Xmas Cake Lyrics

Lyric discussion by PolyphonicPrayer 

Cover art for Xmas Cake lyrics by Rilo Kiley

Oh my GOD, this song horrifies me! I've seriously burst into tears because of this song.

When I take off my make-up, I look old and defeated I'm not so dangerous Cry into my Christmas cake Staring holes into me all night You should just give up Because our love's become Selling secrets to the Russians They don't need The cold war is on between you and me

The woman in the story is getting older. She's not the sassy, young kid she used to be. "Old and defeated." Her own age is staring her in the face, encouraging her to give up. Even the person she wants to be seeing won't love her properly, so they're trading secrets back and forth to screw the other one over. The cold war is on has a double meaning, I think. On one hand, its alluding to the historical Cold War, a war when we didn't use weapons, only words and policy. On the other, the word "frigid" comes to mind. Cold war, who can be less passionate in order to make the other one give up?

25 years old and a bachelor's degree Your parents helped out with graduation fees The loans were never enough The credit cards are calling your bluff Hold your hand, cut them up, move away Or you'll be paying them off until your kids grow up And do the same

A bit of exposition on the character. She's 25, the "Chirstmas Cake" age where she has to find a husband and fast. She has a degree, so one would think that would be an easy task, but she's having financial trouble. The credit cards that she needed to buy things are hounding her down, so she has to cut them up and run away from debt collectors, unless she wants to be paying them off until her kids go to college as well.

There's no more running water Wrapping presents in the dark Move into your car Change where you park Too bad that job caroling department stores fell through But the new year is right in front of you Cry into your Christmas cake Don't know what else to do Don't know what else to do

Aaaand here's where I start bawling. Her life is turning into a larger mess. She can't afford water, electricity or a home. She doesn't have a job. She's still getting older. Despair is all that's in front of her.

I fear I'm going deaf I've got some sense left Give up some more to be with you Because what good is seeing if love's not looking back at you? And what good is feeling if my hands aren't touching you?

Ohhh, this verse. Double meanings abound! Sense versus cents. If we look at it from a "sense," point of view then she's gotten old enough to the point of losing her hearing, but she'd give up all of her senses to be with the one she loves because she sees no point in being able to see or touch if her love isn't with her. On the "cents" side, she has just a little money left. Not even dollar amounts. She'd give it up for him though but, like the electricity she might have had for her lights and heat, she doesn't have him.

And another angel came down He was wearing only a cloud He said, "Sew up the bad that you've done Tomorrow, Christmas day comes"

This angel, I feel, doesn't really represent another chance so much as the chances she's missed. "Sew up the bad that you've done" isn't really telling her to fix her mistakes so much as be resigned to them. "Tomorrow, Christmas day comes" indicates the imminent aging of the subject in question. She has no choice.

Cry into your Christmas cake Don't know what else to do Cry into your Christmas cake Don't know what else to do The new year's right in front of you

In short, this song means "You're getting older and, if you focus on education, you can't get love. But if you focused on your love, then you can't get a job. You will die impoverished and alone." AAAAAAHHHHHH

My Interpretation