The further I get into pulling apart these lyrics in these blogs the more I think our little Jimmy-heads are highly visual. You’d almost think they’d fair better writing for film or directing videos with opens like this.

Admittedly for me this is one of those songs that is almost too direct and detailed for me to be able to wholly put myself in these shoes but I can understand and get lost in the sentiment of it all. If anything, this type of song is one that drives me further into the band for exactly that reason; I’m a much more guarded person than our writer here and there’s very little about me that anyone I’ve ever met can say they understand about me like no one else. Frankly in most if not all of the instances where I have opened myself up to that level of vulnerability, I’ve been left underwhelmed and unappreciated which has only served to further close those gates. It’s something I hope one day to be able to more willingly overcome and I suppose in a way that’s exactly why we’re here today writing this.

That also means that I can’t relate to the last line here, instead I’ve often found myself on the out looking in and wondering what it’s like to have found that type of kinship.

I’ll file this track in my “those Jimmy Eat World’s are some lucky fellas” folder.

The chorus in this one muddies the water a bit, doesn’t it?

If we assume that the conversation they’re having with presumably their partner is one that ends with the question, “Will you take me back” or “Will you stay with me” then their hope for that answer to be no makes complete sense.

There’s a certain understanding here that whatever this is isn’t working and as much as they’d love for it to be different, it just never will be and they’re not strong enough to let go, so they’re hoping the other person is instead. It’s a little cowardly, but understandable.

But it’s the tail of this chorus that makes it confusing to me at times. Assuming that’s still the question and they say yes, instead, that’ll be the one thing that drives this person away — but isn’t that exactly what they want?

Now it’s a little sadistic, isn’t it? Cause that would mean they’re not just cowardly but kind of an asshole because they seem to want them to be hurt either way.

And if that’s not the question then what is it? The second verse doesn’t exactly help us figure it out.

I’ve gone back and fourth about this verse trying to decide if it makes more sense to be about a wife or about a new girlfriend and I’ve never really settled on one or the other, it’s sort of interesting to consider both.

At this stage of the track we can run with the idea that the long-distance nature of being in a regularly touring band is taking its toll on a marriage, perhaps someone has cheated as implied by the first verse (perhaps multiple someones have cheated multiple times, frankly), and at this point at least one of them has completely emotionally checked out of it. The concern seems to be more about whether or not ending this relationship would then have further consequences (loss of income to alimony out of spite?), yet we still seem to want to hold onto what is obviously a pretty shitty relationship for some reason.

The grass is always greener, I suppose, and starting over fresh could make things better – but how do you start something over that’s so deeply entwined already within your life? An impossible idea, if you ask me.

And again here we find ourself a little confused.

After another row of that chorus where we’re not quite sure what the real goal or hope is here, they explain that they’ll go… not away as we initially assumed but, with them?

With them where?

What did we decide?

It’s at this point I’m certain that what we thought the question was, is not the question at all.

And I still have no idea what the question is.

And they don’t want you to ask them for any clarification because they’re just not going to give it (because we’re still assholes, I guess?), you’ll get. nothing, you deserve nothing, and we can all admit that this sucks all the way around but we won’t answer to it or apologize for any part of it.