Motel Motel is a history of rock youth in a blender. They croon in the spir… Read Full Bio ↴Motel Motel is a history of rock youth in a blender. They croon in the spirit of an old country ballad, but one careening through the tunnels and avenues of their home base, New York City. Formed there in the fall of 2006, they honed their music in garages, kitchens, and basements until the February of the next year found them playing their first shows across the city and surrounding states. Received with open arms both by claustrophobic bars in the Lower East Side and the skyline-painted barns of Richmond VA, they find peace in their dualities. Home for them is not the city; they hail from four distinct corners of the United States: Denver, Hawaii, Albany, and Virginia. For them, country rock is not the antiquated charm of the past, nor is rock and roll a commercialized beast of the present—rather both are the same: a desperate, loud rattling of America’s motel rooms and their cloistered road warriors. In early May, Motel Motel recorded the EP Old York at a scattering of studios, including Midtown Sound, UCC Studios, Jewett Sound, and others, and finished mixing at Sub Terra Engel Studios in Albany. The disc still warm in their hands, they headed out on an 11-date cross-country tour, from Boston to Denver. Now living in Colorado and currently recording their first LP, New Denver, they are cleaning the life of the road from their bodies. They are preparing to meet all of America, and hope to eventually find their home.

mountain
Motel Motel Lyrics

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I want to follow you home
If you are walking alone in my neighborhood
Oh no I'm not insecure
Two stops to the methadone clinic is all I'm really asking for
But that system is flawed
We can do terrible terrible things
If you believe and I keep believing
That the system is flawed

Well we already have

Where were you when I was young?
When I could still fall in love with anyone
Oh no and I'm not really sure
Two stops to the methadone clinic is all I am really asking for
That the system is flawed
We already have

I'm not new to this thing's leaking
We can't sleep and we can't eat yet
And everyone around me is walking so fast I can't keep up
A little bit of me is gonna leave you so I have to beat this
And that little thing comes so close that we wont ever be friends
(I wanted to occupy, everyone, but not anyone)
(I occupied anyone who came close, take me home, from the cold, from the coast, take me home)

Every time I assume she's messing around
Every time I look she has her eyes closed
She's a tap tap women gonna by my time
She's a tap tap woman gonna keep me awake at night

I'm not new to this thing's leaking
We can't sleep and we cant eat yet
And everyone around me is walking so fast I can't keep up
A little bit of me is gonna leave you so I have to beat this
And that little thing comes so close that we wont ever be friends
(I wanted to occupy, everyone, but not anyone)
(I occupied anyone who came close, take me home, from the cold, from the coast, take me home)

(Ill wait for you, a little while, you let me in, I let it die)
(Some where is a town where the roads are paved violets and people sleep thousands years of their sadness)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Motel Motel's song "Mountain" are complex and multidimensional, touching on themes of addiction, vulnerability, and flawed systems. At its core, the song is about the desire for connection and the ways in which we can be let down by the people and systems around us. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer expressing a desire to follow someone home in order to feel less alone in their neighborhood. They acknowledge their own insecurity and ask for a few stops at the methadone clinic, hinting at a possible addiction issue. However, they also recognize that the system is flawed and that terrible things can happen when we place our trust in it.

The chorus expands on the idea of flawed systems and missed opportunities for connection. The singer asks, "Where were you when I was young?" implying that they have been let down in the past by people who could have been there for them. They repeat the lines about the methadone clinic, emphasizing the desperation in their desire for connection. They end the chorus by stating that "the system is flawed, we already have," suggesting that they have experienced the negative consequences of flawed systems firsthand.

The song's verses are full of vivid imagery and introspective musings. The lines "I'm not new to this thing's leaking" suggest that the singer has experience with addiction and the ways in which it can affect relationships. They describe feeling disconnected from the people around them, unable to keep up with the speed of the world. The line "A little bit of me is gonna leave you so I have to beat this" touches on the theme of vulnerability and the fear of losing oneself in addiction. The song ends with a series of enigmatic lines that suggest a longing for a better life and a sense of hope that it can be achieved in some other place.

Line by Line Meaning

I want to follow you home
I want to accompany you to your destination if you're alone in my vicinity

If you are walking alone in my neighborhood
I want to walk with you if you're present in my locale and there is no one accompanying you

Oh no I'm not insecure
I have no self-doubts or fears

Two stops to the methadone clinic is all I'm really asking for
I'm only asking for a short trip to a methadone clinic in order to receive treatment

But that system is flawed
The system of drug and addiction treatment needs improvement

We can do terrible terrible things
Misuse of drugs can lead us to perform actions we will later regret

If you believe and I keep believing
If we have faith in each other we can overcome difficulties

That the system is flawed
The drug addiction treatment system needs improvement

Well we already have
We have already committed mistakes due to flaws in the system

Where were you when I was young?
When I was young and open to love, where were you?

When I could still fall in love with anyone
During an earlier period in my life, I was prepared to fall in love with almost anyone

Oh no and I'm not really sure
I truly don't have a clear idea of what I want

Two stops to the methadone clinic is all I am really asking for
All I need is a quick trip to a methadone clinic for treatment

That the system is flawed
The drug addiction treatment system is in need of reformation

We already have
As a result of flaws in the system, we've already made irreparable mistakes

I'm not new to this thing's leaking
I'm experienced with things that show signs of breaking down or failing

We can't sleep and we can't eat yet
We're too anxious or preoccupied to eat or sleep

And everyone around me is walking so fast I can't keep up
The people near me are moving so swiftly I can't keep pace

A little bit of me is gonna leave you so I have to beat this
I'm going to leave you in some way and so I have to overcome my personal problems

And that little thing comes so close that we wont ever be friends
That minor detail is so significant to me that we'll never be close friends

(I wanted to occupy, everyone, but not anyone)
I wanted to be around everybody, but no one in particular

(I occupied anyone who came close, take me home, from the cold, from the coast, take me home)
I spent time with anyone who was nearby, seeking solace from the cold evidence of life's hardships

(Ill wait for you, a little while, you let me in, I let it die)
I'll wait for you, only for a brief amount of time, if you let me stay with you, I'll let our relationship end anyway

(Some where is a town where the roads are paved violets and people sleep thousands years of their sadness)
An imaginative, mythical town exists where the roads are marked with violets and the people have slept for a millennium, dreaming away their sorrows

Contributed by Abigail J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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