What I think this song is about is blink writing Neighborhoods and wanting it to be the best album they could make and all of the doubts and fears that went along with that.
"Stop banging away on my kaleidoscope
Stop draining the color out of my scene
just play me something i can dance to
I can dance to anything you wanna sing"
Things are not going well with the album. So he tries to find inspiration by listening to music thats not his. Most likely music that he enjoys and finds comfort in.
"so lock me up in the studio
Fill it up with sound and scenarios
stop blocking the driveway with your car
put the butterfly in the bell jar"
He spends hours in the studio just immersing himself in the creative process. I see the car as not really a physical entity blocking the driveway, but more of just the person's appetite/drive to write amazing music which keeps him from leaving the studio until he's got it right. As for the butterfly int he bell jar line, you can compare it to a little kid catching a butterfly and having a "got it!" moment. Sort of like a musician writing a lyric they're really proud of or coming up with a really good guitar hook and being really happy about it.
"It's the first time that I'm worried
Of a bad dream, of a journey
on the highway, through the valley
It's a long road through the night."
It's blink's first record in a long time and everyone is expecting so much of them that it makes the band worried that they won't come through with a top notch record. The "through the valley" line is referring to Mark and Travis' studio which is literally in a valley in L.A. (I forget where but Mark said it in an interview).
"Hear a stranger's voice in the front yard,
let the hours tick past the deadline,
get another stamp in your passport
wash your breakfast down with some read wine"
The strangers voice is the constant pressure of the fans who are expecting a good record. I'm not sure about the lines after deadline, will have to think about it more.
"delete the progress on your game
try to fall asleep while your ears ring
from the loudest song on your mix tape
I can dance to anything you wanna sing"
Musicians usually go back and rework, restructure and rewrite songs until they are the best they can be. Which is what deleting progress on a game means. Game = song. The person has used his ears so much that they are ringing, but he still tries to find inspiration in other people's music. In this case "loudest" could be synonymous with "the best" or the music that he loves.
"No reason, no action, no silence, no help here
Nobody came running up by side"
The band self produced the record, although they did get advice from their engineers. But for the most part they were alone on this.
"It's a long road to get it right"
It takes a lot of effort to make a quality album
IMO one of my favorites off of Neighborhoods and a great song overall.
What I think this song is about is blink writing Neighborhoods and wanting it to be the best album they could make and all of the doubts and fears that went along with that.
"Stop banging away on my kaleidoscope Stop draining the color out of my scene just play me something i can dance to I can dance to anything you wanna sing"
Things are not going well with the album. So he tries to find inspiration by listening to music thats not his. Most likely music that he enjoys and finds comfort in.
"so lock me up in the studio Fill it up with sound and scenarios stop blocking the driveway with your car put the butterfly in the bell jar"
He spends hours in the studio just immersing himself in the creative process. I see the car as not really a physical entity blocking the driveway, but more of just the person's appetite/drive to write amazing music which keeps him from leaving the studio until he's got it right. As for the butterfly int he bell jar line, you can compare it to a little kid catching a butterfly and having a "got it!" moment. Sort of like a musician writing a lyric they're really proud of or coming up with a really good guitar hook and being really happy about it.
"It's the first time that I'm worried Of a bad dream, of a journey on the highway, through the valley It's a long road through the night."
It's blink's first record in a long time and everyone is expecting so much of them that it makes the band worried that they won't come through with a top notch record. The "through the valley" line is referring to Mark and Travis' studio which is literally in a valley in L.A. (I forget where but Mark said it in an interview).
"Hear a stranger's voice in the front yard, let the hours tick past the deadline, get another stamp in your passport wash your breakfast down with some read wine"
The strangers voice is the constant pressure of the fans who are expecting a good record. I'm not sure about the lines after deadline, will have to think about it more.
"delete the progress on your game try to fall asleep while your ears ring from the loudest song on your mix tape I can dance to anything you wanna sing"
Musicians usually go back and rework, restructure and rewrite songs until they are the best they can be. Which is what deleting progress on a game means. Game = song. The person has used his ears so much that they are ringing, but he still tries to find inspiration in other people's music. In this case "loudest" could be synonymous with "the best" or the music that he loves.
"No reason, no action, no silence, no help here Nobody came running up by side"
The band self produced the record, although they did get advice from their engineers. But for the most part they were alone on this.
"It's a long road to get it right"
It takes a lot of effort to make a quality album
IMO one of my favorites off of Neighborhoods and a great song overall.