Biggest lie the
Bright Eyes Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm waiting for the train
Subway that only goes one way
Stupid thing that will come, pull us apart
Make everybody late

Well, you spent everything you had
Wanted everything to stop that bad
Now I'm a crushed credit card registered to Smith
Not the name that you call me with

You turned white like a saint
I'm tired of dancin' on this pot of gold flake paint
Oh, we're so very precious, you and I
And everything that you do makes me want to die

Oh, I just told the biggest lie




Oh, I just told the biggest lie
The biggest lie

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Bright Eyes's song "The Biggest Lie" depict a sense of entrapment, loneliness, and the inability to escape from what seems like an inevitable fate. The first lines "I'm waiting for the train, subway that only goes one way," convey a sense of helplessness as the singer waits for something that will only take them further from where they want to be. The reference to a "stupid thing that will come" implies that the singer has given up control and has resigned themselves to a fate that is beyond their grasp.


The lyric "Well, you spent everything you had, wanted everything to stop that bad" suggests that the singer is at a low point in their life and has taken drastic measures to escape whatever it is that is causing them pain. The reference to a "crushed credit card registered to Smith" portrays the singer as broken, both financially and emotionally. The line "Not the name that you call me with" hints that the singer is not living up to the expectations of the people around them.


The lines "You turned white like a saint, I'm tired of dancin' on this pot of gold flake paint" suggest a sense of disillusionment and feeling trapped in a world that is fake and hollow. The singer recognizes the preciousness of their own identity and existence but is unable to escape from the crushing weight of their situation. The lyric "Oh, we're so very precious, you and I, and everything that you do makes me want to die" conveys a sense of despair and hopelessness that is all-consuming.


In summary, "The Biggest Lie" by Bright Eyes is a melancholic song that expresses feelings of entrapment, disillusionment, and despair. The singer seems to have given up control over their life and is resigned to their fate, unable to escape the crushing weight of their situation.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm waiting for the train
I'm waiting for a change, for something to happen.


Subway that only goes one way
The change that I'm waiting for is one that will only take me further away from you, instead of towards you.


Stupid thing that will come, pull us apart
The change I'm waiting for will be stupid, but it will still come and pull us further apart from each other.


Make everybody late
The change will not only affect us, but it will also make everyone around us feel its effects as well.


Well, you spent everything you had
You put all your effort and resources into trying to make things work between us.


Wanted everything to stop that bad
You were desperate for everything to stop hurting and to just be okay between us.


Now I'm a crushed credit card registered to Smith
I'm a metaphor for something that has been used and abused, and no longer has any value or worth.


Not the name that you call me with
I'm no longer the person you love or care for, I'm someone else entirely.


You turned white like a saint
You tried to be good and do the right thing for us, but it still wasn't enough.


I'm tired of dancin' on this pot of gold flake paint
I'm tired of pretending that everything is okay when it's not. It's like dancing on a surface that's made to look like something it's not.


Oh, we're so very precious, you and I
We once had something special and valuable, but now it's gone and we can never get it back again.


And everything that you do makes me want to die
Seeing you, hearing from you, or even thinking about you is so painful that it makes me want to give up on everything.


Oh, I just told the biggest lie
The biggest lie is that everything is okay between us, when it's not. We're pretending that everything is fine, but it's far from it.


The biggest lie
The biggest lie we tell ourselves is that we can make things work between us, when the reality is that we can't.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN P. SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@milligan277

Two of the greatest artist to ever exist...pure love it!

@mijadreams3486

David Milligan i agree

@fineanwilliams3731

How can the Elliott fans on here not also like conor? They're both pretty similar in their styles and both pretty fucking amazing.

@lexi41269

Beautiful cover - Conor Oberst' voice is so pretty!!! Finally someone who does Elliott justice...

@hippie17

When I read the title, I totally forgot this was an Elliott Smith song. lol.
Than I listened to the intro and started humming and singing along and it clicked. Conor covering Elliott Smith, nice. :)

@championette6957

Rest easy Elliott... miss you. 🖤

@noneofyoucanspell

great song, great artists, great.

@Fishsticks187

As a musician myself, my songs wouldn't be what they are without both Conor Oberst and Elliott Smith. Both guys are (and were, respectively) amazingly talented songwriters even if their musical styles were pretty different. There's a bit in "Torment Saint" (which for those who don't know is hands down the best Elliott Smith biography out there) where the author describes one of Elliott's many concerts where he was strung out as fuck and not playing his best, but Bright Eyes and all the other bands just watched the master at work, no matter how many of his own songs he butchered or fucked up. I know you don't have to like the other just because you like the one, but at least in terms of raw ability, music fans in general should have enormous respect for both of these guys.

@christopherhelling4229

How can anyone take your opinion of song writing seriously, when you can't even write a coherent comment?

@Fishsticks187

What's incoherent about my comment?

More Comments

More Versions