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
Mostly Waving
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought as I was
Thought as I was
Thought as I was
Done,
Thought as I was
Thought as I was
Thought as I was
oooooohhhhhhhh
Get,
Get the line down
Get the line down
Get the line down
Don't elaborate like that
You'll frighten off the frat boys
Use your baby talk
Frighten off, frighten on
oooooohhhhhhh
This fall, the blues are brown
So turn your horse around NOW
The blues are brown
Missing, mostly waving
Thought as I was
Young, thought I was
Done, thought I was
The lyrics to Emily Haines/Soft Skeleton's "Mostly Waving" are open to interpretation, but there is a sense of vulnerability and self-doubt in the repetition of "thought as I was." It conveys a feeling of uncertainty and questioning one's own thoughts and actions. The chorus is an exhortation to get the line down and not to elaborate, which could be interpreted as society's pressure to conform and fit in, even if it means hiding one's true self.
The lines "don't elaborate like that, you'll frighten off the frat boys, use your baby talk" could be seen as a commentary on the pressure women face to be attractive and desirable to men. The song seems to urge the listener to resist conformity and embrace their true self, even if it means going against societal expectations.
The refrain of "missing, mostly waving" evokes a sense of loss and longing, while the lines "this fall, the blues are brown, so turn your horse around now" could be interpreted as a call to action to break free and find one's own path. Overall, the song seems to be a reflection on the struggle to stay true to oneself in a world that values conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
Young,
I was naive and inexperienced
Thought as I was
I believed things that were not entirely true or accurate
Thought as I was
I believed things that were not entirely true or accurate
Thought as I was
I believed things that were not entirely true or accurate
Done,
I thought I had completed something
Thought as I was
I believed things that were not entirely true or accurate
Thought as I was
I believed things that were not entirely true or accurate
Thought as I was
I believed things that were not entirely true or accurate
oooooohhhhhhhh
vocalization
Get,
understand
Get the line down
understand exactly what you want to say
Get the line down
understand exactly what you want to say
Get the line down
understand exactly what you want to say
Don't elaborate like that
Don't go into unnecessary detail
You'll frighten off the frat boys
Giving too much detail might intimidate or bore some people
Use your baby talk
Keep it simple and straightforward
Frighten off, frighten on
Some people will like it, others won't
oooooohhhhhhh
vocalization
This fall, the blues are brown
Things have changed and the situation is different now
So turn your horse around NOW
You need to make a quick adjustment to deal with the changes
The blues are brown
Things are not as they seem and the mood has shifted
Missing, mostly waving
Suggesting that someone is there, but emotionally distant or not fully present
Thought as I was
I believed things that were not entirely true or accurate
Young, thought I was
I was naive and inexperienced
Done, thought I was
I thought I had completed something
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joshua Stephens
Such a weird song, I love it
venus la donna
i wish she was more popular
Matthew Smith
Same
arcticmonkey3
venus la donna she is with Metric. Let's keep her solo stuff to ourselves 👍
CavsterXII
She frightened off the frat boys