He bears the pop sensibility of the 60's British invasion, the sardonic wit of Elvis Costello, emotional poigniancy of Elliot Smith, and the Townes Van Zant- like turn of phrase. His lyrics are clever and biting, but can, in very few words, shatter the listeners heart
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Kitchen
Michael Trent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well my parents used to catch me sneakin out when I was young
From the kitchen to the hallway where I used to sing my songs
When they were gone
But now I've seen so many things since then
I've seen enemies turn to lovers and then just become good friends
I've caught up with some old loved ones
Hey how you been?
I been travelin, rock and rollin
How you been?
I been workin, havin children
Well all this chasin after sunsets, all this shootin at the moon
Got us drinkin from the gutter pickin food out of the broom
Well it ain't hard to second guess yourself
When you're dressin up a wound
Ain't that the truth
That's the truth
Well Suzie's dressed up in her go-out shoes
She takes a walk down by the water every time there's a full moon
She's broken every heart in town
If you haven't seen her moves you'll see em soon, yep
Oh but I don't mess with her much anyhow
Yeah, cuz girls like that were born to build you up and bring you down
And besides, all of those old worries just don't bother me much now
Cuz I got new ones
Tried and true ones
Bills past due ones
Interest accrue ones
Hole in my shoe ones
Well all this schluppin down the highway, all these wasted afternoons
Got us askin lotta questions, hope to get an answer soon
Do you try to sing to hard? Just try singin out of tune, that's what I do
That's what I do
So now there's grass, cocaine, alcohol, and pills
Yeah they might even drag you under or help supplement your bills
It just depends what you need worse, be it the money or the thrills
Well, I could use both
Cuz it's been taxi, van, airport, bus, and trains
These days I can't much tell the difference
They all start to feel the same
Just close my eyes and rest my head right up against the window pane
Like a picture frame
Like a self portrait
So radio my folks
I think we're comin in on fumes
All this heavy cargo has just capsized our pontoon
Just tell the kitchen, tell the hallway, tell all the other rooms
I see ya soon
They'll see ya soon
I'll see ya soon
I'll see ya soon
(Stop, now stop)
In the song "Kitchen" by Michael Trent, the lyrics tell the story of a person who has been stuck in their house for too long, reminiscing on their past and present experiences. The first verse talks about sneaking out of the kitchen to sing in the hallway when their parents were gone. The second verse reflects on the changes they've seen in their life, from enemies turning into friends and back again, to catching up with old loved ones only to lose touch again. The third verse describes a girl named Suzie who breaks every heart in town, but the singer realizes that he doesn't mess with her much because he's moved on to other worries such as bills and wearing out his shoes.
Throughout the song, there's a sense of restlessness and yearning for something more. The lyrics mention chasing after sunsets and shooting at the moon, but ultimately it leads to drinking from the gutter and picking food out of the broom. The singer questions whether he's trying too hard or should just sing out of tune, and acknowledges the dangers of grass, cocaine, alcohol, and pills. Despite all of this, there's a sense of determination to keep pushing forward, to radio the folks that he's coming in on fumes, and to tell everyone in the kitchen, hallway, and other rooms that he'll see them soon.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've been stuck inside this house too long
I'm feeling confined and restless after staying indoors for too long
Well my parents used to catch me sneakin out when I was young
My parents used to catch me sneaking out when I was young
From the kitchen to the hallway where I used to sing my songs
I used to sing my songs in the kitchen and the hallway when my parents were gone
When they were gone
When my parents were not at home
But now I've seen so many things since then
Since then, I've had many experiences that have broadened my perspective
I've seen enemies turn to lovers and then just become good friends
I've witnessed people who were once enemies become romantically involved, only to later become close friends
I've caught up with some old loved ones
I've reconnected with some old friends and family members
And then I've just lost touch again
However, I have once again lost touch with some of those same people
Hey how you been?
