Separate Songs
Restorations Lyrics
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To give this stupid thing the time that it deserves
I heard a proud few when the windows were gone
All singing the same time to separate songs
Bathed in blue fabric ablaze in the western sky
Nine arms-length airport arrival snapshots
You said you worry about me leaving
Flat tire in the rain on a late last-call train
You said you're sympathetic to some mumbled movement
All singing the same time to separate songs
All singing the same time to separate songs
All singing the same time to separate songs
All singing the same time to separate songs
Imagine that focus in real life
Imagine going outside
Imagine not waiting for something to come along
Imagine that focus in real life
Imagine going outside
To hear the sweet sound of separate songs
Your forehead up against the frozen subway glass
The neon "next stop" light blinks "maybe next year"
The lyrics of Restorations' song "Separate Songs" are a reflection on disconnection in relationships, missed opportunities, and the futility of trying to bring people together. The opening lines describe a sense of frustration and helplessness at being unable to give the attention and time required to make things work. The singer then recounts a memory of a group of people singing together, but all with their own songs and their own perspectives, symbolizing the difficulty of bringing people together on the same page.
The lyrics then shift to a series of disconnected snapshots, seemingly from a relationship that is failing, or one that is unable to connect in the way that is needed. The images are disjointed, from a flat tire in the rain to an airport arrival and a frozen subway window. These disparate experiences are connected by the sense of missed connection between the two people involved; one worries about leaving, while the other is already gone.
The refrain reinforces the idea that people can sing together, but still be singing separate songs. The repetitions hammer home the idea of the disconnection, even as they suggest a communal experience. The song then ends with a plea to imagine a life where there is real connection - where people don't just wait for something to come along, but actively seek out the sweet sound of separate songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Condemned to be forever unable
Forever cursed to not be able
To give this stupid thing the time that it deserves
To not give this thing the attention it requires
I heard a proud few when the windows were gone
I heard the few who were proud when the windows were open
All singing the same time to separate songs
All singing together but with different voices
Bathed in blue fabric ablaze in the western sky
Covered in blue fabric and surrounded by sunset
Nine arms-length airport arrival snapshots
Nine pictures of airport arrivals taken from afar
You said you worry about me leaving
You express concern about me departing
Well, I fear I'm already gone
I am afraid I have already left
Flat tire in the rain on a late last-call train
Tire punctured on a train during the late hours while raining
You said you're sympathetic to some mumbled movement
You claim to be understanding of some unclear actions
All singing the same time to separate songs
All harmonize but with different tunes
Imagine that focus in real life
Visualize that level of concentration in reality
Imagine going outside
Envision going outdoors
Imagine not waiting for something to come along
Envision not waiting for things to happen
Imagine that focus in real life
Visualize that level of concentration in reality
Imagine going outside
Envision going outdoors
To hear the sweet sound of separate songs
To listen to the melodious tunes of different sounds
Your forehead up against the frozen subway glass
Your forehead against the icy subway window
The neon "next stop" light blinks "maybe next year"
The neon light displaying "next stop" flickers with "maybe next year"
Contributed by Elena W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@williammccoy9188
TL;DR : Sad, melancholy song about when you go through something hard but can't express it openly and are caught within the hollow shell of dictated propensity when you'd rather live free and rage at your turmoil.
There's so much to this song and video both that it's hard to describe in one coherent thought. Without even taking the lyrics into consideration the video speaks volumes. We see a young man, age range bordering on the end of entering into adulthood, alone in this grandiose house surrounded by myriad baubles and knick-nacks that serve no purpose but to exemplify wealth and stature as well as participating in actions that require more than one person to truly enact said action (e.g. playing tennis, shuffle board etc.). The one that hits me hardest is the series of shots of the game closet with all those family board games and then we see the man playing, reserved and quiet in the corner with an Etch-a-Sketch. There is such a longing and loneliness to all the subtle activities and movements that the man does that are so poignantly juxtaposed to the violent, brash movements of the band members in the background/foreground as they and the man tend to switch positions form time to time. The band and the man seem to be one and the same, just different expressions of one mind dealing with some unspoken catastrophe/emotional turmoil, the man being the calm, cool surface that is required of such a glamorous, urbane setting that is shown in the video while the band represents the unmitigated rage and angst that the man must feel at this time, at the indiscriminate event, at someone else, at himself, at all of these things and more. The lyrics continue to express this with very simplistic phrases that once again evoke a sense of deep contemplation in random moments in time such as
"Nine arms-length airport arrival snapshots
You said you worry about me leaving
I fear I’m already gone
Flat tire in the rain
On a late last-call train
You said you’re sympathetic to some mumbled movement"
which seems to be hinting at a problematic situation between two parties that is now being contemplated in retrospect by the man (who was part of said situation; overall this seems like a song about remembering a hard relationship of hollowness that was fought only on one side and the miasma of emotions the side that fought [i.e. the man] now feels in the future after everything is said and done) and how in very bleak, non-descriptive moments memories will come rushing back to the man unannounced when he least expects them, such as when one has to change a flat tire in the rain or narrowly boarding a last minute train to a far-off land that you have no idea about what is in store for you. The strongest lyric is obviously the loudest "Imagine that focus in real life", maybe commenting on how so much time and effort went into creating the lavish house and all that resided in it, but functionally (and in my opinion objectively) serves no purpose but for show and status (also perhaps commenting on the possibility again of a relationship gone bad where one side focused too heavily on appearances and thus forget to give the realtionship substance) when all that power, passion and devotion could've been applied to TRULY living, sitting down and REALLY talking with the ones you love, "imagine going outside to hear the sweet sound of separate songs" that crash and discord against each other, but make everything that much more beautiful and intrinsic in life. But, ultimately, we are left with the somber line
"The neon “next stop” light blinks “maybe next year”"
suggesting that the man is caught in this torture and can't escape for now and must thus endure the pain and hardship he finds himself in, that the light at the end of his tunnel has turned out to be nothing more than false hope and so he must remain in his magnificent, hollow shell of the "good life".
