Zedek moved to Boston in 1979, attending Boston University for one semester before deciding to pursue a musical career instead. Her first band, the all-female White Women, broke up after a couple years, and she formed the Dangerous Birds. This group had somewhat more success, including a single, "Smiling Face (Do you Recognize Me?)" that achieved airplay on college and alternative-commercial radio; but Zedek wanted a more "violent" sound in contrast to the somewhat "girlie pop" tendencies of her Dangerous Birds bandmates. Her next project, Uzi, worked to this aim, producing an EP "Sleep Asylum." The EP was characterized by elusive yet subtly menacing lyrics superimposed over lugubrious but driving instrumental tracks that featured layers of dense, murky yet muscular guitar arrangements blended with heady synthesizer and tape effects. But despite the promise of "Sleep Asylum", Uzi dissolved due to tension between Zedek and the band's drummer, Danny Lee.
She next took the role of primary vocalist for New York City's Live Skull, a band already well-established. While the album "Dusted," the first product of this collaboration, reflected an intense synergy between Zedek's vocal style and the complexly histrionic instrumental work of Live Skull, the followup "Positraction" floundered, and Live Skull also disbanded due to conflicts in 1990. By this time Zedek had also run into problems with regard to heroin addiction. Motivated to quit, she returned to Boston and the support of her friends. She soon cofounded Come, with former Codeine drummer Chris Brokaw. Here she had her biggest successes, releasing four albums before the group disbanded in 2001. That same year she also released Been Here And Gone, her first solo project. Zedek was also a participant in the 1998 Suffragette Sessions tour, organized by the Indigo Girls.
Despite limited commercial success, Zedek has been highly critically acclaimed throughout her career and has arguably been deeply influential within the indie-rock realm, particularly through her influence within the prolific Boston indie scene that has spawned so many noteworthy artists.
Temporary Guest
Thalia Zedek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To make a stand
But now my shoulder
I'm not that kind of person
You can tell me why
I ain't right
And tell me why you left
You can tell me what you thought I was
Creatures of habit
Are sleeping in my bed
They live long
They're real strong
And they don't need much rest
And if I don't sleep with them
I don't sleep
And you would never guess
That they were temporary guests
Who still haven't left
You know that I'm tryin
To make a plan
And road maps
That won't go back
As soon as I save some cash
But I'm not stuck here
And I don't fuck here
I'm not like all the rest
Just a temporary guest
That never left
Thalia Zedek's song "Temporary Guest" is a slow-paced ballad about a person who struggles to fit in and move on in life. The opening lines suggest that the singer is aware of the other person’s attempt to make a stand, but they are not interested in being a part of it. They seem to be distant and unwilling to offer emotional support, indicating that they are not that kind of person. Instead, they offer the other person the chance to express their feelings about why they left, what they thought the singer was like, and what they want to see happen next. The singer promises to destroy the other person's illusions about them, suggesting that they are not interested in maintaining any sort of relationship.
The song's chorus introduces the metaphor of "creatures of habit" living in the singer's bed. These habits appear to be comforting, but they are not permanent, and the singer is aware that without them, they cannot sleep. The repetition of the line "Who still haven't left" suggests that the singer is not interested in getting rid of them, but also cannot reconcile with the fact that they will eventually have to leave. The second verse suggests that the singer is trying to move on with their life by making plans and saving money. The line "But I'm not stuck here and I don't fuck here" implies that they are trying to establish some sort of independence or autonomy from previous relationships or living situations. The final line, "Just a temporary guest that never left," suggests that the singer sees themselves as passing through life, never fully committing to any one place or person.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that you're trying
I understand that you're making an effort to do something
To make a stand
To establish your position on a certain matter
But now my shoulder
But currently, I don't have the capacity to support you
I'm not that kind of person
I'm not the type of person who can help you out at the moment
You can tell me why
If you want, you can explain to me the reason behind your actions
I ain't right
I'm not doing well, mentally or emotionally
And tell me why you left
If you left, you can tell me why you made that decision
You can tell me what you thought I was
If you had a certain perception of me, you can share it with me
And I'll destroy the rest
I can handle any negative thoughts you had about me and let them go
Creatures of habit
Referring to negative thoughts and mindset that are hard to break
Are sleeping in my bed
These negative thoughts are always present in my life
They live long
These negative thoughts have been with me for a long time
They're real strong
These negative thoughts have a significant impact on me
And they don't need much rest
These negative thoughts don't go away easily
And if I don't sleep with them
If I don't entertain these negative thoughts
I don't sleep
I can't be at peace
And you would never guess
You would never know, just by looking at me
That they were temporary guests
That these negative thoughts were only meant to be a temporary part of my life
Who still haven't left
But, unfortunately, I haven't been able to completely rid myself of these negative thoughts yet
You know that I'm tryin
You know that I'm making an effort
To make a plan
To come up with a strategy for dealing with these negative thoughts
And road maps
To establish a clear path forward
That won't go back
A path that doesn't lead me back to where I started
As soon as I save some cash
As soon as I have the resources to make a change
But I'm not stuck here
I'm not trapped in this negative mindset
And I don't fuck here
I don't let these negative thoughts control me
I'm not like all the rest
I'm not the same as everyone else dealing with their own issues
Just a temporary guest
I'm just someone dealing with temporary negative thoughts and feelings
That never left
But, unfortunately, I haven't been able to completely rid myself of these negative thoughts yet
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: THALIA ZEDEK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Manuel Cabral
I know that you're trying
To make a stand
But now my shoulder
I'm not that kind of person
You can tell me why
I ain't right
And tell me why you left
You can tell me what you thought I was
And I'll destroy the rest
Creatures of habit
Are sleeping in my bed
They live long
They're real strong
And they don't need much rest
And if I don't sleep with them
I don't sleep
And you would never guess
That they were temporary guests
Who still haven't left
You know that I'm tryin
To make a plan
And road maps
That won't go back
As soon as I save some cash
But I'm not stuck here
And I don't fuck here
I'm not like all the rest
Just a temporary guest
That never left
Name Surname
love this song
Rui Carvalho
like