I feel like this song is about a guy talking to a very good friend, or his conscience (usually the same thing, right?). And when he starts bringing up the past, she (it) brings up the parts he doesn't want to think about. "It’s such a gas when you bring up the past."
When he starts to ponder what ever happened to his old friends, he's reminded of what happened to him, apparently a long string of encounters. Hence the "C'mon can you count, all the notches in your belt?" to which he replies "I'd rather not, let's just say I'm starving myself", implying he's definitely gotten around.
And as he recounts when he ran into his old friends the other day, and they ask him about joining them, it's at that point he recalls a time he was truly happy. This was most likely when he was in a relationship with somebody. Because following that, he's reminded of all the times it never worked out between him and another. Which probably prompted him to engage in all the less than committed relationships he mentioned earlier, all the while repeating the mantra that he's happier now.
And every time it says "Baby, put your name down on a piece of paper" it might be referring to a girl asking for his number, to which he replies "I don’t want no savior baby, I just wanna have a good time", letting her know his intentions.
And so his old friends tell him that if he hadn't gotten caught up in everything else, and had actually been around to support them and hang out, they would have come to hang out with and supported him. And it's at this point he just ups and leaves. Obviously called on his error, or maybe reminded of the heartbreaking event he doesn't want to deal with, that prevented him from hanging out with them at the time.
And it snaps back to the present, with him sulking in what he's become. Repeatedly telling himself that this is the way things are, that it's not going to change, and that's how he lives now. Friendless and loveless, just moving from one fix to the next. Almost wallowing in self-pity with the realization that it really could be different, but that he doesn't feel strong enough to change it.
I feel like this song is about a guy talking to a very good friend, or his conscience (usually the same thing, right?). And when he starts bringing up the past, she (it) brings up the parts he doesn't want to think about. "It’s such a gas when you bring up the past."
When he starts to ponder what ever happened to his old friends, he's reminded of what happened to him, apparently a long string of encounters. Hence the "C'mon can you count, all the notches in your belt?" to which he replies "I'd rather not, let's just say I'm starving myself", implying he's definitely gotten around.
And as he recounts when he ran into his old friends the other day, and they ask him about joining them, it's at that point he recalls a time he was truly happy. This was most likely when he was in a relationship with somebody. Because following that, he's reminded of all the times it never worked out between him and another. Which probably prompted him to engage in all the less than committed relationships he mentioned earlier, all the while repeating the mantra that he's happier now.
And every time it says "Baby, put your name down on a piece of paper" it might be referring to a girl asking for his number, to which he replies "I don’t want no savior baby, I just wanna have a good time", letting her know his intentions.
And so his old friends tell him that if he hadn't gotten caught up in everything else, and had actually been around to support them and hang out, they would have come to hang out with and supported him. And it's at this point he just ups and leaves. Obviously called on his error, or maybe reminded of the heartbreaking event he doesn't want to deal with, that prevented him from hanging out with them at the time.
And it snaps back to the present, with him sulking in what he's become. Repeatedly telling himself that this is the way things are, that it's not going to change, and that's how he lives now. Friendless and loveless, just moving from one fix to the next. Almost wallowing in self-pity with the realization that it really could be different, but that he doesn't feel strong enough to change it.
At least, that's my take on it.
I kinda like this, even if it wasn't necessarily what he meant when he wrote it.
I kinda like this, even if it wasn't necessarily what he meant when he wrote it.