Chris Staples is a singer and songwriter from Pensacola, Florida. He was th… Read Full Bio ↴Chris Staples is a singer and songwriter from Pensacola, Florida. He was the vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Twothirtyeight. He was one of the original members in 1995 and stayed with the band until April 2003, when it broke up because the members wanted to pursue individual ambitions. Staples independently recorded the acoustic albums Panama, and Burned and Blistered. In 2004, Staples released Blackest Hair, Bluest Eyes which was a compilation of both his earlier releases with two additional songs. In 2005, Staples went on to form the indie rock band Discover America and move to Seattle, Washington where he engineered, produced, and recorded Discover America's first album, Psychology.

Overpaid
Chris Staples Lyrics

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We fell in love so fast
Morning dew upon the grass
Gone by the middle of the day
Now I′m still holding on
To something already gone
I guess that you could say
That I can't keep up with all the change

I′m scenery
You're scenery
We should pass each other easily
I'm scenery
You are scenery

I′m scenery
You′re scenery
We should pass each other easily
I'm scenery
You are scenery

Well it wasn′t like you said
So I'm free associating
Just to find the common thread
Heartbroken people imitating
Just a′holdin on to love
Holding on to one another
Together we're alone
Alone we are together

I′m scenery
You're scenery
We should pass each other easily

I'm scenery
You are scenery

Overall Meaning

In Chris Staples's song "Overpaid," the lyrics describe a fleeting and ephemeral love that burns out quickly, leaving the singer holding onto something that is already gone. The first two lines of the song set the stage for the theme of the song, with the reference to "Morning dew upon the grass / Gone by the middle of the day." This imagery conveys the notion that love can be as fleeting as the morning dew.

The chorus of the song features the repetition of the phrase "I'm scenery / You're scenery," which implies that the two lovers are just background to each other and not truly engaged in a meaningful relationship. The singer suggests that they should "pass each other easily," which reinforces the idea that they are not really connecting on a deeper level.

The second half of the song introduces the idea that the relationship was not what it seemed and that the singer is trying to make sense of what happened. He describes it as "free associating" and trying to find a "common thread." The final lines of the song are somewhat ambiguous but suggest that the couple may still be together but not truly connected.

Overall, "Overpaid" is a poignant and reflective song about a relationship that didn't live up to the singer's expectations. It conveys the idea that love can be as fleeting as the morning dew and that some relationships are just not meant to be.

Line by Line Meaning

We fell in love so fast
Our love was intense and happened quickly

Morning dew upon the grass
A representation of how our love was fresh and new

Gone by the middle of the day
Our love quickly ended

Now I'm still holding on
I'm having a hard time letting go of our failed relationship

To something already gone
Our love is gone and can't be brought back

I guess that you could say
It's safe to say

That I can't keep up with all the change
I couldn't keep up with the changes in our relationship and it led to its demise

I'm scenery
I'm just a part of the background and unimportant in this situation

You're scenery
You're also just a part of the background and unimportant

We should pass each other easily
We should be able to move on from each other and not have it be difficult

Well it wasn't like you said
Our relationship didn't live up to what was promised