This is a greeting to someone he has not seen in a while
I been travelin, rock and rollin
I've been performing as a musician while traveling
How you been?
This is a greeting to someone he has not seen in a while
I been workin, havin children
I've been busy working and raising children
Well all this chasin after sunsets, all this shootin at the moon
This refers to the pursuit of impossible dreams, like chasing sunsets or trying to shoot the moon
Got us drinkin from the gutter pickin food out of the broom
This line paints a picture of desperation – drinking from the gutter and picking food out of a broom
Well it ain't hard to second guess yourself
It's easy to doubt yourself
When you're dressin up a wound
This is a metaphor for concealing or covering up emotional pain
Ain't that the truth
This is a rhetorical statement that emphasizes the previous idea
Well Suzie's dressed up in her go-out shoes
Suzie is getting ready to go out for the evening
She takes a walk down by the water every time there's a full moon
Suzie has a habit of taking walks by the water during full moons
She's broken every heart in town
Many people in the town have been romantically involved with Suzie and have had their heart broken
If you haven't seen her moves you'll see em soon, yep
This line refers to Suzie's flirting and seduction techniques
Oh but I don't mess with her much anyhow
He isn't interested in getting romantically involved with Suzie
Yeah, cuz girls like that were born to build you up and bring you down
He believes that women like Suzie have a pattern of building people up and then breaking them down
And besides, all of those old worries just don't bother me much now
He doesn't let old worries get to him anymore
Cuz I got new ones
He now has new worries to deal with
Tried and true ones
These are familiar worries that he has experienced before
Bills past due ones
He is now worried about overdue bills
Interest accrue ones
He's also worried about accumulating interest on unpaid bills
Hole in my shoe ones
This refers to the small yet irritating everyday problems that he's currently dealing with
Well all this schluppin down the highway, all these wasted afternoons
This line refers to the sense of aimlessness and wasted time he feels on long road trips
Got us askin lotta questions, hope to get an answer soon
This highlights how he spends much of his time asking questions in hopes of finding answers
Do you try to sing to hard? Just try singin out of tune, that's what I do
This is a metaphor for trying too hard in life – he suggests the solution is to just take it easy
So now there's grass, cocaine, alcohol, and pills
He's been experimenting with various substances to cope with stress and pain
Yeah they might even drag you under or help supplement your bills
He recognizes that these substances can have negative effects on his life, but he still uses them to cope
It just depends what you need worse, be it the money or the thrills
This illustrates how sometimes we are willing to do undesirable things for money or pleasure
Cuz it's been taxi, van, airport, bus, and trains
This line refers to the different modes of transportation he's taken while traveling as a musician
These days I can't much tell the difference
He's become so accustomed to traveling that it's all starting to feel the same
Just close my eyes and rest my head right up against the window pane
He's so used to traveling that he's able to find comfort and rest while on the road
Like a picture frame
He likens the window to a picture frame, framing the world outside his vehicle
Like a self portrait
He sees himself reflected in the window as if it were a self-portrait
So radio my folks
This line refers to communicating with his family back home
I think we're comin in on fumes
He's running low on fuel and may not make it to his destination
All this heavy cargo has just capsized our pontoon
This line refers to the stress and weight of life's burdens – they have the potential to capsize one's boat
Just tell the kitchen, tell the hallway, tell all the other rooms
He's telling his family to tell everyone he's coming home soon
I see ya soon
This is a farewell, expressing that he'll see everyone soon
They'll see ya soon
This line refers to the reciprocated sentiment of his friends and family, who look forward to seeing him soon
I'll see ya soon
This is yet another farewell, expressing his own desire to see his loved ones soon
(Stop, now stop)
This is part of the chorus, which repeats several times throughout the song
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Michael Trent Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cotafloata
wow, this is freaking awesome. one of my favorite songs ever.
CARYANNHEARST
Austin, thanks for all the documentation. What would i do with out you.