Just one listen to Adam Green & Binki Shapiro is enough to become enchanted… Read Full Bio ↴Just one listen to Adam Green & Binki Shapiro is enough to become enchanted. With deceptively pretty arrangements that echo filigreed late-sixties folk-pop and an easygoing rapport between singers, this duets collaboration may seem like the perfect accompaniment to a sunny summer’s day, Southern-California style. But it works even better as a comforting soundtrack at the end of a dark, lonely night in the big city. The atmosphere the pair conjures up with strummed guitars and discreet layers of synths indeed suggests romantic possibility, but the lyrics are more sweetly melancholic, gently but candidly addressing betrayal, incipient heartbreak, and conjugal discord. It’s an approach that makes for compelling repeated listening, as the intimate dramas reveal themselves, and it’s one that surprised even Green and Shapiro as their debut album together began to take shape.

On their own, Green and Shapiro have long been notable figures among indie-pop fans, cherished for their off-kilter sensibility (him) and elegantly quirky style (her). As part of New York City’s “anti-folk” scene at the end of the nineties, Adam Green first came to prominence as one-half of Moldy Peaches, his duo with Kimya Dawson that enjoyed belated mainstream success via the Grammy-winning soundtrack of the 2007 indie film Juno.

The Nighttime Stopped Bleeding
Adam Green & Binki Shapiro Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wondering quietly, is not good enough for me
Holding on, to what we used to be
My life's a mask for the vice in your soul
You can't stay forever, there's no way to go

The nighttime stopped bleeding.
Corners repeating,
With nowhere to go.

She wants to end it all, lying next to me
How many nights, must I suffer quietly
Blinded by someone who's disappointed so few
How'd I end up, in the corner of you

The nighttime stopped bleeding.
Corners repeating,
With nowhere to go.

The nighttime stopped bleeding.

Corners repeating,
With nowhere to go.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Adam Green & Binki Shapiro's song The Nighttime Stopped Bleeding depict a sense of hopelessness and despair. The singer's voice carries a melancholic tone as he expresses his dissatisfaction with his current situation. He is tired of just wondering quietly and holding on to what used to be, and he craves something more substantial. He feels his life is just a mask for the vice in someone else's soul, implying that he is living under another's shadow or control. Despite their efforts to stay together, he believes that there's no way for them to continue together, as he admits that "you can't stay forever, there's no way to go."

The chorus "Corners repeating, With nowhere to go" serves as a metaphor for feeling trapped in a cycle or a dead-end, with no way of escaping. The second verse describes the singer's partner as someone who wants to end it all, and who has disappointed so few. The singer seems to remain in a state of quiet suffering, unable to escape from the corner he finds himself in.

Overall, the lyrics of the song express a sense of apathy and resignation in the face of an unfulfilling and confusing relationship. It's a poignant piece with a bittersweet melody that suits the lyrics' somber tone.

Line by Line Meaning

Wondering quietly, is not good enough for me
I am not satisfied with simply wondering about things in a quiet, passive manner

Holding on, to what we used to be
I am clinging to the past and what we used to have together

My life's a mask for the vice in your soul
I am hiding my true self and passions to cater to your unhealthy desires

You can't stay forever, there's no way to go
You cannot remain in this stagnant state forever, but there is no clear direction or path to move forward

She wants to end it all, lying next to me
She is contemplating suicide while lying beside me

How many nights, must I suffer quietly
I have endured many sleepless nights and inner turmoil in silence

Blinded by someone who's disappointed so few
I am blinded by someone who has not lived up to their potential and has disappointed only a select few

How'd I end up, in the corner of you
I am unsure of how I got stuck in this corner of your life and emotions

The nighttime stopped bleeding.
The pain and chaos of the night has subsided

Corners repeating,
I feel trapped and confined in this same space or situation

With nowhere to go.
There is no clear path or direction for me to take in this moment

Contributed by Violet L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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