Georgia Georgia
Elliott Smith Lyrics


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Georgia Georgia
It's been many miles
Since I've seen your fallen smile
Close up and personal

Your arsenal of excuses
You never told her
When you walked out on the savannah shoulder
With your veins all full of beer

Thinking well at least now everything is clear
But oh man
What plan
Suicide

It's just not that much different from my own affair
Always cussing and crying
How about if you
Tell me something new

Tell me what will make you happy
Oh you
So deserve to be
There were protests and contests

Attitudes to cop
I want it all to stop
Three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
And now I know it was just a false alarm

Georgia Georgia
I can't understand your sickness
You have no forgiveness
No attention left to pay

The quiet way you leave
And just forget it all
Just takes my breath away
How's that supposed to make me feel





Yeah, well, how am I supposed to feel

Overall Meaning

In Elliott Smith's "Georgia," the singer sings about a woman named Georgia whom he hasn't seen in a long time. He notes that she always had an "arsenal of excuses" and wonders if she ever told her partner why she left. The singer seems to have some understanding of the situation, as he notes that he himself has had an affair that involved "cussing and crying." He invites Georgia to share something new with him and asks what will make her happy. Despite his attempts to connect with her, he struggles to understand her "sickness," which he realizes has left her with no forgiveness or attention to spare. The song ends with the singer lamenting Georgia's quiet, unremarkable exit from his life.


Overall, "Georgia" seems to be about the difficulty of truly understanding other people's struggles and emotions. The singer recognizes that he and Georgia have both suffered, but he cannot seem to connect with her or help her in any way. The song's themes are underscored by Elliott Smith's typically melancholy instrumentation, which gives the lyrics a haunting, introspective quality.


Line by Line Meaning

Georgia Georgia
Addressing the state of Georgia in a poetic way


It's been many miles
It has been a long time since the singer last thought about or visited Georgia


Since I've seen your fallen smile
The singer hasn't seen Georgia's beauty or happiness in a while, and perhaps it has been affected by something that has brought it down


Close up and personal
The artist would like to rekindle a closer relationship with Georgia


Your arsenal of excuses
Georgia has been giving excuses for something that she has done and that has affected her mood.


You never told her
Georgia has kept something from someone else, and this has affected her


When you walked out on the savannah shoulder
Georgia has left someone or something while on the side of a road in the savannah region


With your veins all full of beer
Georgia was probably drunk when leaving abruptly


Thinking well at least now everything is clear
Georgia thought she was doing the right thing by leaving, and hoped that it would bring clarity


But oh man
The realization of what she's done has hit her


What plan
Georgia is lost and doesn't have a plan


Suicide
The thought of suicide is crossing Georgia's mind


It's just not that much different from my own affair
The singer feels a connection with Georgia, as they both are going through a difficult situation


Always cussing and crying
Georgia is constantly swearing and crying


How about if you
The singer is trying to suggest a way for Georgia to feel better


Tell me something new
The artist is asking Georgia to share something different, to give them a fresh perspective


Tell me what will make you happy
The artist wants to know what they can do to help Georgia find happiness


Oh you
The singer is sympathizing with Georgia


So deserve to be
The singer recognizes that Georgia deserves to be happy


There were protests and contests
There were disagreements and disputes going on, which may have caused Georgia to feel a sense of dissatisfaction


Attitudes to cop
Georgia is trying to handle negative attitudes from others


I want it all to stop
The artist wants Georgia's suffering to stop


Three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
Georgia was charming and likable three weeks ago


And now I know it was just a false alarm
The artist now realizes that Georgia's happiness was not genuine and may have been superficial


I can't understand your sickness
The singer can't comprehend what is causing Georgia's negative state


You have no forgiveness
Georgia is unable to forgive herself or others


No attention left to pay
Georgia is feeling neglected and ignored


The quiet way you leave
Georgia has a habit of leaving quietly without giving adequate explanation


And just forget it all
Georgia tends to forget past situations or feelings to cope with them


Just takes my breath away
The singer is surprised by Georgia's reaction and feels affected by it


Yeah, well, how am I supposed to feel
The singer is trying to understand their own emotions, as they are affected by Georgia's situation




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Steven Paul Smith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Charlii Dunn

