Messes of Men
mewithoutYou Lyrics

I do not exist, but faithfully insist
Despite the singer's insistence that they do not exist, they continue to persist.

Sailing in our separate ships
The singer and their companions are traveling in different directions, symbolized by separate ships.

And from each tiny caravelle
Despite being small and seemingly inconsequential, each ship serves a purpose in the grand scheme of things.

Tiring and trying there's unnecessary dying
The journey is difficult and exhausting, with some sacrifices being made along the way.

Like the horseshoe crab in its proper seasons sheds its shell
Just like the horseshoe crab, people must also shed their old 'shells' or ways of being in order to grow and change.

Such distance from our friends
The separation between the singer and their friends is vast and difficult to traverse.

Like a scratch across a lens,
The distance between the singer and their friends has created a distorted and unclear view of the world.

Made everything look wrong from anywhere we stood
The distorted view created by the distance makes everything appear wrong no matter where they look from.

And our paper blew away before we'd left the bay,
The artist's plans have been destroyed before they were even able to set sail.

So half-blind we wrote these songs on sheets of salty wood
Despite the obstacles, the artist and their companions still create music to document their journey.

Caught me making eyes at the other boatman's wives,
The singer has been unfaithful to their partner by showing interest in others.

And heard me laughing louder at the jokes told by their daughters
The artist is lusting after the daughters of the other boatmen and is not trying to hide it.

I'd set my course for land,
The singer had intended to travel to land but was derailed by their infidelity.

But you well understand
The singer's partner is aware of their transgressions.

It takes a steady hand to navigate adulterous waters
The singer recognizes the difficulty of navigating a situation involving infidelity.

The propeller's spinning blades held acquaintance with the waves
The artist's ship is at the mercy of the waves, like the blades of the propeller.

As there's mistakes I've made no rowing could outrun
There are some mistakes that cannot be undone, no matter how hard someone tries to make up for them.

The cloth blowing on the mast like to say I've got no past
Even though the singer's past is still with them, they try to leave it behind like the cloth blowing in the wind.

But I'm nonetheless the librarian and secretary's son
Despite trying to distance themselves from their past, the singer is still rooted in their family history.

With tarnish on my brass and mildew on my glass,
The artist's external appearance is tarnished and unclean, much like their past actions.

I'd never want someone so crass as to want someone like me
The artist doesn't feel worthy of someone who would want them.

But a few leagues off the shore, I bit a flashing lure
The artist was swayed by something that appeared attractive but ended up being a trap.

And I assure you, it was not what I expected it to be!
The singer is disappointed by the results of their actions.

I still taste its kiss, that dull hook in my lip
The memory of the mistake still lingers and causes pain for the artist.

Is a memory as useless as a rod without a reel
The memory of the mistake serves no purpose and is like a useless fishing rod.

To an anchor ever-dropped, seasick yet still docked
The singer is weighed down by their inability to move on from their past and is stuck in one place.

Captain spotted napping with his first mate at the wheel,
The person in charge is not properly leading and is instead being lazy.

Floating forgetfully along, with no need to be strong
The ship is adrift and not making any progress without proper leadership.

We keep our confessions long and when we pray we keep it short
We often spend more time talking about our problems than trying to solve them.

I drank a thimble full of fire and I'm not ever coming back
The singer has made a life-changing decision and is not going back on it.

Oh, my God!
The singer exclaims in awe of their decision and the power of their faith.

I do not exist we faithfully insist
Despite the artist's physical presence, they feel as though they don't truly exist.

While watching sink the heavy ship of everything we knew
As the artist moves on from their mistakes, their previous way of life is disappearing.

If ever you come near I'll hold up high a mirror
If someone comes near them, the artist will reflect back their own image, possibly highlighting their own flaws.

Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as You
No matter how beautiful something in this world might be, it could never compare to the beauty of the Lord.