Watch It Crash
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
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Recanting all my aspirations and my fears
And when the sun came up that voice had disappeared
But it would linger on for years
It said "We can't just blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
And there ain't no turning back when our train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash (watch it crash)
And there ain't no right or wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
So mercy, mercy, mercy me
Praying for the death of a man I'll never meet
Though everyone will know the truth they'll still just make believe
Mercy mercy me
"We can't just blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
And there ain't no turning back when the train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash (watch it crash)
And there ain't no right or wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
So mercy, mercy, mercy me
Praying for the death of a man I'll never meet
Though everyone will know the truth they'll still just make believe
Mercy mercy me
That's all they came for, that's all they took
That's all we had to offer, only dirty looks
And when they realized we'd given all we could, that's when they finally understood
Mercy mercy mercy me
Haunted by the memories of things we'll never see
Guilty for the statements that we'll never get to speak
Mercy mercy me
"We can't quite blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
And there ain't no turning back when your train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
And there ain't no right and wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
Watch it crash and there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
The lyrics of "Watch It Crash" by Streetlight Manifesto reflect a sense of resignation to the chaos of the world around us, and an acknowledgement of the limits of our own control. The first verse describes a whispering voice that speaks to the singer in the night, revealing his fears and aspirations. This voice tells him that we cannot just blame our problems on our mothers, but must take responsibility for our own lives.
The chorus repeats the refrain "there's nothing we can do but watch it crash," driving home the sense of powerlessness and fatalism that permeates the song. The second verse introduces a new theme, that of praying for the death of a man we've never met. This suggests a deep-seated frustration with the injustices of the world and a desire for some kind of cosmic reckoning.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become increasingly bleak, with lines like "haunted by the memories of things we'll never see" and "guilty for the statements that we'll never get to speak." The final verse returns to the idea of blaming our mothers, but this time in a more nuanced way - we can't quite blame them for all our problems, but we can't deny the impact they've had on our lives.
Overall, "Watch It Crash" is a powerful and poignant reflection on the human condition, and the ways in which we are often at the mercy of forces larger than ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I woke alone with a whisper in my ear
I woke up in the middle of the night, hearing a voice that whispered about my hopes and fears.
Recanting all my aspirations and my fears
The voice kept talking about everything that I wanted to achieve and everything that scared me.
And when the sun came up that voice had disappeared
By morning, the voice was gone, leaving only my thoughts, feelings, and memories.
But it would linger on for years
However, the impact of that voice stayed with me for a long time.
It said "We can't just blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
The voice made a statement about not being able to solely blame our mothers for everything and implying that we must take responsibility as well.
And there ain't no turning back when our train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash (watch it crash)
And there ain't no right or wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
We are witnessing a disaster happening, and there is not anything we can do to stop it or prevent it from happening.
So mercy, mercy, mercy me
Praying for the death of a man I'll never meet
Though everyone will know the truth they'll still just make believe
Mercy mercy me
In times of desperation, sometimes we hope for the impossible, wishing for a certain outcome, although what we hope for won't come to fruition, leaving us to face the painful truth.
That's all they came for, that's all they took
That's all we had to offer, only dirty looks
And when they realized we'd given all we could, that's when they finally understood
Mercy mercy mercy me
We had nothing to give but they took everything from us not realizing that there was no more to be had. And until they took it all, they didn't realize how much we had to give.
Haunted by the memories of things we'll never see
Guilty for the statements that we'll never get to speak
Mercy mercy me
We are haunted by memories of events and people that we can never see or meet. We are also guilty of holding back our true opinions and wishes, which now will never be made known.
Watch it crash and there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
We are forced to bear witness to a catastrophe that we cannot stop or change.
Contributed by Julia F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.