Magic Punches’ brand new EP, Brightly Colored Tapes, stands out for the depth of its production and pristine recording quality, but the duo's acute intuition for lush pop harmony, thoughtful lyrics, and carefully-crafted arrangements are what make it a truly noteworthy release. As if the exemplary musicianship and depth of songwriting weren’t enough to maintain a steady interest in this recording, possibly the most fascinating aspect of Brightly Colored Tapes is that the the duo engineered and produced this radio-ready EP in its entirety at their own Portland recording studio, Color Blocks Productions.
Love Song For a Foreign Exchange Student
Magic Punches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I tried my best to impress you but I think you only liked me 'cause you felt alone,
Now I get the feeling that you're not the only one in the room when we talk on the phone,
Does he help to keep you warm?
Baby I know,
Maybe I'm a door that you'll never close,
Do you suppose I'm alone?
It was a long walk down that hall,
Showing pictures to your man from the trip to Japan that you took last Fall,
He pretends to understand to understand,
With his heart in his hands,
And your head on his arm,
Has time erased his charm?
Maybe he knows,
Maybe its a card that he never shows,
Do you suppose he's alone?
You can change your mind,
Leave the addiction to the fiction that you wrote on the ground,
I hope someday you'll find,
You can't fix every little problem just by sleeping around.
It was a drunk and desperate call,
You were looking in a mirror trying to fix your hair and makeup from a bathroom stall,
and your friends were in the backseat of a taxi headed for the concert hall.
No one cared at all.
Maybe they know,
That you were crying in the rain on the side of the road,
Do you suppose you're alone?
Do you suppose nobody knows?
Do you suppose you're alone?
The song Love Song For a Foreign Exchange Student by Magic Punches narrates a story of unrequited love and loneliness. The singer meets a foreign exchange student who is far away from home, and he tries to impress her. She seems to reciprocate his affection only because she feels alone. As time passes, the singer realizes that there is someone else in the room when they talk on the phone. He wonders if the other person is keeping her warm.
In the second stanza, the singer recalls a time when he walked down a hall with the foreign exchange student and her boyfriend. He showed them pictures from her trip to Japan, but her boyfriend just pretended to understand. The singer questions whether time has erased her boyfriend's charm and imagines that he might be lonely too. In the final stanza, the foreign exchange student makes a drunk and desperate call while fixing her hair and makeup in a bathroom stall. Her friends are in the backseat of a taxi, and no one cares about her troubles. The singer wonders if she is alone and whether anyone knows about her predicament.
In essence, the song reflects on the themes of love, loneliness, and self-doubt. The singer tries to connect with the foreign exchange student, but he feels inadequate and wonders whether she truly likes him. Through his introspection, he realizes that there might be someone else in her life and questions whether he can ever have a chance with her.
Line by Line Meaning
You were a long long way from home,
You came from far away.
I tried my best to impress you but I think you only liked me 'cause you felt alone,
I wanted to impress you, but I think the only reason you liked me is because you were lonely.
Now I get the feeling that you're not the only one in the room when we talk on the phone,
Now I feel like there's someone else with you when we talk on the phone.
Does he help to keep you warm?
Is he the one who keeps you warm?
Baby I know,
I understand.
Maybe I'm a door that you'll never close,
Maybe I'm a part of your life that will never go away.
Do you suppose I'm alone?
Do you think I'm alone?
It was a long walk down that hall,
We walked a long way down the hall.
Showing pictures to your man from the trip to Japan that you took last Fall,
Showing your man pictures from your trip to Japan last Fall.
He pretends to understand to understand,
He pretends to understand.
With his heart in his hands,
With his heart in his hands.
And your head on his arm,
And your head on his arm.
Has time erased his charm?
Has he lost his charm over time?
Maybe he knows,
Maybe he understands.
Maybe its a card that he never shows,
Maybe he's hiding something.
Do you suppose he's alone?
Do you think he's alone?
You can change your mind,
You can change your opinion.
Leave the addiction to the fiction that you wrote on the ground,
Stop believing the lies you've been telling yourself.
I hope someday you'll find,
I hope you find someday.
You can't fix every little problem just by sleeping around.
You can't solve all your problems with casual relationships.
It was a drunk and desperate call,
You called me when you were drunk and desperate.
You were looking in a mirror trying to fix your hair and makeup from a bathroom stall,
You were fixing your appearance in a bathroom stall.
And your friends were in the backseat of a taxi headed for the concert hall.
Your friends were in the back of a taxi going to a concert.
No one cared at all.
No one cared about you.
Maybe they know,
Maybe they understand.
That you were crying in the rain on the side of the road,
That you were crying in the rain on the side of the road.
Do you suppose you're alone?
Do you think you're alone?
Do you suppose nobody knows?
Do you think no one knows?
Do you suppose you're alone?
Do you think you're alone?
Contributed by Sebastian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.