Georgia Georgia
It's been many miles
Since I've seen your fallen smile
Close up and personal
Your arsenal of excuses
You never told her
When you walked out on the savannah shoulder
With your veins all full of beer
Thinking well at least now everything is clear
But oh man
What plan
Suicide
It's just not that much different from my own affair
Always cussing and crying
How about if you
Tell me something new
Tell me what will make you happy
Oh you
So deserve to be
There were protests and contests
Attitudes to cop
I want it all to stop
Three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
And now I know it was just a false alarm
Georgia Georgia
I can't understand your sickness
You have no forgiveness
No attention left to pay
The quiet way you leave
And just forget it all
Just takes my breath away
How's that supposed to make me feel
Yeah, well, how am I supposed to feel



Rando4444

Georgia Georgia
It's been many miles
Since I've seen your fallen smile
Close up and personal

Your arsenal of excuses
You never told her
When you walked out on the savannah shoulder
With your veins all full of beer

Thinking well at least now everything is clear
But oh man
What plan
Suicide

It's just not that much different from my own affair
Always cussing and crying
How about if you
Tell me something new

Tell me what will make you happy
Oh you
So deserve to be
There were protests and contests

Attitudes to cop
I want it all to stop
Three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
And now I know it was just a false alarm

Georgia Georgia
I can't understand your sickness
You have no forgiveness
No attention left to pay

The quiet way you leave
And just forget it all
Just takes my breath away
How's that supposed to make me feel

Yeah, well, how am I supposed to feel



All comments from YouTube:

Heath Rezabek

It's important to remember these songs: to remember that this is a double album of outtakes that didn't even make it onto the two albums pressed during their composition. It's important because so many of them are understated masterpieces, like Smith's work as a whole.

If you have in yourself a creative spark, whatever your medium, remember this: It's not important to remember these songs so as to become discouraged; but rather, it's important to remember these songs to take them in as fuel with which the singular spark in you and only you might shine, for its time, in this place. For any who needs to see or hear or know what you have to say.

Charlii Dunn

Georgia Georgia
It's been many miles
Since I've seen your fallen smile
Close up and personal
Your arsenal of excuses
You never told her
When you walked out on the savannah shoulder
With your veins all full of beer
Thinking well at least now everything is clear
But oh man
What plan
Suicide
It's just not that much different from my own affair
Always cussing and crying
How about if you
Tell me something new
Tell me what will make you happy
Oh you
So deserve to be
There were protests and contests
Attitudes to cop
I want it all to stop
Three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
And now I know it was just a false alarm
Georgia Georgia
I can't understand your sickness
You have no forgiveness
No attention left to pay
The quiet way you leave
And just forget it all
Just takes my breath away
How's that supposed to make me feel
Yeah, well, how am I supposed to feel

allen

Definitely says "all ends," barely discernible

Truth&Reason101

@Dionysoshaman He clearly says "since" though. The lyrics websites on google are wrong with this one. He very clearly also says "All ends in cussing and crying", not "Always cussing and crying".

Dionysoshaman

@Andy Sparks Not trying to sound petty or the like, but I gotta disagree with your "interpretation" of those lyrics. I am completely certain that the line is "sickness" instead of since. I'm just as convinced that the lyrics say cussing and not cursing, but since they are interchangeable in definition, there's not much reason to debate on that one. Either way the fact that you're a fellow Elliott Smith "devotee" I hope that all is well with you and yours friend!

Andy Sparks

Charlii Dunn all ends in cursing and crying ( would be correct ) I can't understand you since ( also )

Ben Qotsa2017

He is so underrated

Derrick Boess

attitudes to cop-i want it all to stop...man I love the way he sings those two lines

Rando4444

Georgia Georgia
It's been many miles
Since I've seen your fallen smile
Close up and personal

Your arsenal of excuses
You never told her
When you walked out on the savannah shoulder
With your veins all full of beer

Thinking well at least now everything is clear
But oh man
What plan
Suicide

It's just not that much different from my own affair
Always cussing and crying
How about if you
Tell me something new

Tell me what will make you happy
Oh you
So deserve to be
There were protests and contests

Attitudes to cop
I want it all to stop
Three weeks ago you were all grace and charm
And now I know it was just a false alarm

Georgia Georgia
I can't understand your sickness
You have no forgiveness
No attention left to pay

The quiet way you leave
And just forget it all
Just takes my breath away
How's that supposed to make me feel

Yeah, well, how am I supposed to feel

dapa4

I WANT IT ALL TO STOP.

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