In 1995, a group of twee schoolboy punks, Polarboy, began getting firmly up… Read Full Bio ↴In 1995, a group of twee schoolboy punks, Polarboy, began getting firmly up the collective nose of the Nashville white-soul cognoscenti. Much more loathed than loved, and revelling in their outsider status, Polarboy attracted a dense little coterie of followers in the United States of America who duly set up a nationwide tour funded by busking, and the refrigerators of those fans' generous parents. Driven half-mental by their experiences the group came home, ditched their indie twiddling and embarked upon a new course of songwriting so sickeningly mainstream that it led to a long career being spoilt stupid by the radio and recording industries of the English speaking world. Limos to the private jet, ponds full of money, week-long parties in Beverly Hills, that sort of thing. By 2002 the thing had run it's cliched course; the group's fortunes were dwindling and, dropped by a record label that had gone out of business, the band members put the band into cryogenic suspension and set about writing two LPs; a Pol Buckingham Alone affair and an entirely different Joe Nawrocki electronic pop masterpiece.

Polarboy can currently be found airing live to pained looking crowds of people in dingy basements. When forced by penury, politeness or acute fear they can sometimes also be heard to trawl out tired versions of their withered hits. Look for Polarboy's new album due out in late 2008.

In My Shoes
Polarboy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How could you start by breaking my only heart
In two when all I want was you?
What could you mean by crushing my feelings
In spite of what you said the last few weeks
You said the last few weeks
You said the last few weeks to me

CHORUS(*):

Why, why, why, did I listen to the lie that
you would be with me to the end?
Cause at the first sight of my cross you took flight
Like a child would've run from a cain
Running from the pain, running from the pain

CHORUS:
What would you do, sha la la, in my shoes?
Don't make me choose between you two cause
I won't compromise, if one's to lose it surely would be you

So make your stand, draw your line in the sand
And hope that you'll be happy where you land
After you draw your line and you're on the other side
I'm afraid that we will have to say good-bye
We'll have to say good-bye, we'll have to say good-bye tonight

CHORUS(*):
Why, why, why, did you listen to the lie
that you couldn't live this kind of life?
Just give it one try, a little one day at a time
Then eventually you'll learn how to fly,
you'll learn how to fly, you'll learn how to fly

CHORUS

BRDIGE:
Sha la la, in my shoes, don't make me
choose between you two cause
I won't compromise, if one's to lose
it surely would be, surely would be you

It surely would be, surely would be you
It surely would be, surely would be you
It surely would be, surely would be you

Why, why, why?
Why, why, why?

Maybe you'll learn how to fly

You'll learn how to fly
Maybe someday you will learn to fly

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Polarboy's song "In My Shoes" convey the emotions of heartbreak and betrayal. The singer questions why their love interest would willingly break their heart despite having claimed to love them for the last few weeks. The chorus speaks of the singer's regret, questioning why they had believed the lies of their love interest that they'd stick around through thick and thin. The chorus uses the metaphor of a person running away from a cane to describe how the love interest essentially ran away from the relationship at the first sign of trouble. The singer implores the love interest to imagine what it's like to be in their shoes before making any decisions on how to proceed. They refuse to compromise and make it clear that if someone has to lose, it will undoubtedly be the love interest.

The bridge section ends the song by again alluding to the possibility of flying, a metaphor for taking a risk to make things work. By this point, it seems clear that the singer believes the love interest never had any intention of being with them for the long haul and is trying to console themselves by thinking that someday they will inevitably learn to fly.

In summary, "In My Shoes" is a ballad of heartbreak and regret, featuring lyrics full of vivid metaphors.

Line by Line Meaning

How could you start by breaking my only heart
Asking in disbelief how someone they loved could hurt them so badly by breaking their heart

In two when all I want was you?
Wondering how their love interest could leave them so heartbroken when all they wanted was to be with them

What could you mean by crushing my feelings
Questioning why their love interest would go out of their way to hurt their feelings

In spite of what you said the last few weeks
Acknowledging that their love interest had said certain things that led them to believe they wouldn't be hurt, making their current situation even more confusing

You said the last few weeks
Reiterating that their love interest had given them hope in the previous weeks

You said the last few weeks to me
Emphasizing that their love interest had been the one to say certain things that now seemed insincere

Why, why, why, did I listen to the lie that you would be with me to the end?
Rhetorically questioning themselves for believing their love interest's lies about being committed to them

Cause at the first sight of my cross you took flight Like a child would've run from a cain Running from the pain, running from the pain
Comparing their love interest's reaction to them to a child running away from punishment, highlighting how quickly they gave up on the relationship

What would you do, sha la la, in my shoes?
Asking their love interest how they would feel if the situation was reversed

Don't make me choose between you two cause I won't compromise, if one's to lose it surely would be you
Telling their love interest that they won't put themselves in a position where they have to choose between them and something else because they know they would choose themselves over their love interest

So make your stand, draw your line in the sand And hope that you'll be happy where you land
Encouraging their love interest to make a decision and accept its consequences

After you draw your line and you're on the other side I'm afraid that we will have to say good-bye We'll have to say good-bye, we'll have to say good-bye tonight
Letting their love interest know that if they choose to walk away, there will be no going back

Why, why, why, did you listen to the lie that you couldn't live this kind of life?
Questioning why their love interest would give up on their love because of some perceived inability to sustain the relationship

Just give it one try, a little one day at a time Then eventually you'll learn how to fly, you'll learn how to fly, you'll learn how to fly
Encouraging their love interest to not give up on the relationship and instead work towards making it stronger

It surely would be, surely would be you
Repeating their earlier point that if someone has to lose in the scenario where they are forced to choose between their love interest and something else, it would be their love interest

Maybe you'll learn how to fly You'll learn how to fly Maybe someday you will learn to fly
Offering their love interest hope that they will eventually come around and make the relationship work, even though it seems unlikely now

Contributed by Bella W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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