Well, it's tied with "Live Forever" by Oasis, "A Perfect Sonnet" by Bright Eyes, "In My Life" by The Beatles, and "Philosophy" by Ben Folds Five.
Anyway, I believe the song to be about normal people getting older, or going through their mid-life cris(es).
"Is it a crisis or a boring change?"
To me, the entire first two verses and choruses are like two people trying to make their normal, average lives seem special, or different ("Keep my address to myself because it's secret"), as they get older. The final verse, one of my favorites in any song, just talks about normal empty people and the real emotions that are going on to connect them. Married couples, people that are longing. I don't think SM literally means "That I won't EAT you when I'm gone", I believe he's speaking figuratively, as with most other Pavement songs. I honestly thought it said "Need" as well. In the end, I think it's just a tune about a normal, married couple getting older and going through all the emotions that come with conforming. Think about it - they're no longer young, they have a house, kids, job, their dreams died, they're bored all the time ("And if I go there, I won't stay there, because I'm sitting here too long") and now at the age where they waste so much time taking everything so seriously ("And I've been wasted, advocating that word for the last word, last words come up all you've got to waste").
And yet, the music and lyrics still make it seem so spectacular, so happy. Go back to those Gold Sounds - your youth, your freedom. That's what makes this song so god damn incredible to me.
This is my favorite song.
Well, it's tied with "Live Forever" by Oasis, "A Perfect Sonnet" by Bright Eyes, "In My Life" by The Beatles, and "Philosophy" by Ben Folds Five.
Anyway, I believe the song to be about normal people getting older, or going through their mid-life cris(es).
"Is it a crisis or a boring change?"
To me, the entire first two verses and choruses are like two people trying to make their normal, average lives seem special, or different ("Keep my address to myself because it's secret"), as they get older. The final verse, one of my favorites in any song, just talks about normal empty people and the real emotions that are going on to connect them. Married couples, people that are longing. I don't think SM literally means "That I won't EAT you when I'm gone", I believe he's speaking figuratively, as with most other Pavement songs. I honestly thought it said "Need" as well. In the end, I think it's just a tune about a normal, married couple getting older and going through all the emotions that come with conforming. Think about it - they're no longer young, they have a house, kids, job, their dreams died, they're bored all the time ("And if I go there, I won't stay there, because I'm sitting here too long") and now at the age where they waste so much time taking everything so seriously ("And I've been wasted, advocating that word for the last word, last words come up all you've got to waste").
And yet, the music and lyrics still make it seem so spectacular, so happy. Go back to those Gold Sounds - your youth, your freedom. That's what makes this song so god damn incredible to me.