Met You At The Bottom
Murray McLauchlan Lyrics
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The white haze fired up your brain
And you laughed like hell at somethin' nobody else could see
And you weren't home to explain
You weren't home to explain
Everybody loves a loser
They want to see him pay his dues
But they don't want him to stand in his shoes
They don't want him to stand in his shoes
I watched you heart subsiding
The angels in you couldn't stand the pace
Stone statues with dark faces now stood in their place
Now stood in their place
Everybody loves a loser
They want to see him pay his dues
Everybody loves a loser
But they don't want him to stand in his shoes
They don't want him to stand in his shoes
They found you on the ground one morning
Dead soldier laying by your side
And wondered who it was they tried to kid
When they said you almost died
When they said you almost died
The lyrics to Murray McLauchlan's song "Met You At The Bottom" are truly poignant and emotive. The song tells a story of observing someone who is struggling with addiction and is slowly losing themselves to it - all the while, other people only see the person's circumstances and create their own stories. In the opening lines, the singer describes watching the person light matches and how their laughter seems to be coming from somewhere deeper, somewhere only they can see. The person's addiction has taken over their life; they're not even home to explain or comfort anyone. It's a sad reality, but it's one that happens daily to so many.
The chorus of the song drives a point home: people love a loser but only from afar. The world watches them as they fall, relishing the spectacle, but they disappear from view when the loser tries to stand back up. They don't want the responsibility of being there for the person they've watched fall--they just want to see them remain down. In the final verse, the person who the singer once observed has passed away, and even in death, people still engage in the lies they told themselves when they were alive.
Overall, "Met You At The Bottom" is a poignant song about addiction, judgment, and the human tendency to revel in other people's misfortune. It's a haunting reminder of how often we don't acknowledge the people in our lives who are struggling with addiction until it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
I watched your lightnin' matches at you table
I observed you lighting matches at your table
The white haze fired up your brain
The smoke from the matches gave you a high
And you laughed like hell at somethin' nobody else could see
You found amusement in something that wasn't apparent to others
And you weren't home to explain
You weren't available to give details or reasons for your behavior
Everybody loves a loser
People are attracted to those who have faced hardship or loss
They want to see him pay his dues
They want to see him suffer consequences for his actions
But they don't want him to stand in his shoes
However, they don't want him to face the same struggles as he did before
I watched you heart subsiding
I saw your heart weakening or diminishing
The angels in you couldn't stand the pace
The good or better part of you couldn't endure what was happening
Stone statues with dark faces now stood in their place
They were replaced by unmoving, cold and severe versions of themselves
They found you on the ground one morning
They discovered you laying on the ground one day
Dead soldier laying by your side
There was a dead bottle (soldier) lying next to you
And wondered who it was they tried to kid
They questioned who they were attempting to deceive
When they said you almost died
When they claimed you nearly passed away
Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
brianrjoseph@post.harvard.edu
on Out Past The Timberline
A really insightful and soulful piece on the rural heart - make that soul - of the Canadian character.