There is a rare solo recording on January 7, 2004 of Mercer doing some private recordings of hit songs by his band The Shins for a radio station.
You & I
James Mercer Lyrics
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That out of sight is out of mind
Maybe that's so but I tried to go
And leave you behind, what did I find
I took a trip on the train
And I thought about you,
I passed a shadowy lane
Two or three cars parked under the stars
A winding stream
Moon shining down on some little town
And with each beam, same old dream
At every stop that we made
Oh, I thought about you
But when I pulled down the shade
Then I really felt blue,
I peeked through the crack
And looked at the track
The one going back to you
And what did I do
I thought about you
The lyrics in James Mercer’s song You & I reflect on a person who is trying to move on from a past relationship. The first verse talks about how the saying, “out of sight is out of mind” may be true, but the person still can’t help but think about their ex. They attempted to distance themselves by leaving, but it didn’t work since their thoughts and memories kept them connected to the past.
The chorus tells the story of a train ride that the person took, and the memories that flooded back to them as they passed various sights. They mention seeing a “shadowy lane” and “two or three cars parked under the stars” which conjure images of romantic encounters. They also reference the “moon shining down on some little town” which further adds to the sense of nostalgia and longing. Despite trying to distract themselves during the journey, every stop and sight reminded them of their ex.
The final verse describes the person’s struggle to truly let go of their ex. They couldn’t resist the temptation to look back at the track leading to their ex and felt the longing and sadness return. This verse shows the difficulty in moving on from past relationships, as memories and feelings can bring the person right back to where they started.
Overall, the lyrics to You & I show the complexity of trying to move on from a past relationship. It highlights the difficulties involved in trying to forget someone and move forward in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Seems that I read, or somebody said
I've heard from somewhere that when you can't see someone, you tend to forget about them
That out of sight is out of mind
If someone is not around, it's easy to forget about them
Maybe that's so but I tried to go
I attempted to move on from you
And leave you behind, what did I find
But I realized that I couldn't forget about you
I took a trip on the train
I went on a journey
And I thought about you,
And I couldn't stop thinking about you
I passed a shadowy lane
I went through a dimly lit path
And I thought about you,
And once again, you were on my mind
Two or three cars parked under the stars
I saw a few cars parked under the night sky
A winding stream
There was a twisted body of water nearby
Moon shining down on some little town
The moon was illuminating a small village
And with each beam, same old dream
Every time I saw the moon, I had the same dream
At every stop that we made
At every pause along the way
Oh, I thought about you
You were still occupying my thoughts
But when I pulled down the shade
Once I lowered the window covering
Then I really felt blue,
I became truly sad
I peeked through the crack
I looked through a small slit
And looked at the track
And observed the railroad tracks
The one going back to you
The ones leading back to your location
And what did I do
And what did I think about?
I thought about you
I couldn't help but think of you
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Van Heusen, Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind