Baby Britain Lyrics

Lyric discussion by EnidCaulfield 

Cover art for Baby Britain lyrics by Elliott Smith

by mlueth19 on 03-04-2006 @ 01:17:34 AM I've always wondered about the line "For someone half as smart, you'd be a work of art." Do you think he meant "Someone less intelligent would see you as a work of art, but I'm too smart for that"?

I'm of the opinion that he's talking to himself in a lot of his songs (or the character in the song is talking to himself), even though he may refer to himself in the third person. So, to be more precise, I would say it means "Someone less intelligent might see me as a work of art, but I know better." But I think your interpretation of it is entirely correct. I always loved that line.