New Mistake
Jellyfish Lyrics
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Signing his love letter best wishes, Simpleton
Dialogue swam from his pen like pollywogs
He knew better that perfume was gravity
Pulling him closer to what could be tragedy
Love is blind, deaf and dumb, but never mind
You better catch me when I fall
I'm on my roller skates
Cause any ol' way that I fall
I land in your arms even though it's wrong
'Cause I love my new mistake
Intermission gave way to a miracle
The birth of an accident grew to a spectacle
That couldn't wait the mother was three weeks late
So Father Mason clutching his crucifix
Baptized the baby in whiskey and licorice
What a lovely way drowning sins in tooth decay
Looks like our hero's gonna fall
The bow's about to break
'Cause any ol' way that I fall
I'll be in your arms as we lie awake
With our lovely new mistake
You better catch me when I fall
My sugar trampoline
'Cause any ol' way that I fall
I land in your arms even though it's wrong
'Cause I love my new mistake
The ending turned tragic when many years later
The baby had grown up and married a pop singer
I think it was her turn to make her first mistake
Any ol' time at fall
Any ol' way that I fall
I just lie awake with my new mistake
The song "New Mistake" by Jellyfish is a ballad that tells a story of a man who falls in love with someone despite knowing it is a mistake. The lyrics of this song describe how love can be blind, deaf and dumb, and yet people fall in love regardless. The singer signs his love letter with best wishes, showing that he knows the love he has for his new lover is doomed to fail. He also understands that perfume is gravity - something that will only pull him closer to what he knows will be a tragedy.
The intermission in the lyrics coincides with the birth of a baby that was three weeks late, and the priest at the scene baptizing the baby in whiskey and licorice. The lyrics suggest that this is a way to drown sins in tooth decay, indicating that the baby was a mistake. However, this is beautifully juxtaposed with the singer's idea that he loves his new mistake, despite knowing it is wrong.
In the last section of the lyrics, it is revealed that the baby has grown up and made her first mistake by marrying a pop singer. The lyrics indicate that any time the singer falls, he knows he will land in the arms of his new love, even though he understands that loving someone is not always logical.
Line by Line Meaning
Curtain opens, spotlights the gentleman
The audience is introduced to the man who is in the spotlight.
Signing his love letter best wishes, Simpleton
The man is writing a love letter, but he is not very clever.
Dialogue swam from his pen like pollywogs
The words in the letter were pouring out of his pen like tadpoles.
He knew better that perfume was gravity
The man was aware that attractive scents have a powerful appeal.
Pulling him closer to what could be tragedy
The man knew that he was getting closer to a potential disaster.
Love is blind, deaf and dumb, but never mind
Love doesn't consider its faults and foolishness, but it doesn't matter.
You better catch me when I fall
I will need you to support me when things go wrong.
I'm on my roller skates
I am moving very fast towards the possibility of failure.
Cause any ol' way that I fall
No matter how I fall or what I do wrong,
I land in your arms even though it's wrong
You are always there to catch me, even though my mistakes are hurting us.
'Cause I love my new mistake
I love the new, thrilling feelings that come with making mistakes.
Intermission gave way to a miracle
After a break, something amazing happened.
The birth of an accident grew to a spectacle
An unplanned event became something exceptional.
That couldn't wait the mother was three weeks late
The baby was born late, and it couldn't wait any longer.
So Father Mason clutching his crucifix
Father Mason was holding his cross for luck.
Baptized the baby in whiskey and licorice
He baptized the baby in liquor and candy.
What a lovely way drowning sins in tooth decay
He's ironically using something sweet to symbolize washing away sins.
Looks like our hero's gonna fall
It seems like the man is about to fail.
The bow's about to break
The tension is increasing, and something is about to snap.
I'll be in your arms as we lie awake
Even if I make a mistake, you are always there with me in bed.
With our lovely new mistake
Together, we embrace our shared experience and its consequences.
My sugar trampoline
You make me feel high and happy like a trampoline does.
The ending turned tragic when many years later
The story's conclusion was sad, but it happened many years later.
The baby had grown up and married a pop singer
The grown-up child married a famous musician.
I think it was her turn to make her first mistake
I believe the musician also made a crucial blunder.
Any ol' time at fall
Whenever I make a mistake,
Any ol' way that I fall
in any way I might make a mistake,
I just lie awake with my new mistake
I spend the night thinking about my latest blunder.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ANDY STURMER, ROGER MANNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dylanrice5680
Jellyfish are like the love child of Queen and Toto. The musical climate of the 90’s couldn’t quite digest their whimsical greatness.
@maxseth1
i do not hear queen
@reggie18b
@@maxseth1
There's definitely some Queen touches on the album, along with Supertramp, the Beach Boys and a host of others. A track like 'joining a fan club' has more of the Queen vibe on it.
@JeffJefferyUK
@@reggie18b Agreed. Not much Queen in this track, but plenty across the rest of the album.
Don't hear Toto though (but I don't know much Toto)
@lethiapage4767
I hear Queen in all the vocal harmonies and I hear a lot of Supertramp and Beach Boys influence. They are borrowing heavily but there is a lot of originality as well, in the way these borrowed sounds are used, in the beautiful arrangements, the inspired lyrics, and in the super lush production of the album as a whole. It was great to begin with and polished with lots of love in the studio. Spilt Milk is pretty much a love letter to the 70s and 80s.
@IronManx70
I definitely hear Queen with the harmonies and Brian May esque guitars on Joining a Fan Club, but where do you hear Toto? Supertramp would've been a more apt comparison. This song practically screams Supertramp (and ELO) with the Wurlitzer piano lines and castanets coming straight out of The Logical Song
@KnowoneHFRC
How did these guys not become bigger? As a musician, this is the kind of music which inspires me to write and play more.
@Swonder1972
It came out as Grunge took over and it was too pretty, too catchy, and too well produced and thus was buried in flannel and dark 90's prog rock...
@krisscanlon4051
Very well said...shame because it was the last time original music was present
@briansphar9007
Listening to this song is so bittersweet. They never reached the fame that they deserved. Talent beyond most people's understanding. Thank God we at least have the two masterpiece albums that they released.