The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows Lyrics

Lyric discussion by rb 

Cover art for The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows lyrics by Brand New

emericanskater: sure.

the very title of the song implies that it has to do with an event that should be kept secret.

the first verse discusses an illicit encounter between two lovers, and is addressed to the woman with whom the man is having an affair. the word 'tryst' usually connotes a secretive meeting between lovers, and the lines following it 'neither clear nor descript,' 'kept it safe and slow,' 'no one ever knows' show that the two lovers tried desperately to hide this meeting.

the second verse is addressed to the man's wife, and it describes a bleak wedding, implying that the marriage of the two was doomed from the start, leading him to seek satisfaction with another woman--the one involved in the tryst of the first verse. as for the line about children, parents about to divorce often make it a point to tell their children that the breakup is not their fault; this line makes reference to that commonly heard phrase by inverting it, saying that the couple are so confused about this sudden breakup that they desperately need a scapegoat, illustrating what a mess this affair has caused.

the chorus is about the affair being discovered. 'keep the blood in your head and keep your feet on the ground' is a plea for all parties involved to stay calm. the next two lines explain that he has grown tired of the marriage and so sought affection elsewhere. however, in the aftermath of his wife finding out, he begins to regret his decision. 'my body in bed' refers not to his own body, but to his wife's; 'all for an empty hotel' reveals that he has been kicked out of the house and is now sleeping alone. the final line, 'wasting words on lowercases and capitals,' implies that he's writing a letter of some kind, but can't find the right words to express his feelings. perhaps this is an apology, or perhaps being found out has driven him to suicide.

the final refrain, 'i lie for only you' is addressed once more to the woman with whom he had been having the affair. 'i lie well' and the half-mumbled 'hallelujah' sarcastically note that he wasn't as good a liar as he believed he was, and his life has been thrown into turmoil because of it.

this song has nothing to do with an actual marriage. the marriage is talked about as it'll happen in the future. it hasn't happened yet, and it won't. this song is about a man who gets his girlfriend pregnant while their relationship is a wreck. the hospital is because she's having an abortion. they feel like they're forced to get married if she keeps the baby, so they're getting rid of it. so there was no wedding, there won't be. "i like for only you and i lie well" meaning, they're going to lie to their parents as to why they broke...

@rb I like both of your explanations. nicely done.