The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Brand New Lyrics


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We saw the western coast
I saw the hospital
Nurse the shoreline like a wound
Reports of lover's tryst
Were neither clear nor descript
We kept it safe and slow
The quiet things that no one ever knows
Keep the blood in your head and keep your feet on the ground
Today's the day it gets tired
Then today's the day we drop down
Give up my body in bed
All for an empty hotel
Wasting words on lowercases and capitals

I contemplate the day we wed
Your friends are boring me to death
Your veil is ruined in the rain
By then you like to do without
There's nothing new to talk about
And though our kids are blessed,
the parents let them shoulder all the blame

Keep the blood in your head and keep your feet on the ground
Today's the day it gets tired
Today's the day we drop down
Give up my body in bed
All for an empty hotel
Wasting words on lowercases and capitals

I lie for only you
And I lie well
Halleluh

Keep the blood in your head and keep your feet on the ground
Today's the day it gets tired
Today's the day we drop down
Give up my body in bed




All for an empty hotel
Wasting words on lowercases and capitals

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Brand New's "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" are a combination of abstract imagery, broken relationships, and introspection. The opening lines "We saw the western coast / I saw the hospital / Nurse the shoreline like a wound" suggest a journey or a change in perspective, but the second line hints at something more ominous. The image of the shoreline being nursed like a wound adds to the tension as if something tragic has happened, and the singer is trying to keep it together.


The following lines' "Reports of lovers' tryst / Were neither clear nor descript / We kept it safe and slow / The quiet things that no one ever knows" further emphasize the idea of secrecy and reveal the singer's reluctance to share what really happened. The phrase "The quiet things that no one ever knows" creates a sense of isolation and loneliness as if the singer is grappling with something they cannot share or undo.


The chorus "Keep the blood in your head and keep your feet on the ground / Today's the day it gets tired / Today's the day we drop down / Give up my body in bed / All for an empty hotel / Wasting words on lowercase and capitals" expresses fatigue and resignation. The singer seems tired of holding back, and the phrase "Wasting words on lowercase and capitals" signifies an awareness that words cannot always convey emotions. The song's final lines "I lie for only you / And I lie well / Halleluh" express an idea of devotion through lies or hiding the truth.


Line by Line Meaning

We saw the western coast
We have traveled to the western coast and observed its sights.


I saw the hospital
I saw a hospital in the western coast.


Nurse the shoreline like a wound
Take care of the shoreline as if it's a wound that needs to be protected.


Reports of lover's tryst
There are rumors of a romantic encounter.


Were neither clear nor descript
However, none of the reports were clear or descriptive enough to solidify as true.


We kept it safe and slow
We chose to keep the romantic encounter, if it even happened, a secret and slow-moving.


The quiet things that no one ever knows
These are the secrets that we have kept to ourselves.


Keep the blood in your head and keep your feet on the ground
Stay practical and level-headed instead of getting swept away by emotions.


Today's the day it gets tired
Today is the day when we get tired of pretending and hiding our feelings.


Then today's the day we drop down
We'll finally let it all out and reveal our true feelings.


Give up my body in bed
I'm willing to sacrifice my physical comfort for love.


All for an empty hotel
I'll do anything for love, even if I end up alone in an empty hotel room.


Wasting words on lowercases and capitals
We're having unimportant conversations about trivial things.


I contemplate the day we wed
I'm thinking about the day we'll get married.


Your friends are boring me to death
I find your friends dull and uninteresting.


Your veil is ruined in the rain
Your veil, a symbol of purity, is getting ruined by the rain, a symbol of impurity.


By then you like to do without
At this point, you don't care about material things anymore.


There's nothing new to talk about
We have nothing interesting to talk about anymore.


And though our kids are blessed
We may have children who are fortunate and well-off.


The parents let them shoulder all the blame
However, we let our children bear the burden and responsibility of our issues and problems.


I lie for only you
I'm willing to lie to anyone else except you.


And I lie well
I'm really good at keeping secrets and deceiving others.


Halleluh
A celebratory exclamation, possibly for finally being able to embrace their feelings.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jesse Lacey, Vincent Accardi

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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