Emily
Fastball Lyrics


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Emily shrugs and drags her heels as she takes the guided tour
It seemed like such an amazing deal
When she was looking at the brochure

Stuck on a bus with strangers
Wishing she could be ay home
With me poor little emily
How does it feel to be free?

Lyin' in bed
The pain in my head
From running around all day
Tryin' to find what was rightfully mine
But I ran out of things to say

Runnin' around with strangers
Wishing she could run away with me..
Poor little emily,
How does it feel to be free

From familiar fingertips
To a persecuted grip?
From the pan into the fire
Now a thread becomes a wire
Under which you must crawl
Through a ditch and over the wall

Emily works her fingers
Right down to her aching bones
While my aching head's got me stuck
In bed working on being alone

Working around the clock
Wishing she had worked it out with me
Poor little emily
How does it feel to be free?
Poor little emily
How does it feel to be free?




Poor little emily
How does it feel to be free?

Overall Meaning

The song "Emily" by Fastball is a poignant ballad that delves into the desires, struggles, and loneliness of a young woman named Emily. The song begins by introducing Emily as a hesitant and disinterested individual who is on a guided tour. Despite feeling unenthused, she had believed the brochure that promised an excellent time. However, she soon realizes that the excursion is unremarkable, and she feels homesick.


Fastball questions how Emily feels about her newfound so-called freedom as she boarded the bus, left her familiar life, and headed toward the excursion. This question is reflective of the ongoing struggle of many younger people to leave the nest and find their own way.


The last two stanzas introduce a new perspective, one that is likely the singer or the songwriter's. They talk about how they have run out of things to say, lost their possessions, and feel alone. This reflects a feeling of loneliness and separation that comes with leaving things behind and moving on, much like Emily's experience throughout the song.


Line by Line Meaning

Emily shrugs and drags her heels as she takes the guided tour
Emily seems unenthusiastic but goes through with the guided tour that she signed up for


It seemed like such an amazing deal When she was looking at the brochure
Emily was excited about the tour when she was looking at the brochure, but now it doesn't seem so great


Stuck on a bus with strangers Wishing she could be at home With me poor little emily How does it feel to be free?
Emily is on a bus with strangers and wishes she was home with the singer. The singer wonders how it feels to be free from the tour


Lyin' in bed The pain in my head From running around all day Tryin' to find what was rightfully mine But I ran out of things to say
The artist is lying in bed with a headache from searching for something that belongs to them, but they couldn't find the words to express it


Runnin' around with strangers Wishing she could run away with me.. Poor little emily, How does it feel to be free
Emily is running around with strangers and the artist wishes she could run away with them. The artist again wonders how it feels to be free from the tour


From familiar fingertips To a persecuted grip? From the pan into the fire Now a thread becomes a wire Under which you must crawl Through a ditch and over the wall
The transition from comfort to persecution is like going from the frying pan into the fire. What was once a small obstacle is now a major challenge that must be overcome by crawling through a ditch and over a wall


Emily works her fingers Right down to her aching bones While my aching head's got me stuck In bed working on being alone
Emily is working hard while the singer is stuck in bed with a headache, trying to work on being alone


Working around the clock Wishing she had worked it out with me Poor little emily How does it feel to be free?
Emily is working hard and the artist wishes they had worked it out together. The artist wonders once again how it feels to be free from the tour


Poor little emily How does it feel to be free? Poor little emily How does it feel to be free? Poor little emily How does it feel to be free?
The artist repeatedly wonders how Emily feels now that she is supposedly free from the tour




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ANTHONY SCALZO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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