Around the release of James' solo album Life Is Full Of Possibilities* and his pop sensation Give Up with Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Figurine virtually fell off the map. Fans assume they broke up, but they've never said a thing. Even their website has disappeared as did David and Meredith Figurine. The music of Figurine has now become more of a fetish to their fans, constantly scouring the internet for lost tracks and demos... always thirsting for more. Clinging to chat rooms and forums for answers of the bands whereabouts or even a come back. Still they're filled with hope thanks to those last echoing words on the final track of The Heartfelt "Don't cry, we'll be back soon". We're still waiting.
*You can also find Meredith Figurine on the Dntel track "Suddenly Is Sooner Than You Think".
and check out the JAMES FIGURINE album from jimmy on monika (EU) or plug research (US)
:-)
Stranger
Figurine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the library lift up to the twenty-fourth floor
From where I stood you looked like an angel
So I didn't move until you walked out the door
The metro
The bus stops
The market
Blank CD's
In strip malls
In restaurants
In juice bars
In hallways
In parties
The salon
The airport
In the rain
In the streets
In sunshine
In short sleeves
In makeup
At night clubs
On the dance floor
All around
In the evening
At sunrise
At lunchtime
At midnight
Through windows
Of taxis
Classrooms
Highrises
I fell in love the first time I saw you
Even though we never met
And I still see you at the clubs and in cafes
And every night you're in my dreams
It's true, you might be a stranger
But you're not that strange to me
To you, I know I'm a stranger
But please don't run away from me
Away from me
I can always rely on you to be there
Looking up behind the cash register
If we met, if we rang all our good times
I can't disappoint you with only my eyes
It's true, you might be a stranger
But you're not that strange to me
To you, I know I'm a stranger
And that's the way I want it to be
The metro
The bus stop
The market
The disco
On CD's
In strip malls
In restaurants
In juice bars
At night clubs
At parties
A salon
An airport
Through windows
Of taxis
Apartments
Highrises
In the song "Stranger" by Figurine, the singer reminisces about the first time they saw someone in a library elevator. The singer was struck by their appearance and remained in place until the person exited the elevator. The rest of the song consists of a wandering list of different settings and situations where the singer imagines encountering this stranger. The singer says that even though they have never officially met, they have fallen in love with this person and think about them constantly. The singer admits that to the stranger they are indeed a stranger, but still hopes they will not run away when they finally do meet. The song ends with a repetition of the list of settings and situations where the singer frequently thinks about this person.
The lyrics of "Stranger" express an almost obsessive infatuation with a stranger who the singer has never even had a proper conversation with. It is a common theme in many romantic songs to be deeply in love with someone you barely know. Figurine's approach to this theme feels incredibly honest and true to life, albeit slightly creepy. The song is an ode to the pure thrill of infatuation - those moments when it feels like you're in love with someone you barely know.
Line by Line Meaning
I still remember the first time I saw you
The singer recalls the moment they saw the person they are speaking to.
In the library lift up to the twenty-fourth floor
The singer saw the person they are speaking to in an elevator in the library on the 24th floor.
From where I stood you looked like an angel
The person the singer saw was so beautiful they looked like an angel.
So I didn't move until you walked out the door
The artist was so entranced by the person they saw that they couldn't move until they left.
The metro
The artist sees the person they like on the metro.
The bus stops
The singer sees the person they like at bus stops.
The market
The singer sees the person they like at the market.
The disco
The artist sees the person they like at the disco.
Blank CD's
The artist is reminded of the person they like when they see blank CDs.
In strip malls
The artist is reminded of the person they like when they see strip malls.
In restaurants
The singer is reminded of the person they like when they see restaurants.
In juice bars
The artist is reminded of the person they like when they see juice bars.
In hallways
The singer sees the person they like in hallways.
In parties
The singer sees the person they like at parties.
The salon
The singer sees the person they like at a salon.
The airport
The artist sees the person they like at the airport.
In the rain
The artist sees the person they like in the rain.
In the streets
The singer sees the person they like in the streets.
In sunshine
The singer sees the person they like in sunny weather.
In short sleeves
The artist sees the person they like in clothing appropriate for warm weather.
In makeup
The artist sees the person they like wearing makeup.
At night clubs
The artist sees the person they like at night clubs.
On the dance floor
The singer sees the person they like on the dance floor.
All around
The artist sees the person they like everywhere.
In the evening
The singer sees the person they like in the evening.
At sunrise
The singer sees the person they like at sunrise.
At lunchtime
The singer sees the person they like at lunchtime.
At midnight
The artist sees the person they like at midnight.
Through windows
The artist sees the person they like through windows of buildings.
Of taxis
The singer sees the person they like in taxis.
Classrooms
The singer sees the person they like in classrooms.
Highrises
The artist sees the person they like in tall buildings.
I fell in love the first time I saw you
The artist fell in love with the person they are speaking to the first time they saw them.
Even though we never met
Despite never officially meeting, the artist fell in love with the person they are speaking to.
And I still see you at the clubs and in cafes
The singer still feels like they see the person they are speaking to in social settings.
And every night you're in my dreams
The person the artist likes appears in their dreams every night.
It's true, you might be a stranger
The person the singer likes is considered a stranger because they have never formally met.
But you're not that strange to me
Despite being a stranger, the singer feels like they know the person they like well.
To you, I know I'm a stranger
The singer acknowledges that they are considered a stranger by the person they like.
But please don't run away from me
The artist hopes that the person they like won't completely avoid them.
I can always rely on you to be there
The artist feels like they can count on the person they like to always be present.
Looking up behind the cash register
The singer sees the person they like working behind a cash register.
If we met, if we rang all our good times
The singer imagines what it would be like if they and the person they like met and had good times together.
I can't disappoint you with only my eyes
The artist is worried that if they were to actually meet the person they like, they wouldn't live up to their expectations.
And that's the way I want it to be
The artist is content with the current state of their relationship with the person they like.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES TAMBORELLO, MEREDITH LANDMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind