I can't help but feel this song is about the breakdown of a relationship (romantic or platonic, irrelevant) and the subsequent cynicism, doubt and pain that follows. I believe the name of this song Cause is not referring to the noun 'cause' (A movement behind which people get behind) but is actually short for "because." This motif repeats itself throughout the song, and sounds like he is trying to make excuses to himself or to others as to why he is miserable, or sad or any other myriad of reasons.
++
'Cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas
And I talked to Jesus at the sewer
And the Pope said it was none of his God-damned business
++
The religious motif here is clear. Perhaps our protagonist decided to shake off his religious beliefs, only to gain no satisfaction from it. The pain is fresh, but the worst is yet to come.
++
My Estonian Archangel came and got me wasted
'Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted
Oh but they'll take their bonus pay to Molly McDonald,
Neon ladies, beauty is that which obeys, is bought or borrowed
++
A friend of the singer's takes him out, and their money is spent on Molly (MDMA) and prostitutes (the ladies standing in red neon lights, who obey the dollar) to drown out the pain.
++
'Cause my heart's become a crooked hotel full of rumors
But it's I who pays the rent for these fingered-face out-of-tuners
And I make sixteen solid half hour friendships every evening
++
The cynicism is coming through now. Sadness turns to anger, anger craves retribution. Badmouthing and partaking in the rumour mill about others brings a quick but unsatisfying relief to the pain. Not only that, but our protagonist plays an instrument for a living, and doubts his own abilities (fingered-face-out-of-tuners, ie his fingers who keep making mistakes when playing,) drawing his anger at having to make a living with them.
The sixteen solid half-hour friendships is something I can relate to. When you go out to a bar and get drunk, it's easy to befriend people. In that drunken stupour, you can share your life story and forge the strongest bonds. But all it takes is for one of you to leave and the moment shatters. You never see them again.
++
'Cause your queen of hearts who is half a stone
And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving
++
The cynical and spiteful nature of the protagonist is coming out now. Perhaps this is directed at a friend (that same Estonian archangel) or a random person at a bar. To mask the pain, he turns to putting down others and questioning the ways of life. This "queen of hearts" is clearly the romantic partner of the person he is talking to, and he is making the point that she dominates this man's life by threatening to walk away. Perhaps this is grounded in fact, or perhaps this is just our protagonist angry at the concept of love.
++
Oh but they play those token games on Willy Thompson
And give a medal to replace the son of Mrs. Annie Johnson
++
Not too sure on Willy Thompson, but I can see our protagonist sitting at a bar, watching the news play on a TV behind the counter and witnessing a medal ceremony at the White House. A weeping mother is handed a medal by the President and they turn to look at the camera as though that piece of metal has miraculously validated her son's brutal death in a distant uncaring land.
++
'Cause they told me everybody's got to pay their dues
And I explained that I had overpaid them
++
This is his answer to the commonly repeated concepts of "that's life" and "Life sucks, but you gotta move onwards to better things. Keep moving forward!"
Life does suck, and it has sucked for our protagonist. In his eyes, he's paid the price already so where is his happiness? When will the trough of sadness turn into the crest of pleasure and satisfaction? This is his way of saying "Fuck off" to anybody who simply tells him to cheer up and "work on himself" or "find a new hobby."
++
So overdued I went to the company store
And the clerk there said that they had just been invaded
So I set sail in a teardrop and escaped beneath the doorsill
++
This one is ambigious, but I think it's a metaphor that ties into the theme of paying his dues. I think it's a spiritual way of saying that he tried to change things in his life to counter the dull ache in his life, but only for it to backfire or bear no fruit. It makes him feel small and insignificant, ,metaphorically small enough to crawl beneath the door.
++
'Cause the smell of her perfume echoes in my head still
'Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun
In weekends of whiskey sours
++
It's clear the past still haunts him. Perhaps he can walk down the street, take a whiff of a passerby's perfume and all that pain and misery comes flaring back up like a flash of lightning.
His people, perhaps being his friends, seem to have moved on. Enjoying whiskey sours (a relatively classy cocktail usually associated with high end bars) on the weekends beneath the sun, or perhaps they're all high-functioning alcoholics trying to drown out the hum and drum of life (the sun, in this instance.)
++
'Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book and plant flowers?
++
This is a strong one with many meanings. Is he asking how people can just get out of bed, go about their day and repeat this cycle? Is he asking how people can bring new life into such a bleak world?
@EstArchangel
I agree with much of what you've said with a few notes. Here is my take: The general theme of the song is disillusionment. Broadly with life, specifically with work and women.
@EstArchangel
I agree with much of what you've said with a few notes. Here is my take: The general theme of the song is disillusionment. Broadly with life, specifically with work and women.
Verse one. He lost his job and felt so low that he prayed for help, but didn't feel like his prayers were received because his problems aren't important enough for Jesus to care. 'The rain drank champagne' - his sadness was celebrating its triumph - wallowing in misery. 'My estonian archangel (a female friend) came and got me wasted. Coz the sweetest kiss I ever got is...
