On 26 September 2006, Haines released the album Knives Don't Have Your Back on Last Gang Records. The album was written and recorded in Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, and New York over the previous four years, and features contributors including Sparklehorse's Scott Minor, Broken Social Scene's Justin Peroff, Stars' Evan Cranley, and Metric's Jimmy Shaw.
Though it took Haines four years to complete the album, the singer says she'd been plotting this for years. "When I was a little kid," she said in a statement, "I would creep downstairs to the piano and write rudimentary songs about imaginary places. I'm told the first song I ever wrote was a love song to a cranberry tree. I always used the mute pedal. I hated the idea of anybody hearing me.
"Everywhere I've lived while working with Metric, I've written songs on the piano and played them for no one," she continued. "On the advice of a friend, I decided I'd better start recording them before they were forgotten."
Among those songs are a track that was written while Haines was studying electroacoustics in Montreal while some were recorded in Toronto, Canada in the winter of 2002, shortly after the death of Haines' father.
Official site: http://www.emilyhaines.com
Bottom of the World
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You used to be my friend.
What did I do?
Why didn't I get into your cool crew?
You got a modern loft and a new tattoo of your own name.
Got a single room overlooking the highway under microwave.
For you
I've been for you
Is it true?
You and the other girls
You all stood in a circle.
Sophie left me in a bar at the bottom of the world.
All followers put the word out around the room.
I'm on my way out, always remember you to stay on the move.
It's true
Heartbroken and
I've been for you
It's true
The lyrics in the song "Bottom of the World" by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton are quite cryptic yet powerful in their meaning. The song seems to be about a person who falls out of favor with a friend who has moved up in social status. The singer seems to be questioning why she was left out of this "cool crew," and reminiscing about how things used to be when they were close.
The opening lines, "Is it true? You used to be my friend. What did I do? Why didn't I get into your cool crew?" suggests that there is a sense of betrayal and confusion. The person is wondering why the friendship has been abandoned and why they were not included in the friend's new social circle. The line "Got a modern loft and a new tattoo of your own name. Got a single room overlooking the highway under the microwave" indicates that this friend has moved on to a new life, leaving the person feeling left behind and somewhat envious.
The mention of "Sophie" and being "left in a bar at the bottom of the world" adds an element of sadness and abandonment to the song. There is a sense that the singer has lost their identity and connections following the split with their friend. The reference to "all followers put the word out around the room" suggests that there is a sense of loss and struggle in moving on from this situation. The repeated lines, "Heartbroken and I've been for you," display the pain and heartache associated with losing a friendship and feeling like you have been left behind.
Overall, the song is raw and emotional, conveying feelings of betrayal, loneliness, and heartbreak. Through introspection and self-reflection, the singer seeks meaning and closure in the face of losing a friend and being left behind socially.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it true?
Questioning the validity of a previous statement or action made by the subject of the song.
You used to be my friend.
Expressing a feeling of betrayal, confusion, and loss of a once close friend.
What did I do?
Pondering the reason for their former friend's sudden abandonment and lack of communication.
Why didn't I get into your cool crew?
Reflecting on the subject's exclusion from their former friend's social group and feeling inadequate to belong.
You got a modern loft and a new tattoo of your own name.
Describing the superficial changes and achievements the subject has made since the separation, signifying a sense of superiority.
Got a single room overlooking the highway under microwave.
Using imagery to express the subject's loneliness and desolation despite their physical possessions.
Heartbroken and, I've been for you.
Expressing the depth of sadness and pain felt for the lost friendship and longing for its return.
You and the other girls, you all stood in a circle.
Visualizing a moment where the subject was excluded from the group of their former female friends, emphasizing their loneliness and separation from social connections.
Sophie left me in a bar at the bottom of the world.
Using the metaphor of being stranded at the end of the world to describe the isolation and abandonment felt by the subject, with Sophie representing their former friend.
All followers put the word out around the room.
Acknowledging that the subject's presence is no longer needed and accepting that others have moved on from their absence.
I'm on my way out, always remember you to stay on the move.
Encouraging the listener, possibly the estranged friend, to continue evolving and changing in life while accepting that the bond between them is no more.
It's true.
Affirming the previous statements made about the subject's emotions and experiences.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thekeelyjean
Is it true?
You used to be my friend.
What did I do?
Why didn't I get into your cool crew?
You got a modern loft and a new tattoo of your own name.
Got a single room overlooking the highway under microwave.
For you
Heartbroken and
I've been for you
Is it true?
You and the other girls
You all stood in a circle.
Sophie left me in a bar at the bottom of the world.
All followers put the word out around the room.
I'm on my way out, always remember you to stay on the move.
It's true
Heartbroken and
I've been for you
It's true
True
Heartbroken and I've been for you
bottom of the world
You left me in a bar
At the bottom of the world .
@DavidVasquez-lb9xv
It’s been years since I discovered her solo work from her main work in Metric and I was in a very dark place playing acoustic Twilight Galaxy on repeat. Then finding this album and “Knives Dont Have Your Back” really helped me get through a lot
@TrojanHell
Her acoustic work has helped me work through so many things. Like a few other artists it just breaks out my emotions out of the depths of my mind and allows me to release things I didnt know I was carrying with me...
@runnershigh8969
Beautiful, Emily Haines is a wonderful artist!
@amydibwa7989
This is my go to song any time I want to throw a pity party.
@antonyb.287
Very Inspiring, I listen every morning. My Heart Aches.
@bjornmakjorhev5790
You have no idea how much I identify with these lyrics.
@thelastcall8271
life changing....
@daddytwostroke4453
You left me in a bar at the bottom of the world
@thekeelyjean
Is it true?
You used to be my friend.
What did I do?
Why didn't I get into your cool crew?
You got a modern loft and a new tattoo of your own name.
Got a single room overlooking the highway under microwave.
For you
Heartbroken and
I've been for you
Is it true?
You and the other girls
You all stood in a circle.
Sophie left me in a bar at the bottom of the world.
All followers put the word out around the room.
I'm on my way out, always remember you to stay on the move.
It's true
Heartbroken and
I've been for you
It's true
True
Heartbroken and I've been for you
bottom of the world
You left me in a bar
At the bottom of the world .
@tehjh4481
"We have Top of the World - The Carpenters at home"