2:45 AM Lyrics
Where mute memories start talking
The boss that couldn't help but hurt you
And the pretty thing he made desert you
I'm going out now like a baby
A naïve unsatisfiable baby
Grabbing onto whatever's around
For the soaring high or the crushing down
With hidden cracks that don't show
But that constantly just grow
I'm looking for the man that attacked me
While everybody was laughing at me
You beat it in me that part of you
But I'm going to split us back in two
Tired of living in a cloud
If you're going to say shit now you'll do it out loud
It's 2:45 in the morning
And I'm putting myself on warning
For waking up in an unknown place
With a recollection you've half erased
Looking for somebody's arms to
Wave away past harms
I'm walking out on center circle
The both of you can just fade to black
I'm walking out on center circle
Been pushed away and I'll never go back
no offense to anyone, but you're all pretty wrong. i suppose some (very few) of you could be a bit close, but no one has said a single thing about his step-father or his family life.
his step-father abused him. he repressed it, and i'm guessing he made elliott's girlfriend leave him(i don't know that for sure):
"where mute memories start talking/the boss that couldn't help but hurt you/and the pretty thing he made desert you"
the problems that they don't bring up, but get worse because of that:
"with hidden cracks that don't show/but that constantly just grow"
step-father, no one believing him:
"i'm looking for the man that attacked me/while everybody was laughing at me"
he's upset with the habits (or addictions) he's made along with all of the memories he's repressed:
"it's 2:45 in the morning/and i'm putting myself on warning/for waking up in an unknown place/with a recollection you've half erased"
he's shedding light on everything, his mother sided with her husband, he's been pushed away and won't ever forgive them:
"i'm walking out on center circle/the both of you can just fade to black/i'm walking out on center circle/been pushed away and i'll never go back"
... now, i know it's arrogant to try to explain thoughts that aren't mine, but when you think it's schitzophrenia, when you think it's alcohoi, when you think he's like nirvana, and it's pretty clear that it's not, then you need to quiet down. think before you speak.
it's not about a guy who got mugged, it's not supposed to be funny, it's not a cover. it's not the cliche, "my girlfriend cheated on me and i hate them both." i think poopdeckpappi was the only one who came remotely close.
then again, i could be completely wrong. maybe he is like nirvana, four powerchords and all. oh man.
In an interview (check sweetadeline.net) Elliott said this song was written about an arguement he had with his step father and mother. he went wandering out in portland (rose city) until 2 in the morning pissed.
Elliott was very poetic, but his songs were usually fairly benial in subject matter.
Yeah, tonight we win basically nailed it but I'd just like to point out that "the pretty thing he made desert you" is Elliott's mother and not some girlfriend.
i believe this song is about someone who has been abused gone into a downward spiral and alomost became the person who committed this wrong against them "beat it in me that part of you but i'm gonna split us back in two" then used anything they could get there hands on to get out of the depression...until they finally realized they will take center stage confront this enemy let them know how they feel turn there back to them and never think of it agai
A few times in Elliott's life he had friends confront him about his drug and alcohol abuse. Right before this album was recorded, he had a huge episode where his girlfriend or best friend or something, and a guy who was working on his record with him, cornered him in a hotel room in Chicago. I always looked at this song as a kind of "fuck you" to them, because he said in an interview the confrontation just made him mad and he denied having a problem and then headed off for the bar.
i think this song is by far one of elliott's most emotional songs, you can hear it in his voice. it seems to deal with helplessness and self destruction, as well as denial.
I don't believe that these lyrics were meant to be interpreted literally - i.e. a man getting mugged. Yes, he did have a history of abuse, but I really think this song is about addiction and mental illness. Speaking from personal experience, I can relate to this song in regards to bipolar disorder. "Grabbing onto whatever's around for the soaring high or the crushing down" - that is literally what it feels like sometimes, never being able to control how you feel at any given moment. "Looking for the man who attacked me while everybody was laughing at me" - paranoia, probably induced by drugs. "Looking for somebody's arms to wave away past harms" - this probably refers to the fact that he can't seem to escape his unpleasant past, including abuse. There was a rumor that he was on experimental psych meds for bipolar, including lithium (also suggested in the line in The White Lady Loves You More - "need a metal man just to pick up your feet"), but I'm not sure if that's factual. This is just my interpretation.
[i]he denied having a problem and then headed off for the bar. [/i]
Why is that so cute and sad at the same time? I'm disgustingly in love with Elliott.
"no one has said a single thing about his step-father or his family life. " no offense but i think this is a bit insulting to him as a songwriter. he did not just write songs about his sad childhood, and it is kind of rude to make a statement like that, as though all his songs were always about that, like he had no ability to think about anything else. Its as one-dimensional as the "all his songs are about drugs/alcohol" steriotype. He was a very creative songwriter and the fact that so many people got so many different meanings out of the song i think would have made him very happy. He didnt try to write songs so everyone would analyze his past, in fact breaking down his lyrics was something he didnt really like people doing, and he rarely went into much explination of his songs. Also, i think the point of this place is to add your interpretation of the song, what it means to YOU. Not - this is exactly what Elliott was saying in this song. How boring would that be if we just had one persons idea as the be all end all. Not to mention no one here is Elliott, so its imposible and rediculous to say this is exactly what he meant.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Although tonight we win's interpretation was more or less the same as mine, it's just arrogant and rude when someone else says "...and it's pretty clear that it's not, then you need to quiet down. think before you speak." Everyone is allowed to contribute their own opinion. You might not agree with it, but that's no reason to simply publicly dismiss someone else's opinion and ridicule it.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Although tonight we win's interpretation was more or less the same as mine, it's just arrogant and rude when someone else says "...and it's pretty clear that it's not, then you need to quiet down. think before you speak." Everyone is allowed to contribute their own opinion. You might not agree with it, but that's no reason to simply publicly dismiss someone else's opinion and ridicule it.
i like how comaspeed says we're all wrong and then doesn't offer an interpretation, especially on a site that's about discussing the meanings of songs. gotta love double standards! anyway, enjoying the music is what the cd is for, this site is more about understanding the strict lyrical content and exchanging ideas.
anyhow, it's true that a lot of singer/songwriters write songs that aren't about themselves and whatnot, but a lot of the songs are anyway. the way this matches up with reports of elliott's real life is a bit too close to ignore.
besides, speaking as someone who writes songs, it's easy to understand why someone who puts a lot of themselves into a work so personal would find it more comfortable to write it off as a story about someone else. but if i go out and buy a cat and it tears up the couch and then i write a story about someone going out and buying a dog that tears up the rug, it's not hard to see where the inspiration comes from.
he was a person too and had insecurities to deal with. actually, smith might not have been comfortable with so many people mulling over his works in such detail, but that's what happens when you write something that touches people so much.
ps, there's a really great video of this song live on junkbondtrader.net where elliott is the only one lit up on stage until the last verse when his band kicks in and the whole stage lights up. it's great!