Verse one. He lost his job and felt so low that he prayed for help, but didn't feel like his prayers were received because his problems aren't important enough for Jesus to care. 'The rain drank champagne' - his sadness was celebrating its triumph - wallowing in misery. 'My estonian archangel (a female friend) came and got me wasted. Coz the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted. ' They got high and he wanted to kiss her but was too afraid - unrequited love/lust.
'But they'll take their bonus pay to Molly McDonald,
Neon ladies, beauty is that which obeys, is bought or borrowed'. I think "they" are those men lucky enough to still have jobs. He is envious that they can afford a woman's affection. His cynical take on beauty underpins his growing feelings of rejection by women.
Verse two:
'Cause my heart's become a crooked hotel full of rumors
But it's I who pays the rent for these fingered-face out-of-tuners'
He feels used and he pays the price for becoming attached to women who he sleeps with who don't share his feelings. They stay in his heart and he pays the rent. Although it wasn't immediately obvious, I believe 'fingered-face out-of-tuners' is a vitriolic description of orgasming women.
'And I make sixteen solid half hour friendships every evening'. I could be wrong, but the 8hr duration makes me think this is shift work, possibly at a 24hr bar.
'Cause your queen of hearts who is half a stone
And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving'. My favorite line. All his 'friendships' (barflys) have the same relationship problems and that is why they are so easy to relate to.
'Oh but they play those token games on Willy Thompson'. A veiled reference to women toying with men's hearts by playing with their dicks.
'And give a medal to replace the son of Mrs. Annie Johnson'. The perceived inequality of the sexes extended to the war where young men are killed and their mother's receive medals.
'Cause they told me everybody's got to pay their dues And I explained that I had overpaid them'.
We come back to his employment situation. The notion that you have to work as a shit-kicker before moving up in the world.
'So overdued I went to the company store
And the clerk there said that they had just been invaded.' He tries to get another job (or his old one back) but they are overrun with applicants and he is unsuccessful. So he leaves...
'So I set sail in a teardrop and escaped beneath the doorsill'. He feels so low he could slip under the door.
'Cause the smell of her perfume echoes in my head still'. Loneliness. A throwback to his yearning for female companionship/unrequited love.
'Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun
In weekends of whiskey sours.' Everyone is using alcohol to escape the mundanity of their lives/jobs/relationships.
'Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book and plant flowers?'. A comic book is a two-dimensional, shallow world. Why continue to strive and plan when the fruits of your labor cannot ever be enjoyed? Why plant flowers that nobody will ever get to smell.
I can't help but feel this song is about the breakdown of a relationship (romantic or platonic, irrelevant) and the subsequent cynicism, doubt and pain that follows. I believe the name of this song Cause is not referring to the noun 'cause' (A movement behind which people get behind) but is actually short for "because." This motif repeats itself throughout the song, and sounds like he is trying to make excuses to himself or to others as to why he is miserable, or sad or any other myriad of reasons.
++ 'Cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas And I talked to Jesus at the sewer And the Pope said it was none of his God-damned business ++
The religious motif here is clear. Perhaps our protagonist decided to shake off his religious beliefs, only to gain no satisfaction from it. The pain is fresh, but the worst is yet to come.
++ My Estonian Archangel came and got me wasted 'Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted Oh but they'll take their bonus pay to Molly McDonald, Neon ladies, beauty is that which obeys, is bought or borrowed ++
A friend of the singer's takes him out, and their money is spent on Molly (MDMA) and prostitutes (the ladies standing in red neon lights, who obey the dollar) to drown out the pain.
++ 'Cause my heart's become a crooked hotel full of rumors But it's I who pays the rent for these fingered-face out-of-tuners And I make sixteen solid half hour friendships every evening ++
The cynicism is coming through now. Sadness turns to anger, anger craves retribution. Badmouthing and partaking in the rumour mill about others brings a quick but unsatisfying relief to the pain. Not only that, but our protagonist plays an instrument for a living, and doubts his own abilities (fingered-face-out-of-tuners, ie his fingers who keep making mistakes when playing,) drawing his anger at having to make a living with them.
The sixteen solid half-hour friendships is something I can relate to. When you go out to a bar and get drunk, it's easy to befriend people. In that drunken stupour, you can share your life story and forge the strongest bonds. But all it takes is for one of you to leave and the moment shatters. You never see them again.
++ 'Cause your queen of hearts who is half a stone And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving ++
The cynical and spiteful nature of the protagonist is coming out now. Perhaps this is directed at a friend (that same Estonian archangel) or a random person at a bar. To mask the pain, he turns to putting down others and questioning the ways of life. This "queen of hearts" is clearly the romantic partner of the person he is talking to, and he is making the point that she dominates this man's life by threatening to walk away. Perhaps this is grounded in fact, or perhaps this is just our protagonist angry at the concept of love.
