When I saw Will Sheff play a solo show in Chicago, he introduced this song by saying it was about a drug dealer. Under that pretense, I believe the song is about a drug dealer trying to justify himself. In the second verse ("I'm a rich young sophisticate...), he explains how dealing drugs had made him happy ("girls and friends," "getting paid for it," "I don't think you'll find a happier man") and then in the third verse (You float up high...) he ackonwledges that it may be wrong ("never earned your soul. I know"), but argues that it doesn't matter because "there isn't a hell" and "there isn't a sin." The first verse ("When I'm hosed ...") is a little more confusing. It reminds me of the first verse of the song "Westfall" where the narrator is about to be caught and looks back on his actions. This could explain this song as well: "When I'm hosed and they're closing in, maybe only then, really, I'll try to get right with myself." In other words, because he knows he's going to get caught, he begins to justify to himself that his actions were not wrong. Either way, I love the song, but I'd have to say it's better live. See Okkervil at any opportunity you get!
When I saw Will Sheff play a solo show in Chicago, he introduced this song by saying it was about a drug dealer. Under that pretense, I believe the song is about a drug dealer trying to justify himself. In the second verse ("I'm a rich young sophisticate...), he explains how dealing drugs had made him happy ("girls and friends," "getting paid for it," "I don't think you'll find a happier man") and then in the third verse (You float up high...) he ackonwledges that it may be wrong ("never earned your soul. I know"), but argues that it doesn't matter because "there isn't a hell" and "there isn't a sin." The first verse ("When I'm hosed ...") is a little more confusing. It reminds me of the first verse of the song "Westfall" where the narrator is about to be caught and looks back on his actions. This could explain this song as well: "When I'm hosed and they're closing in, maybe only then, really, I'll try to get right with myself." In other words, because he knows he's going to get caught, he begins to justify to himself that his actions were not wrong. Either way, I love the song, but I'd have to say it's better live. See Okkervil at any opportunity you get!