This seems to me like a heart-wrenching, but completely relatable story of a teenager's dependence on his girl for companionship and emotional support.
"I am good, I am grounded," is a nice play on being grounded emotionally, but also the life of a teen, going from good to grounded, to good to grounded.
"Davy says that I look taller," seems like a clear indication that the narrator is a teenager, growing up. But despite him maturation, he can't shake this feelings of depression: "can't get [his] head around it / I keep feeling smaller and smaller / I need my girl." So despite him growing up and entering into late teens/early adulthood, he feels this isolation without her. He needs his girl.
The second stanza (Remember... no one saw it) is an emotionally-charged memory they shared together that he's looking upon fondly of her crashing the car, and them laughing about it. Really endearing, and revealing about their relationship. He needs his girl.
The third (and eventually fifth) is a detailing of the pressure he's feeling from (most likely) his family, but quite possibly himself, too. "I'm under the gun again (pressure) / I know I was a 45 percenter then (struggling with grades and expectations) / I know I was a lot of things." He was a lot of things in high school, but the one constant-- he needs his girl.
The fourth reveals his feelings of isolation and anxiety towards both family ("There's some things that I should never / Laugh about in front of family"), and his peers ("I'll try to call you from the party / It's full of punks and canonballers"). He doesn't feel connected with his family or the other kids his age they way he feels connected with her. And in both situations, he feels a longing, and a need for his girl.
What I'm unsure about is how separated he actually is (vs. how much he feels like he is) from her. Either she is gone for whatever reason (broke up with him and he misses her, perhaps), or they are still together, but he is totally emotionally dependent upon her, and constantly feels like he needs her there with him because he loves her so very much. Either way, it is a amazingly beautiful and heart-breaking story of a young man's love for his girl.
This, and This Is the Last Time I think are my favorites from TWFM so far, with Fireproof and Don't Swallow the Cap close behind. I can't get over how truly incredible this band is, we are lucky to have them.
Yeah I'm pretty skeptical that this is a song being sung from the perspective of a teenager with references to grades... IMO it is an older man (30's/40's perhaps, which would make sense considering that's the age of the Berninger who wrote the song in the first place) referencing his younger self, but at the very least it's clear that this is someone who has been away from something for a significant period of time and is now returning/reminiscing. The whole song is "remember this... remember that... I know I was a lot of things then..." I don't...
Yeah I'm pretty skeptical that this is a song being sung from the perspective of a teenager with references to grades... IMO it is an older man (30's/40's perhaps, which would make sense considering that's the age of the Berninger who wrote the song in the first place) referencing his younger self, but at the very least it's clear that this is someone who has been away from something for a significant period of time and is now returning/reminiscing. The whole song is "remember this... remember that... I know I was a lot of things then..." I don't pretend to have the answers, but I see his opening line "I am good, I am grounded" as acknowledgement that he's doing fine now and has done well in life (or that he's trying to convince himself of that), BUT he's still missing/longing for for an old relationship, a girl from the past who he has never stopped loving, who he still feels lost without, etc...
Just to clarify here. Before starting this song in concert Mr. Berninger said, "This is a song without fancy metaphors. Its about being on the road and missing your wife."
Just to clarify here. Before starting this song in concert Mr. Berninger said, "This is a song without fancy metaphors. Its about being on the road and missing your wife."
I think the analysis is not too far off but it is not specifically about teenagers.
I think the analysis is not too far off but it is not specifically about teenagers.
@Whirling10 Thank you for laying out your interpretation so clearly and effectively! It's cool to see how this song could be applied to someone younger. Although Matt may have written this song about missing his wife and daughter while on the road touring, obviously any piece of art can provide different meanings to different people.
@Whirling10 Thank you for laying out your interpretation so clearly and effectively! It's cool to see how this song could be applied to someone younger. Although Matt may have written this song about missing his wife and daughter while on the road touring, obviously any piece of art can provide different meanings to different people.
This seems to me like a heart-wrenching, but completely relatable story of a teenager's dependence on his girl for companionship and emotional support.
