Going Nowhere
The Sleeping Tree Lyrics


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he waved hello silent like a mime
we met there's no changing my mind
I won't walk the stairs with you tonight
going nowhere
the clock moved a quarter of a turn
the time it took a cigarette to burn
she said you've got a lot of things to learn
going nowhere
I saw you move a certain way
missed you a lot
return to this abandoned place
should've been forgot
echoes drown the conversation out
echoes that only seem to bring about
a silent expression
things you may allow
going nowhere
the steps made a pattern I had never seen
I felt like a kid of six or seventeen
I was off in some empty daydream
going nowhere
it's dead and gone matter of fact
maybe for the best
said some things you can't take back
honestly I guess
the old records sitting on the floor
the ones I can't put on anymore




he walked over to her like before
going nowhere

Overall Meaning

The Sleeping Tree's song "Going Nowhere" is an emotional ballad of memory and regret, with lyrics that evoke a sense of longing, nostalgia, and lost opportunities. The song opens with the singer recalling a meeting with someone, who he waves hello to silently, almost like a mime. The singer is clearly smitten with this person, as he says, "there's no changing my mind." However, he decides not to "walk the stairs" with them that night, a reference that could suggest a reluctance to take things further physically, or perhaps just a sense that their relationship is going nowhere.


As the song continues, the singer recalls more memories of this person, through a series of vivid sensory images. He remembers the way they moved, the sound of their voice ("echoes that only seem to bring about a silent expression"), and the patterns made by the steps they took together. He speaks of feeling like a child or a teenager, lost in a daydream, as he thinks about this person and their relationship. However, it becomes clear that something has gone wrong - the singer refers to "some things you can't take back," and to the fact that their connection is now "dead and gone." Despite this, he still feels a strong pull towards this person, and the song ends with them meeting again, in a moment that feels both fraught with emotion ("the ones I can't put on anymore") and ultimately directionless ("going nowhere").


Overall, the song is a meditation on the ways in which we can be haunted by our pasts, and by the people we have loved and lost. It captures the bittersweet emotions of nostalgia and regret, with a lyrical style that is both poetic and precise.


Line by Line Meaning

he waved hello silent like a mime
He greeted me without speaking, using only his hand gestures.


we met there's no changing my mind
Our meeting was significant and I am resolute in my feelings about it.


I won't walk the stairs with you tonight going nowhere
I refuse to engage in fruitless activity with you this evening.


the clock moved a quarter of a turn the time it took a cigarette to burn she said you've got a lot of things to learn going nowhere
Time passed quickly as we talked, but her warning made me feel stuck and unproductive.


I saw you move a certain way missed you a lot return to this abandoned place should've been forgot echoes drown the conversation out echoes that only seem to bring about a silent expression things you may allow going nowhere
I observed your familiar movements and experienced a strong sense of longing, despite being in a desolate location where only the echoes of our voices reverberate.


the steps made a pattern I had never seen I felt like a kid of six or seventeen I was off in some empty daydream going nowhere
I marveled at the unique configuration of the steps and lost myself imagining various scenarios, both youthful and adolescent in nature, to fill the void of the present moment.


it's dead and gone matter of fact maybe for the best d said some things you can't take back honestly I guess
What is done is done, and it may be for our benefit, but it is true that some of the things said cannot be unsaid.


the old records sitting on the floor the ones I can't put on anymore he walked over to her like before going nowhere
The previously enjoyed music that lies dormant seems to hold onto the memories that are neither rekindled nor forgotten, perpetuating the sense of unproductivity and familiarity with no further direction.




Contributed by Lincoln V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@palapa1265

Elliott Smith is my favourite. Just to hear the melody is refreshing. Awesome

@willidread1994

Una spettacolare interpretazione, davvero profonda e toccante, bless and love lion

@samuelmaya9808

Giulio con questa cover a modo suo mi ha conquistato, persona squisita oltre a quel che sa fare della sua voce, chitarra e basso. Un artista completo che meriterebbe certamente di più

@francescabasso9571

Brividi! Il fantastico Elliott Smith interpretato dall'altrettanto fantastico The Sleeping Tree. Il tributo migliore in assoluto..

@HamlinFest

Smith era un grande, e non è facile "raggiungerlo" o comunque tenergli testa. Bravo Sleeping Tree!

@duszan2

brilliant, pure, with true emotions. Thank you! Great version. 

@s3pharoth

I can't stop listening to this, it is so beautiful

@GiupySemeraro

La cover migliore di sempre!

@ghofranmediouni8179

just sublime ..

@RobsParkour

Meravigliosa!

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