++ Oh but they play those token games on Willy Thompson And give a medal to replace the son of Mrs. Annie Johnson ++
Not too sure on Willy Thompson, but I can see our protagonist sitting at a bar, watching the news play on a TV behind the counter and witnessing a medal ceremony at the White House. A weeping mother is handed a medal by the President and they turn to look at the camera as though that piece of metal has miraculously validated her son's brutal death in a distant uncaring land.
++ 'Cause they told me everybody's got to pay their dues And I explained that I had overpaid them ++
This is his answer to the commonly repeated concepts of "that's life" and "Life sucks, but you gotta move onwards to better things. Keep moving forward!"
Life does suck, and it has sucked for our protagonist. In his eyes, he's paid the price already so where is his happiness? When will the trough of sadness turn into the crest of pleasure and satisfaction? This is his way of saying "Fuck off" to anybody who simply tells him to cheer up and "work on himself" or "find a new hobby."
++ So overdued I went to the company store And the clerk there said that they had just been invaded So I set sail in a teardrop and escaped beneath the doorsill ++
This one is ambigious, but I think it's a metaphor that ties into the theme of paying his dues. I think it's a spiritual way of saying that he tried to change things in his life to counter the dull ache in his life, but only for it to backfire or bear no fruit. It makes him feel small and insignificant, ,metaphorically small enough to crawl beneath the door.
++ 'Cause the smell of her perfume echoes in my head still 'Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun In weekends of whiskey sours ++
It's clear the past still haunts him. Perhaps he can walk down the street, take a whiff of a passerby's perfume and all that pain and misery comes flaring back up like a flash of lightning.
His people, perhaps being his friends, seem to have moved on. Enjoying whiskey sours (a relatively classy cocktail usually associated with high end bars) on the weekends beneath the sun, or perhaps they're all high-functioning alcoholics trying to drown out the hum and drum of life (the sun, in this instance.)
++ 'Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book and plant flowers? ++
This is a strong one with many meanings. Is he asking how people can just get out of bed, go about their day and repeat this cycle? Is he asking how people can bring new life into such a bleak world?
@EstArchangel I agree with much of what you've said with a few notes. Here is my take: The general theme of the song is disillusionment. Broadly with life, specifically with work and women.
@EstArchangel I agree with much of what you've said with a few notes. Here is my take: The general theme of the song is disillusionment. Broadly with life, specifically with work and women.
Verse one. He lost his job and felt so low that he prayed for help, but didn't feel like his prayers were received because his problems aren't important enough for Jesus to care. 'The rain drank champagne' - his sadness was celebrating its triumph - wallowing in misery. 'My estonian archangel (a female friend) came and got me wasted. Coz the sweetest kiss I ever got is...
Verse one. He lost his job and felt so low that he prayed for help, but didn't feel like his prayers were received because his problems aren't important enough for Jesus to care. 'The rain drank champagne' - his sadness was celebrating its triumph - wallowing in misery. 'My estonian archangel (a female friend) came and got me wasted. Coz the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted. ' They got high and he wanted to kiss her but was too afraid - unrequited love/lust.
'But they'll take their bonus pay to Molly McDonald, Neon ladies, beauty is that which obeys, is bought or borrowed'. I think "they" are those men lucky enough to still have jobs. He is envious that they can afford a woman's affection. His cynical take on beauty underpins his growing feelings of rejection by women.
Verse two: 'Cause my heart's become a crooked hotel full of rumors But it's I who pays the rent for these fingered-face out-of-tuners'
He feels used and he pays the price for becoming attached to women who he sleeps with who don't share his feelings. They stay in his heart and he pays the rent. Although it wasn't immediately obvious, I believe 'fingered-face out-of-tuners' is a vitriolic description of orgasming women.
'And I make sixteen solid half hour friendships every evening'. I could be wrong, but the 8hr duration makes me think this is shift work, possibly at a 24hr bar.
'Cause your queen of hearts who is half a stone And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving'. My favorite line. All his 'friendships' (barflys) have the same relationship problems and that is why they are so easy to relate to.
'Oh but they play those token games on Willy Thompson'. A veiled reference to women toying with men's hearts by playing with their dicks.
'And give a medal to replace the son of Mrs. Annie Johnson'. The perceived inequality of the sexes extended to the war where young men are killed and their mother's receive medals.
'Cause they told me everybody's got to pay their dues And I explained that I had overpaid them'. We come back to his employment situation. The notion that you have to work as a shit-kicker before moving up in the world.
'So overdued I went to the company store And the clerk there said that they had just been invaded.' He tries to get another job (or his old one back) but they are overrun with applicants and he is unsuccessful. So he leaves... 'So I set sail in a teardrop and escaped beneath the doorsill'. He feels so low he could slip under the door.
'Cause the smell of her perfume echoes in my head still'. Loneliness. A throwback to his yearning for female companionship/unrequited love.
'Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun In weekends of whiskey sours.' Everyone is using alcohol to escape the mundanity of their lives/jobs/relationships.
'Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book and plant flowers?'. A comic book is a two-dimensional, shallow world. Why continue to strive and plan when the fruits of your labor cannot ever be enjoyed? Why plant flowers that nobody will ever get to smell.