The Biggest Lie
Elliott Smith Lyrics


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I'm waiting for the train
The subway that only goes one way
The stupid thing that will come to pull us apart
And make everybody late

You spent everything you had
Wanted everything to stop that bad
And 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 dancing on a 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




I just told the biggest lie
The biggest lie

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Elliott Smith's song "The Biggest Lie" convey a sense of hopelessness, despair, and betrayal. The singer is waiting for the train, which only goes one way, suggesting a one-way ticket towards an irreversible end. The "stupid thing" that will pull them apart can be interpreted as death, which makes everybody late. The lyrics speak to the futility of trying to outrun death, a concept that is beyond human control.


The second verse, "You spent everything you had, Wanted everything to stop that bad, And now I'm a crushed credit card registered to Smith, Not the name that you call me with," speaks to the financial and emotional impact of a loved one's suicide. The singer's partner had spent everything they had, presumably on drugs or alcohol, in an attempt to escape the pain. The "crushed credit card" suggests the finality and emptiness that followed. The last line, "Not the name that you call me with," hints at the fragility of identity and how it can be shattered by trauma.


The final verse, "You turned white like a saint, I'm tired of dancing on a pot of gold flake paint, Oh we're so very precious, you and I, And everything that you do makes me want to die," speaks to the singer's sense of betrayal and anger. The use of "saint" juxtaposed with the "pot of gold flake paint" suggests the hypocrisy of the situation. They are both "precious," yet one of them has let the other down. The last line, "And everything that you do makes me want to die," is a powerful statement about the weight of grief and how it can consume a person.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm waiting for the train
I am in a state of limbo, waiting for something to happen


The subway that only goes one way
I feel trapped and doomed to head in one direction only


The stupid thing that will come to pull us apart
An external factor that will tear us apart is imminent


And make everybody late
The impending doom will have a ripple effect on everyone around us


You spent everything you had
You gave yourself completely to something that was ultimately destructive


Wanted everything to stop that bad
You were desperate for a way out of a situation that felt overwhelming


And now I'm a crushed credit card registered to smith
I have been used up and discarded, a shell of my former self


Not the name that you call me with
I am no longer the person you thought you knew


You turned white like a saint
You put on a facade of purity and innocence in a situation that was far from it


I'm tired of dancing on a pot of gold flake paint
I am exhausted by the fakery and facade of our lives


Oh we're so very precious, you and I
We are seen as valuable or important, but it's a shallow and meaningless notion


And everything that you do makes me want to die
Your every action is a reminder of the pain and the despair that I feel


Oh I just told the biggest lie
I have been in denial and not honest with myself or others about the reality of my life


I just told the biggest lie
I have been living a lie and it's finally catching up with me


The biggest lie
The grand illusion that I have been living and perpetuating is finally exposed




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN P. SMITH

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

Roiy Benkel

I'm waiting for the train
The subway that only goes one way
The stupid thing that will come to pull us apart
And make everybody late
You spent everything you had
Wanted everything to stop that bad
And 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 dancing on a 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
I just told the biggest lie
The biggest lie



비정한세상

i'm waiting for the train
나는 열차를 기다리고 있다
the subway that only goes one way
일방통행 노선의 지하철을
the stupid thing that will come to pull us apart
그 바보같은 물건은 이제 우리를 분리시켜 놓고
and make everybody late
또한 모두를 지각하게 만들겠지

you spent everything you had
넌 가진걸 모두 써버렸고
wanted everything to stop that bad
이렇게 좋지 않은 모든게 멈춰 버리길 원했었지
and now i'm a crushed credit card registered to smith
지금 나는 스미스라는 이름으로 등록된 부러진 크레딧 카드
not the name that you call me with
네가 나를 부르는 이름은 그게 아니지만

you turned white like a saint
넌 성자처럼 창백해졌지
i'm tired of dancing on a pot of gold flake paint
나는 이제 금박 페인트통 위에서 춤추는데 지쳤어
oh we're so very precious, you and i
오 우리는 정말 소중하니깐, 너와 나 말이야
and everything that you do makes me want to die
네가 하는 모든 행동이 나를 죽도록 미치게 한다구
oh i just told the biggest lie
오 나는 그냥 최고의 거짓말을 했어



All comments from YouTube:

Eric Donovan

this song has been stuck in my head for 5 years

aidanosaurus rex

i love this comment

kate orpen

I'm on my 10th I love this comment so much I have listened to him everyday for 15 Yeats now

Worstpersonsingular

This song has been stuck in my head for 20 years.

notyoursavior78

Elliott Smith is sooo good. I remember just laying in the park under leaves and listening to him b/c I didn't want to go home and it was some of my happiest moments.

GratefulDreadness

Most mornings I wake up with an elliot song in my head and it has to be part of my day then whatever emotion I'm dealing with mostly alone helps me not to over think life

Hexis

There are times when I feel only Elliott and Nick understand me.

Aubrey White

Nick drake? :(

Hexis

Aubrey White
Yes

Aubrey White

Me too dude.

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