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International Departures
Stapleton Lyrics
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Spell out desperation.
Maybe this time I'll keep,
Apologies to a minimum,
Stick with the charade.
Keep your smiles in my pocket,
Let you make the mistakes,
Let me be the last to forget.
I read my diary,
Remembered how you made me feel.
Two separate points,
Two separate points.
In my head my hands,
Didn't quite cry,
Had an overwhelming urge to die.
This is a formal goodbye,
Doesn't really mean anything.
Nineteen ninety-seven,
Was never really worth re-living.
Today is an anniversary,
Share in our despair,
Laugh at our inability to forget.
I read my diary,
Remembered how you made me feel.
Two separate points,
Two separate points.
The lyrics of Stapleton's song International Departures suggest a complex emotional state. The imagery of "please stay stains" on the hands implies that the singer has been begging someone not to leave them. However, the line "stick with the charade" suggests that the singer is also pretending that everything is fine, perhaps because they fear that acknowledging their desperation will only push the other person further away. The line "let you make the mistakes" could be interpreted as the singer accepting that their relationship has reached a point where it's bound to fail, and they are just waiting for the other person to make the final move.
The second verse takes a turn towards reminiscing about the past. The singer reads their diary and remembers the way the other person made them feel. The lines "two separate points" suggest that their memories are in conflict - on the one hand, they remember the positive emotions they once felt, but on the other hand, they are now overwhelmed with the desire to die. The following stanza is a bittersweet acknowledgment of the passage of time. The singer reflects on a specific year ("nineteen ninety-seven") and recognizes that it was not worth reliving. The phrase "today is an anniversary, share in our despair" suggests that the singer is aware that there might be others who are experiencing similar feelings. The line "laugh at our inability to forget" carries a hint of self-deprecation - the singer is aware that they haven't been able to move on from the past, but also seems to accept that this is simply a part of the human condition.
Overall, the lyrics of International Departures suggest a complicated mix of emotions, including desperation, nostalgia, and resignation. The singer is aware of their own variable moods, but is also willing to share them with others who might be feeling the same way.
Line by Line Meaning
The please stay stains on my hands,
The marks left on my hands from begging you to stay signify my desperation to make you stay with me.
Spell out desperation.
The stains symbolize the desperation I felt to prevent you from leaving me.
Maybe this time I'll keep,
I hope that this time around, I won't have to apologize as much.
Apologies to a minimum,
I'll try to minimize the amount of times I have to say sorry.
Stick with the charade.
For now, we'll continue pretending that everything is okay between us.
Keep your smiles in my pocket,
I'll hold onto your happy memories so that I can remember the good times we had together.
Let you make the mistakes,
I'll give you the freedom to make errors and learn from them.
Let me be the last to forget.
I want to remember every moment we spent together, even if it means being the last one to hold onto the memories.
I read my diary,
I revisited old entries in my journal.
Remembered how you made me feel.
The words I wrote allowed me to recall how you once made me feel happy and loved.
Two separate points,
The present and the past are two distinct moments in time.
Two separate points.
The contrasts between our happy memories and the sad reality of our current situation are incredibly sharp.
In my head my hands,
My thoughts are in conflict with my actions.
Didn't quite cry,
I didn't cry, but I felt like I was about to.
Had an overwhelming urge to die.
I felt an inexplicable burden of pain and sadness.
This is a formal goodbye,
This is a heartfelt farewell.
Doesn't really mean anything.
However, this goodbye doesn't have much weight since it seems like we're already too far gone to repair our relationship.
Nineteen ninety-seven,
This is a reference to a specific year, which could represent a momentous event from the past or a happier time in their relationship.
Was never really worth re-living.
However, dwelling on the past will not solve our current issues.
Today is an anniversary,
Today marks a significant occasion for us (perhaps a relationship anniversary).
Share in our despair,
We can bond over our shared negative experiences and emotions.
Laugh at our inability to forget.
We can find solace in the fact that we both still have trouble moving on from our past relationship.
Contributed by Adalyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sunshaped
thanks for the upload and for sharing it with the wide world. this was one of the best songs to have come out in the early 00s, and it still holds up amazingly well. they were a great band.
andrew paul
nice taste, including new end original even. haha. liked it.