Then again, that's just what I think.
@EVILKIMMELSSP
This song is the Millenial Anthem they missed.
@dylgibson
I just need you guys to know how significant this song is. It really resonates. It's forever embedded in my life's soundtrack.
@Ryan_hey
i love the restrain yet screaming notes & blurting chords... holding in then thrusting with everything they got. subtle yet heavy at the same time. good clean tone, love it.
@DeliaCore
Love these guys. They really are able to put a fresh feeling to a style of rock and punk that has seemed very worn out as of late.
@cloudcollector83
I love this video/song so much it's ridiculous. One of my top 5 videos this year for sure. For some reason I wish the scene with the band playing on the tennis court had been longer. The setting would've been perfect for a proper full band scene.
@rockstarwr89
I can't get enough of that howling feedback in this beast.
@williammccoy9188
TL;DR : Sad, melancholy song about when you go through something hard but can't express it openly and are caught within the hollow shell of dictated propensity when you'd rather live free and rage at your turmoil.
There's so much to this song and video both that it's hard to describe in one coherent thought. Without even taking the lyrics into consideration the video speaks volumes. We see a young man, age range bordering on the end of entering into adulthood, alone in this grandiose house surrounded by myriad baubles and knick-nacks that serve no purpose but to exemplify wealth and stature as well as participating in actions that require more than one person to truly enact said action (e.g. playing tennis, shuffle board etc.). The one that hits me hardest is the series of shots of the game closet with all those family board games and then we see the man playing, reserved and quiet in the corner with an Etch-a-Sketch. There is such a longing and loneliness to all the subtle activities and movements that the man does that are so poignantly juxtaposed to the violent, brash movements of the band members in the background/foreground as they and the man tend to switch positions form time to time. The band and the man seem to be one and the same, just different expressions of one mind dealing with some unspoken catastrophe/emotional turmoil, the man being the calm, cool surface that is required of such a glamorous, urbane setting that is shown in the video while the band represents the unmitigated rage and angst that the man must feel at this time, at the indiscriminate event, at someone else, at himself, at all of these things and more. The lyrics continue to express this with very simplistic phrases that once again evoke a sense of deep contemplation in random moments in time such as
"Nine arms-length airport arrival snapshots
You said you worry about me leaving
I fear I’m already gone
Flat tire in the rain
On a late last-call train
You said you’re sympathetic to some mumbled movement"
which seems to be hinting at a problematic situation between two parties that is now being contemplated in retrospect by the man (who was part of said situation; overall this seems like a song about remembering a hard relationship of hollowness that was fought only on one side and the miasma of emotions the side that fought [i.e. the man] now feels in the future after everything is said and done) and how in very bleak, non-descriptive moments memories will come rushing back to the man unannounced when he least expects them, such as when one has to change a flat tire in the rain or narrowly boarding a last minute train to a far-off land that you have no idea about what is in store for you. The strongest lyric is obviously the loudest "Imagine that focus in real life", maybe commenting on how so much time and effort went into creating the lavish house and all that resided in it, but functionally (and in my opinion objectively) serves no purpose but for show and status (also perhaps commenting on the possibility again of a relationship gone bad where one side focused too heavily on appearances and thus forget to give the realtionship substance) when all that power, passion and devotion could've been applied to TRULY living, sitting down and REALLY talking with the ones you love, "imagine going outside to hear the sweet sound of separate songs" that crash and discord against each other, but make everything that much more beautiful and intrinsic in life. But, ultimately, we are left with the somber line
"The neon “next stop” light blinks “maybe next year”"
suggesting that the man is caught in this torture and can't escape for now and must thus endure the pain and hardship he finds himself in, that the light at the end of his tunnel has turned out to be nothing more than false hope and so he must remain in his magnificent, hollow shell of the "good life".
Then again, that's just what I think.
@tlm315
William McCoy Wow...dont think i could have explained any better then that....from what i seen and heard by the video ,is pretty much how i see it the same way......thanks for putting it into words...great band great video
@NickSena
William McCoy TL;DR just watch the video
@johnkomar5855
bravo