Sweet Adeline
Elliott Smith (album) Lyrics
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Burn it backwards, kill this history
Make it over, make it stay away
Or hate'll sing the ending that love started to say
There's a kid a floor below me saying
"Brother, can you spare sunshine for a brother, Old Man Winter's in the air"
Walked me up a story, asking how you are
Sweet Adeline
Sweet Adeline
My Clementine
Sweet Adeline
It's a picture-perfect evening and I'm staring down the sun
Fully loaded, deaf and dumb and done
Waiting for sedation to disconnect my head
Or any situation where I'm better off than dead
The lyrics of Elliott Smith's "Sweet Adeline" convey a sense of desperation and hopelessness. The opening lines, "Cut this picture into you and me, Burn it backwards, kill this history, Make it over, make it stay away," seem to imply a desire to completely erase something, to start over fresh, and to leave behind whatever happened in the past. This is followed by the fearsome consequence of failing to do so - that "hate'll sing the ending that love started to say." This line holds a deep meaning - it means that if one doesn't try to cut ties with the past, unsettling emotions can grow, and love will be replaced with resentments.
Throughout the song, Smith introduces other characters - like the "kid a floor below" who asks for some sunshine and his friend who offers comfort - that reveal the disconnection he feels towards the world around him. The final verse is particularly poignant, as Smith longs for some kind of release, waiting for "sedation to disconnect [his] head," or any other situation where he's "better off than dead." This final line is a heartbreaking plea for escape from pain and misery, suggesting that he would rather be numbed than continue to suffer.
Line by Line Meaning
Cut this picture into you and me
Let's destroy this photo about us.
Burn it backwards, kill this history
Reverse everything and erase our past together.
Make it over, make it stay away
Change it all and forget about it forever.
Or hate'll sing the ending that love started to say
If we don't, we'll end up fighting and hating each other despite once loving each other.
There's a kid a floor below me saying
I can hear a child's voice from below.
"Brother, can you spare sunshine for a brother, Old Man Winter's in the air"
The child is asking for some warmth, as the winter approaches.
Walked me up a story, asking how you are
He came up to me and asked how you're doing.
Told me not to worry, you were just a shooting star
The child reassured me by telling that you are nothing but a fleeting memory or a lost cause.
Sweet Adeline
A term of endearment or affection for someone named Adeline.
Sweet Adeline
Reiteration of the endearment.
My Clementine
Another term of endearment or affection for someone named Clementine.
Sweet Adeline
Reiteration of the endearment.
It's a picture-perfect evening and I'm staring down the sun
The evening looks wonderful but I'm despondent.
Fully loaded, deaf and dumb and done
Drained both physically and emotionally; nothing seems to matter anymore.
Waiting for sedation to disconnect my head
I'm waiting for some sort of tranquilizer to silence the voices in my head.
Or any situation where I'm better off than dead
I'm looking for any eventuality that is less miserable than my present state.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN P. SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind