This is probably my favorite Evan and Jaron song because it seems so simple, but when you really think about it, it can be quite deep. I think I read that they actually wrote it about an actual bum they met, but the way they write it is much deeper. This bum is someone that, obviously, no one else thinks much of because he's just a bum. To the narrator, though, he's an interesting person, who is really just like anyone else. He could have been someone, but he's just a bum now. I think the narrator actually relates to him because he seems to think no one really notices him until Lucy does, and everyone just notices James negatively. It's another cold day, and James probably doesn't have much to wear (while they make a point of saying that they spend more time getting dressed than where they go), but everyone is also cold to him. It kind of makes other people seem selfish because they treat him badly and "no one ever gives a damn, unless they've got something to sell." Unlike everyone else, it's clear that James and the narrator genuinely like each other. It sounds like they probably have gotten coffee more than once because they like to talk and hear each other's stories. They both seem to have a big impact on each other's lives since they're pretty much alone....
This is probably my favorite Evan and Jaron song because it seems so simple, but when you really think about it, it can be quite deep. I think I read that they actually wrote it about an actual bum they met, but the way they write it is much deeper. This bum is someone that, obviously, no one else thinks much of because he's just a bum. To the narrator, though, he's an interesting person, who is really just like anyone else. He could have been someone, but he's just a bum now. I think the narrator actually relates to him because he seems to think no one really notices him until Lucy does, and everyone just notices James negatively. It's another cold day, and James probably doesn't have much to wear (while they make a point of saying that they spend more time getting dressed than where they go), but everyone is also cold to him. It kind of makes other people seem selfish because they treat him badly and "no one ever gives a damn, unless they've got something to sell." Unlike everyone else, it's clear that James and the narrator genuinely like each other. It sounds like they probably have gotten coffee more than once because they like to talk and hear each other's stories. They both seem to have a big impact on each other's lives since they're pretty much alone....