Typical Westerberg word-play. Paul has lots of fun with his lyrics, flinging metaphors, images and ideas on the wall, backed up by his killer riffs and great singing, making 'em swing, and seeing what sticks. This is surely one of his best "pop" songs, and it's wonderful from start to finish, rough edges and all. I agree with those who have said the basic theme is the occasional/frequent(?) difficulty of communication between people navigating the rapids of a relationship. To some extent I think he actually "dumbed-down" the lyrics so as to drive the point home. Some of the specific images are directly out of Westerberg's lifestyle, like "a library or a bar" - in her memoir "Petal Pusher" Laurie Lindeen talks about dating Westerberg during this period and how their dates would often end up at the library (!!!).
Typical Westerberg word-play. Paul has lots of fun with his lyrics, flinging metaphors, images and ideas on the wall, backed up by his killer riffs and great singing, making 'em swing, and seeing what sticks. This is surely one of his best "pop" songs, and it's wonderful from start to finish, rough edges and all. I agree with those who have said the basic theme is the occasional/frequent(?) difficulty of communication between people navigating the rapids of a relationship. To some extent I think he actually "dumbed-down" the lyrics so as to drive the point home. Some of the specific images are directly out of Westerberg's lifestyle, like "a library or a bar" - in her memoir "Petal Pusher" Laurie Lindeen talks about dating Westerberg during this period and how their dates would often end up at the library (!!!).