In 2004, Elverum abandoned the "Microphones" name to begin recording as Mount Eerie, briefly returning in December 2007 when he began selling a new 7" single by the Microphones ("Don't Smoke" / "Get Off the Internet") on his website and at concerts.
In 2020, Elverum returned to the Microphones name once more to release the project's 14th album Microphones in 2020. Microphones members/collaborators include Karl Blau, Dennis Driscoll, Kyle Field aka Little Wings, Mirah, Khaela Maricich aka The Blow, Adrian Orange aka Thanksgiving, Adam Forkner and K Records' founder, Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and the Halo Benders.
I Am Bored
The Microphones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now I'm bored
My bloody flow is slowed so I can be bored near you
Oh, what a loss
It didn't show its head until mine was torn and thrown at you
And back it grew
With glassy eyes walked and contact on the couch with you
Oh, boring face
We're losing touch I reached and my extended hand went through
Now we both know what we have to do
The Microphones' "I Am Bored" is a complex and emotional song with vague and abstract lyrics that make it quite hard to decipher. However, based on my interpretation, the song is about a relationship that has hit rock bottom. The first two lines, "You tore a hole so deep my leak poured out torrentially, but now I'm bored," suggest that the vocalist had intense feelings for their partner that quickly dissipated or became depleted. The partner has caused them immense pain, and it's represented by a hole or void. They've poured out all their emotions so much that now they're bored because they don't have anything left to give. The line "my bloody flow is slowed so I can be bored near you" tries to emphasize the fact that even though they are bleeding and in pain, the vocalist is still bored and not engaged with their partner. They could be numb emotionally, hence the reference to their "bloody flow slowing."
The next two lines "It didn't show its head until mine was torn and thrown at you and back it grew," could mean that what they thought was love was not real at all. Or they were trying to hide their emotions for so long, and now that they've been exposed, they've come back stronger, but the partner doesn't seem to care. The following line "With glassy eyes walked and contact on the couch with you, oh, boring face" suggests that the partner is no longer exciting or interesting to the vocalist. They are just there, existing, with no emotions or feelings attached. They are bored with their interactions, the relationship, and possibly the whole situation.
Finally, the last two lines "We're losing touch I reached and my extended hand went through. Now we both know what we have to do" imply that the relationship is beyond repair. They've tried to reach out to the partner, but it's no use. They are not on the same page, and they both know that it's time to let go of the relationship.
Overall, "I Am Bored" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that uses symbolic lyrics to describe the complexities and struggles of a relationship that has lost its spark.
Line by Line Meaning
You tore a hole so deep my leak poured out torrentially
You caused me so much emotional pain that all of my feelings and emotions began to spill out uncontrollably
But now I'm bored
But now I have become disinterested and unstimulated by the situation
My bloody flow is slowed so I can be bored near you
My emotional pain has subsided and now I can be in your presence without feeling overwhelmed
Oh, what a loss
This is an unfortunate outcome for both of us
It didn't show its head until mine was torn and thrown at you
I didn't realize the depth of my emotions until you caused me pain and forced me to confront them
And back it grew
And now that I have acknowledged and processed my emotions, they have become even stronger
With glassy eyes walked and contact on the couch with you
With a vacant expression and physical proximity, I am still unable to connect with you on a deeper level
Oh, boring face
Your lack of emotional expression and connection is unstimulating and uninteresting to me
We're losing touch I reached and my extended hand went through
Our emotional connection is fading and when I tried to reach out to you, it was like my gesture went unnoticed or was rejected
Now we both know what we have to do
It is clear that we need to move on from each other and find new emotional connections
Contributed by Skyler O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.