's true.
It's a simple song, there's no real hidden message. It's laid right out in front of you, and i think that's what makes it so perfect. I hope to see Wilco in concert!
It's not the greatest love story but hey, it's pretty inspirational for those of us who are in the same place as Billy or Tweedy were. And that's a very large number of people.
It's not the greatest love story but hey, it's pretty inspirational for those of us who are in the same place as Billy or Tweedy were. And that's a very large number of people.
This is a song that makes me wish I was a musician...its such a simple, but powerful song-
I agree about the meaning....a man has so many issues and problems, so many fears and anxieties. But this person is the oly thing he's sure about, the only thing that makes sense.
this song means so much to me. I had someone basically say this to me - and it sucks when that happens, because there is really nothing you can do. yeah. he knows this girl is awesome and cares a lot for her ... but he's afraid of commitment or something. he's worried he's just going to mess things up for her if he gets too close. he's probably messing her up more by feeling that way, though.
I think its a man (who after f#cking up lots of times) finally coming to his senses. He is telling a woman that he is unsure about everything in this world.........everything but her and his love for her.
there's nothing for me to say except this is just one of those songs that touches my spine, my heart, my toenails, everything.... filled with the passion that is missing from so much music out there today
...it touches my naval.....
...it touches my naval.....
i wish someone would write me a song like this.
yeah, i think this song's pretty obvious what it's about: a man who's very apprehensive and reserved about most things, just not about his love.
most beautiful song ever