Get your own Free Home Page"This song has a fairly simple sentiment, that everthing is wrong. It is unclear what the cause of disaster has been, but John goes into detail describing just how bad it is."
The song could refer to any unpleasant or frustrating situation, but I tend to look at it as a song about a failed relationship. After all, this is a subject frequently explored in TMBG songs, and it seems to fit the song.
"Everything right is wrong again
Just like in the long long trailer"
"The Long Long Trailer" is a movie. I never saw the movie, and I didn't even know it existed until I read about it in the TMBG FAQ. Therefore, I won't be able to use it in my interpretation. It is interesting to note that, in the liner notes (to "Then," at least), no capital letters or quotation marks are used to signify that this is a movie title.
"All the dishes got broken and the car kept driving And nobody would stop to save her"
From what I've read, this is what literally happens in "The Long Long Trailer." Metaphorically, though, it could mean that something has gone wrong with the relationship ("All the dishes got broken"), but the couple just went on with it, without "stopping to save her," or trying to solve the problem.
"Wake me when it's over, touch my face"
"Tell me every word has been erased"
The singer seems to be longing for a clean slate, and a fresh start. This is similar to the sentiment that "They'll Need A Crane" seems to be expressing.
"Don't you want to know the reason why the cupboard's not appealing
Don't you get the feeling that
Everything that's right is wrong again"
This doesn't entirely fit in with the rest of my interpretation, but food is usually kept in a cupboard. Eating is a basic human need, and something that almost everyone enjoys. If "the cupboard's not appealing," it could mean that eating no longer seems enjoyable. This certainly indicates that something is wrong.
"You're a weasel overcome with dinge"
This is not an attractive image. Could this be an indication that the singer no longer finds his partner attractive?
"Weasel overcome but not before the damage done
The healing doesn't stop the feeling"
"Weasel overcome" is clearly a joke on "We shall overcome." These lines seem to be indicating that things will get better, but the problems will still remain.
"And now the song is over now"
But it isn't. This could have been put in the middle of the song as an indication of how wrong things are. They are so wrong that the song is not even over when it is said to be over.
"Every movement false, every four is waltz again"
This line seems to be speaking in musical terms. I'm not really very good with these, but I'm pretty sure that "four" and "waltz" refer to music done in 4:4 and 3:4 time, respectively. This seems to just be reinforcing the point that things are wrong. There might be more to it than that, though. I don't know.
"Every five and dime's been gained and spent"
Well, there aren't that many five and dime stores around anymore, are there? This line could be referring to the couple's lack of money, but, then again, maybe not.
"Tell me that you like my float upstream"
"Float upstream" is an oxymoron. Things float downstream. Beyond this, I don't really know about this line, aside from the fact that the same oxymoron appeared in the Beatles' "I'm Only Sleeping."
"Draw the line dividing laugh and scream"
I suppose the singer can't tell whether someone (probably either himself or his partner) is happy or upset. By the way, this line reminds of a line in a Simon & Garfunkel song: "The line is thinly drawn between joy and sorrow."
"You know everything that I know"
Perhaps the singer and his partner have been together so long that they seem to know everything about each other (or at least think they do).
"So I know you know the voice that makes the silent noise"
"Silent noise" is another oxymoron. This could indicate that both partners know that something is wrong with the relationship, but neither of them is coming out and saying it.
There are no new words after this, but I suppose it is worth pointing out that "And now the song is over now" reappears where you would probably expect it, at the end of the song.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the song.
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