"I am good, I am grounded," is a nice play on being grounded emotionally, but also the life of a teen, going from good to grounded, to good to grounded. "Davy says that I look taller," seems like a clear indication that the narrator is a teenager, growing up. But despite him maturation, he can't shake this feelings of depression: "can't get [his] head around it / I keep feeling smaller and smaller / I need my girl." So despite him growing up and entering into late teens/early adulthood, he feels this isolation without her. He needs his girl.
The second stanza (Remember... no one saw it) is an emotionally-charged memory they shared together that he's looking upon fondly of her crashing the car, and them laughing about it. Really endearing, and revealing about their relationship. He needs his girl.
The third (and eventually fifth) is a detailing of the pressure he's feeling from (most likely) his family, but quite possibly himself, too. "I'm under the gun again (pressure) / I know I was a 45 percenter then (struggling with grades and expectations) / I know I was a lot of things." He was a lot of things in high school, but the one constant-- he needs his girl.
The fourth reveals his feelings of isolation and anxiety towards both family ("There's some things that I should never / Laugh about in front of family"), and his peers ("I'll try to call you from the party / It's full of punks and canonballers"). He doesn't feel connected with his family or the other kids his age they way he feels connected with her. And in both situations, he feels a longing, and a need for his girl.
What I'm unsure about is how separated he actually is (vs. how much he feels like he is) from her. Either she is gone for whatever reason (broke up with him and he misses her, perhaps), or they are still together, but he is totally emotionally dependent upon her, and constantly feels like he needs her there with him because he loves her so very much. Either way, it is a amazingly beautiful and heart-breaking story of a young man's love for his girl.
This, and This Is the Last Time I think are my favorites from TWFM so far, with Fireproof and Don't Swallow the Cap close behind. I can't get over how truly incredible this band is, we are lucky to have them.
This by no means a song about teenagers
This by no means a song about teenagers
45%er is not a reference to academic grades
45%er is not a reference to academic grades
Yeah I'm pretty skeptical that this is a song being sung from the perspective of a teenager with references to grades... IMO it is an older man (30's/40's perhaps, which would make sense considering that's the age of the Berninger who wrote the song in the first place) referencing his younger self, but at the very least it's clear that this is someone who has been away from something for a significant period of time and is now returning/reminiscing. The whole song is "remember this... remember that... I know I was a lot of things then..." I don't...
Yeah I'm pretty skeptical that this is a song being sung from the perspective of a teenager with references to grades... IMO it is an older man (30's/40's perhaps, which would make sense considering that's the age of the Berninger who wrote the song in the first place) referencing his younger self, but at the very least it's clear that this is someone who has been away from something for a significant period of time and is now returning/reminiscing. The whole song is "remember this... remember that... I know I was a lot of things then..." I don't pretend to have the answers, but I see his opening line "I am good, I am grounded" as acknowledgement that he's doing fine now and has done well in life (or that he's trying to convince himself of that), BUT he's still missing/longing for for an old relationship, a girl from the past who he has never stopped loving, who he still feels lost without, etc...
@Whirling10 "I think I'm under the gun again" can also be interpreted that he has suicidal thoughts and he is thinking about killing himself.
@Whirling10 "I think I'm under the gun again" can also be interpreted that he has suicidal thoughts and he is thinking about killing himself.
Just to clarify here. Before starting this song in concert Mr. Berninger said, "This is a song without fancy metaphors. Its about being on the road and missing your wife."
Just to clarify here. Before starting this song in concert Mr. Berninger said, "This is a song without fancy metaphors. Its about being on the road and missing your wife."
I think the analysis is not too far off but it is not specifically about teenagers.
I think the analysis is not too far off but it is not specifically about teenagers.
@Whirling10 Thank you for laying out your interpretation so clearly and effectively! It's cool to see how this song could be applied to someone younger. Although Matt may have written this song about missing his wife and daughter while on the road touring, obviously any piece of art can provide different meanings to different people.
@Whirling10 Thank you for laying out your interpretation so clearly and effectively! It's cool to see how this song could be applied to someone younger. Although Matt may have written this song about missing his wife and daughter while on the road touring, obviously any piece of art can provide different meanings to different people.