Once Around the Weekend
Paul Westerberg Lyrics
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They try but I won`t speak
To be my friends
You`ll see me once I`m on the mend
Oh man once around the weekend
Oh man once around the weekend
I watch myself fall apart
There goes another round the bend
I gotta sweep this floor again
Well I won`t go out to relax
And if you look hard you might see my tracks
They call and try and be my friends
I gotta sweep this floor again
Oh man
Oh man
The lyrics of Paul Westerberg's "Once Around the Weekend" portray someone who is struggling to connect with the outside world. The singer of the song is a loner who stays inside every night, despite the efforts of others to coax them out. The lyrics "They try but I won't speak, To be my friends, You'll see me once I'm on the mend" encapsulate this feeling of social isolation.
The chorus of the song, "Oh man once around the weekend, Oh man once around the weekend," seems to suggest that the singer is holding out hope for the weekend, when they might finally let loose and have some fun. However, it's clear from the verses that this hope is tenuous at best. As the lyrics "I watch myself fall apart, I watch the rabbits in my yard, There goes another round the bend" indicate, the singer is feeling increasingly disconnected from reality.
The constant refrain of "I gotta sweep this floor again" adds to this sense of futility and repetition. The line is almost comically mundane, but it speaks to a deeper sense of frustration and lack of purpose. Overall, the lyrics of "Once Around the Weekend" are a poignant reminder of the ways in which we can become trapped in our own heads and alienated from the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I stay in every night of the week
I isolate myself from the world and avoid going out at night.
They try but I won't speak
Even if people try to engage in conversation with me, I prefer to stay quiet, as I have nothing to say.
To be my friends
People try to befriend me, but I never let them come too close.
You'll see me once I'm on the mend
I only come back around when I'm feeling better and more like myself again.
Oh man once around the weekend
I only allow myself to let loose and have fun once a week, as that's all the energy I can muster.
I watch myself fall apart
I observe myself slowly breaking down emotionally and mentally.
I watch the rabbits in my yard
I find solace in observing the simple and innocent lives of animals in my yard.
There goes another round the bend
I witness another thing in my life spiraling out of control and it feels overwhelming.
I gotta sweep this floor again
I have to keep busy with mundane tasks to keep my mind off of my struggles and to feel productive.
Well I won't go out to relax
I don't take time to unwind because it makes me feel anxious and restless.
And if you look hard you might see my tracks
My presence is hard to detect because I'm rarely out in public.
They call and try and be my friends
People make attempts to contact me and establish a friendship, but I don't reciprocate.
I gotta sweep this floor again
I return to my menial chores to give myself some sense of order and purpose.
Oh man
The struggles of daily life feel oppressive and overwhelming.
Oh man
The repetition of my routine reinforces how stuck and unhappy I feel.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL WESTERBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind