There are aspects of the band's sound - abrasive guitar hooks, immediate drumming, and incessant codas - that speak to living in a big city. But there's also a dreary sparseness, a David Lynch-esque darkness, culled from the other members' native Washington.
The band's skeletal sound began to take shape, with Robert's rust-belt guitar parts lending a restless, sinister edge to Molly's subdued melodies and soft vocal style. Writing became a collaborative effort, and Widowspeak racked up an arsenal of songs. By fall the trio had recorded a six-track cassette using only a built-in laptop microphone and Garageband. The self-released October Tape, as it was called, fell into the hands of Brooklyn's Captured Tracks. Weeks later, after only their sixth show, Widowspeak recorded the 7" single Harsh Realm, in anticipation of a full LP.
Their eponymous debut LP was released on August 9th, 2011 on Captured Tracks.
http://widowspeak.bandcamp.com
Stoned
Widowspeak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
when i was with you i was
so sure you were something
new and i felt stoned
like a? when you fall
like it wasn't?
caught in a moment i was wasting
and i felt
stoned
stoned
stoned
and it felt like?
and it felt like?
and i've gone in search of it
cause i?
stoned
stoned
stoned
stoned
and there's nothing
and there's nothing like being
stoned
you've got me fading
stoned
you've got me fading
stoned
and i've been waiting
stoned
'till i was
stoned
you've got me fading
stoned
you've got me fading
stoned
and i've been waiting
stoned
'till i was
The lyrics to Widowspeak's song "Stoned" are rich with emotion and sensory language. The repetition of the word "stoned" creates a feeling of being lost or out of control, and it's clear that the singer is struggling with a powerful attraction to someone they were once with. The repeated lines "when I was with you I was so sure you were something new" and "caught in a moment I was wasting" convey a sense of regret and confusion, as if the singer is longing for something they can't quite have. The use of similes ("like a ___ when you fall") and the repetition of the word "and" suggest a sense of disjointedness or fragmentation, as if the singer's thoughts are scattered and hard to pin down.
What's interesting about this song is the way it plays with different meanings of the word "stoned." On one hand, it seems to be referring to the feeling of being high or intoxicated, which can be pleasurable but also disorienting. On the other hand, it could also be interpreted as a metaphor for being overcome with emotion, or simply feeling lost or adrift. The singer seems to be struggling with both of these things - the intense attraction they feel for someone, and the sense of not quite knowing where they stand.
Line by Line Meaning
when i was with you i was
Being with you made me feel a certain way
when i was with you i was
Being with you made me feel a certain way
so sure you were something
I was confident that you were different from others
new and i felt stoned
Being with you made me feel intoxicated and carefree
like a? when you fall
Like falling from a great height
like it wasn't?
Like it wasn't real or tangible
caught in a moment i was wasting
I was trapped in a moment that wasn't worth my time
and i felt
I experienced a certain feeling
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
and it felt like?
I can't describe how it felt exactly
and it felt like?
I can't describe how it felt exactly
and i've gone in search of it
I've been looking for that feeling again
cause i?
Because I'm addicted to feeling that way
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
and there's nothing
There's nothing else like it
and there's nothing like being
There's no other feeling like being intoxicated and carefree
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
you've got me fading
You're making me lose my grip on reality
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
you've got me fading
You're making me lose my grip on reality
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
and i've been waiting
I've been waiting for that feeling to come back
stoned
Intoxicated and carefree
Writer(s): Molly Hamilton, Robert Earl Iii Thomas
Contributed by Henry B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.