Shivaree was a three-person American band formed in 1999 consisting of Ambr… Read Full Bio ↴Shivaree was a three-person American band formed in 1999 consisting of Ambrosia Parsley (vocals), Danny McGough (keyboards), and Duke McVinnie (guitar). They produced four full-length albums (only two of which enjoyed a North American release due to contract disagreements) and have approximately 500,000 combined sales to their name. They credit numerous other musicians in their work and are usually joined by two or three other collaborators when performing live. Their song Goodnight Moon was used in the Quentin Tarantino movie 'Kill Bill Vol. 2.'

Their final album, a collection of covers, was released in 2007, after which they disbanded.

Idiot Waltz
Shivaree Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What have I done with the baby tonight
Every one wants to play
The phone just stopped ringing
I forgot how to sing and
There's no more room in the table

Heard you all talking and toasting last night
But somebody's just barely there

The kitchen's too hot and she's roasting alright
And I miss my usual chair

Here comes that shine looks a lot like your eye
And here comes the moon like a fool
There goes my heart I swear I dreamt
This part like idiots usually do
Why we do that now you know it's true

Come over here and wind up my ear
'Cause somebody wants me brand new
They say if you're smart

Then you won't buy used parts
So I'm glad you're an idiot too

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Shivaree's "Idiot Waltz" are quite eclectic, and can be interpreted in different ways. The first stanza is a stream of consciousness, where the singer questions what she has done with the baby, everything is bustling with activity, the phone isn't ringing anymore, she feels lost and forgotten, and there's no space for new things in her life. The second stanza seems to refer to a gathering or a party that happened the night before, where the singer heard people talking and toasting, but somebody was barely present. She also comments on the heat of the kitchen and how she misses her usual chair.

The third stanza uses poetic and surreal imagery, where the singer mentions the shine that looks like someone's eye, the moon that's coming, and her heart that's escaping her. She then acknowledges that what she's experiencing is something that "idiots usually do," and she wonders why humans act that way. She ends the song by asking someone to come "wind up her ear," implying that she wants to listen to something new, and that even though people say that we should always buy new things, she's glad she's an idiot too.

Overall, the song seems to be about the fleeting nature of life, the futility of chasing after new things, and the beauty of being an "idiot" who enjoys the simple pleasures of existence. The lyrics can be seen as a critique of society's fixation on materialism and achievement, and a call to embrace one's own quirks and imperfections. The use of surreal and dream-like imagery adds an air of mystery and whimsy to the song, inviting the listener to come up with their own interpretation of the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

What have I done with the baby tonight
I am worried about what I have done with the child tonight

Every one wants to play
Everyone is eager to have fun

The phone just stopped ringing
The phone has finally stopped ringing

I forgot how to sing and
I have lost the ability to sing

There's no more room in the table
The table is completely filled and has no more space

Heard you all talking and toasting last night
I overheard you all talking and raising toasts last night

But somebody's just barely there
However, there was someone who was barely present there

The kitchen's too hot and she's roasting alright
The kitchen is too hot and she is sweating profusely

And I miss my usual chair
I miss sitting in my usual chair

Here comes that shine looks a lot like your eye
There comes a shine which looks very much like your eye

And here comes the moon like a fool
And there comes the moon which looks foolish

There goes my heart I swear I dreamt
My heart skips a beat, I swear I had a dream

This part like idiots usually do
This part of the dream was silly, like how foolish people usually behave

Why we do that now you know it's true
I wonder why we behave like that, now you know it's true

Come over here and wind up my ear
Come over here and whisper sweet nothings in my ear

'Cause somebody wants me brand new
Because someone desires me to be completely new

They say if you're smart
People say that if you're intelligent

Then you won't buy used parts
You won't purchase anything that has previously been owned

So I'm glad you're an idiot too
Therefore, I am happy that you are also foolish like me

Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AMBROSIA NICOLE PARSLEY, DUKE MCVINNIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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