like the whole world is on the other side of a dirty windshield
For a while now -- almost as long as I've had a paid LJ -- I've had the same custom comment buttons, and the same journal title. They're both lyrics from the same song, creating at least a limited amount of thematic unison.
I've been thinking about the song in question ("Failure By Design" by Brand New) rather a lot lately. Its proven to have real staying power in my life, and to be every bit as good on the hundredth (and maybe thousandth) listen as it was on the first. For one thing its pretty much exactly my idea of a solid rock song. Good guitar, driving beat, solid chorus. But of course my love of it runs deeper than that, and has a lot to do with the lyrics.
And it occurred to me, in a conversation I was having the other night, that maybe its impossible to "get" me, who I am and where I'm at and who I want to be, if you don't get the song. And further it occurred to me that its a relatively obscure song, and maybe I'd be better off sharing it with you all, in the hope of greater understanding. Maybe that's conceited and self-centered, but... its my livejournal, and that's pretty much our theme here.
watch you
on the one's and two's
through a window
in a well-lit room
become a recluse
and I blame myself
'cos I make things hard
and you're just trying to help
and when I wake up
you're the first to call
this is one more late-night
basement song
and I'm so sore
my voice has gone to Hell
this is one more sleepless night
because we
don't believe in
filler, baby
if I could I'd sit this out
(and this is over)
this is a lesson in procrastination
(when I say its over)
I kill myself because I'm so frustrated
and every single second that I put it off
means another lonely night I gotta race the clock
(and I ignore it)
what say we go and crash your car?
(and it ignores me too)
and every time I leave you go and lock the door
and I walk myself picking at a chip on my shoulder
I'm another day late
and one year older
its failure by design
and we just want sleep
but this night is Hell
I'm sick and sunk
and I blame myself
'cos I make things hard
and you were trying to help
I got no gas
winding out my gears
this is one more day
on the verge of tears
and now my head hurts
and my health is a joke
and now I gotta stop
'cos the headphones broke
we don't believe in
filler, baby
if I could I'd sit this out
(and this is over)
this is a lesson in procrastination
(when I say its over)
I kill myself because I'm so frustrated
and every single second that I put it off
means another lonely night I gotta race the clock
(and I ignore it)
what say we go and crash your car?
(and it ignores me too)
and every time I leave you go and lock the door
and I walk myself picking at a chip on my shoulder
I'm another day late
and one year older
its failure by design
I'm out of everything
no one sleeps
'till we get this shit out
on the shelves
its late, I'm faltering
this time I've
got nothing to say, besides
(and this is over)
this is a lesson in procrastination
(when I say its over)
I kill myself because I'm so frustrated
and every single second that I put it off
means another lonely night I gotta race the clock
(and I ignore it)
what say we go and crash your car?
(and it ignores me too)
and every time I leave you go and lock the door
and I walk myself picking at a chip on my shoulder
I'm another day late
and one year older
I'm a failure by design
(And an MP3, available on a first-come first-served basis, for your listening pleasure.)
I've been thinking about the song in question ("Failure By Design" by Brand New) rather a lot lately. Its proven to have real staying power in my life, and to be every bit as good on the hundredth (and maybe thousandth) listen as it was on the first. For one thing its pretty much exactly my idea of a solid rock song. Good guitar, driving beat, solid chorus. But of course my love of it runs deeper than that, and has a lot to do with the lyrics.
And it occurred to me, in a conversation I was having the other night, that maybe its impossible to "get" me, who I am and where I'm at and who I want to be, if you don't get the song. And further it occurred to me that its a relatively obscure song, and maybe I'd be better off sharing it with you all, in the hope of greater understanding. Maybe that's conceited and self-centered, but... its my livejournal, and that's pretty much our theme here.
watch you
on the one's and two's
through a window
in a well-lit room
become a recluse
and I blame myself
'cos I make things hard
and you're just trying to help
and when I wake up
you're the first to call
this is one more late-night
basement song
and I'm so sore
my voice has gone to Hell
this is one more sleepless night
because we
don't believe in
filler, baby
if I could I'd sit this out
(and this is over)
this is a lesson in procrastination
(when I say its over)
I kill myself because I'm so frustrated
and every single second that I put it off
means another lonely night I gotta race the clock
(and I ignore it)
what say we go and crash your car?
(and it ignores me too)
and every time I leave you go and lock the door
and I walk myself picking at a chip on my shoulder
I'm another day late
and one year older
its failure by design
and we just want sleep
but this night is Hell
I'm sick and sunk
and I blame myself
'cos I make things hard
and you were trying to help
I got no gas
winding out my gears
this is one more day
on the verge of tears
and now my head hurts
and my health is a joke
and now I gotta stop
'cos the headphones broke
we don't believe in
filler, baby
if I could I'd sit this out
(and this is over)
this is a lesson in procrastination
(when I say its over)
I kill myself because I'm so frustrated
and every single second that I put it off
means another lonely night I gotta race the clock
(and I ignore it)
what say we go and crash your car?
(and it ignores me too)
and every time I leave you go and lock the door
and I walk myself picking at a chip on my shoulder
I'm another day late
and one year older
its failure by design
I'm out of everything
no one sleeps
'till we get this shit out
on the shelves
its late, I'm faltering
this time I've
got nothing to say, besides
(and this is over)
this is a lesson in procrastination
(when I say its over)
I kill myself because I'm so frustrated
and every single second that I put it off
means another lonely night I gotta race the clock
(and I ignore it)
what say we go and crash your car?
(and it ignores me too)
and every time I leave you go and lock the door
and I walk myself picking at a chip on my shoulder
I'm another day late
and one year older
I'm a failure by design
(And an MP3, available on a first-come first-served basis, for your listening pleasure.)