Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, Seaweed was one of those 1990s bands that … Read Full Bio ↴Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, Seaweed was one of those 1990s bands that combined elements of driving punk and rock sound with emotional vocals and catchy melodies. They were signed to Hollywood at one time, and have released five full-length albums and multiple singles over the span of their career. Seaweed's musical agenda was close to the 90s post hardcore scene, with contemporaries such as. Samiam, Jawbreaker, and tourmates Superchunk and Quicksand. They were well-known for their cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Go Your Own Way' which appeared in the movie Clerks.

Live, Seaweed were a full-on rock experience, a bouncing, bounding post-hardcore rock outfit who combined double fast melodic punk with crunching guitars.

Clean Slate
Seaweed Lyrics

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talk to you on the telephone
she lives at least 3000 miles away
you came in the light wasn't on
stare at me with flat dismay

smile
scream
always so extreme

your slate's far from clean
to step away just now
your slate's far from clean
always running out

drop a line
and try to reassuer
it's not a contest to see favors weigh
counting dimes is such an awful bore
escape the argument i'll pay

smile
scream
lose all self-esteem

smile
scream
not listening

at the start i'm sure i instigated
my sense of timing never keen
for sake of sight

we'd better find an ending
it's mych to late to be this mean

Overall Meaning

The song "Clean Slate" by Seaweed is about a person who is trying to break away from a toxic relationship that is draining them emotionally. The person is trying to communicate with their partner who lives far away but is met with silence or negative reactions every time they try to reach out. The partner's actions are extreme, leaving the person confused and hurt. The person acknowledges that their partner's slate is far from clean and that they are always running away from their problems rather than facing them.

The chorus of the song is a combination of conflicting emotions - the person is smiling on the outside but screaming on the inside due to the constant turmoil caused by their partner. The partner's behavior has caused the person to lose all their self-esteem and they are no longer able to listen to what their partner has to say. The person realizes that they may have played a role in instigating the problems, but they need to end the relationship before things get too mean.

Line by Line Meaning

talk to you on the telephone
I communicate with you through phone conversations

she lives at least 3000 miles away
Distance separates us significantly

you came in the light wasn't on
You entered the room when the lights were not on

stare at me with flat dismay
You look at me with an expressionless feeling of disappointment

smile
You smile

scream
You shout loudly

always so extreme
You tend to act in an excessive or exaggerated manner

your slate's far from clean
You have a history of bad behavior

to step away just now
It is better to leave now

always running out
You have a habit of avoiding responsibility

drop a line
To send a casual message