I don't think "Baby Britain" is a reference to Britain, America, or any other country. It's just a person - a girl, specifically. I think the name is used for the visual metaphor (perhaps, for isolation) in the first few lines: "floating over a sea of vodka / separated from the rest", "sees the ocean fall and rise / counts the waves that somehow didn't hit her".
Building on what a few others have suggested. I think the song is about someone who is introverted and depressed, and who has low self-esteem and drowns their sorrows in alcohol. Elliott Smith seems to be the part of a close friend (perhaps their only friend).
The line "for someone half as smart / you'd be a work of art" sounds like it's saying something like "you're a wonderful person; someone who is half as smart as I am would be able to see that." As though it's trying to encourage this person and build their self-esteem.
The lines "you got a look in your eye / when you're saying goodbye / like you wanna say hi" make me think that this person really wants to reach out and open up to someone, but they're too afraid, so they hide it. "you put yourself apart / and i can't help until you start" also seems to make a statement like this, also saying that this person can't be helped unless they stop isolating themselves.
The final verse seems to have some allusions to suicide (Russian Roulette). The lines "nothing's gonna drag me down / to a death that's not worth cheating" seems to condemn this.
It's an interesting song - bittersweet, like many of Elliott Smith's. He seems somewhat critical of "Baby Britain", particularly their drinking habits; but simultaneously, he shows sympathy and expresses his admiration for her. Maybe even love - or maybe she feels that way about him, and is too afraid to express it.
I don't know. Maybe I'm being too literal or simplistic in my interpretation. But this song is definitely one of my favorite Elliott Smith songs, and one of my favorite songs in general.
I don't think "Baby Britain" is a reference to Britain, America, or any other country. It's just a person - a girl, specifically. I think the name is used for the visual metaphor (perhaps, for isolation) in the first few lines: "floating over a sea of vodka / separated from the rest", "sees the ocean fall and rise / counts the waves that somehow didn't hit her".
Building on what a few others have suggested. I think the song is about someone who is introverted and depressed, and who has low self-esteem and drowns their sorrows in alcohol. Elliott Smith seems to be the part of a close friend (perhaps their only friend).
The line "for someone half as smart / you'd be a work of art" sounds like it's saying something like "you're a wonderful person; someone who is half as smart as I am would be able to see that." As though it's trying to encourage this person and build their self-esteem.
The lines "you got a look in your eye / when you're saying goodbye / like you wanna say hi" make me think that this person really wants to reach out and open up to someone, but they're too afraid, so they hide it. "you put yourself apart / and i can't help until you start" also seems to make a statement like this, also saying that this person can't be helped unless they stop isolating themselves.
The final verse seems to have some allusions to suicide (Russian Roulette). The lines "nothing's gonna drag me down / to a death that's not worth cheating" seems to condemn this.
It's an interesting song - bittersweet, like many of Elliott Smith's. He seems somewhat critical of "Baby Britain", particularly their drinking habits; but simultaneously, he shows sympathy and expresses his admiration for her. Maybe even love - or maybe she feels that way about him, and is too afraid to express it.
I don't know. Maybe I'm being too literal or simplistic in my interpretation. But this song is definitely one of my favorite Elliott Smith songs, and one of my favorite songs in general.