Fox's Dream of the Log Flume
mewithoutYou Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Provisionally I, practically alive
Mistook sign for signified
And so since I’ve often cried
To run them off a cliff like
Gadarene swine
Inside my wardrobe seem anchor bent,
Wondering whether we were
Somewhat better than
Or maybe just better able to pretend
And what better means to our inevitable end?
You know, I don't know if I know
Though some, with certainty insist
No certainty exists!
Well I'm certain of this, in the past 14 years,
There's only one girl I've kissed!

In the blistering heat of the Asbury pier
We sat quiet as monks on the Ferris wheel looking down at the water
Down at the sea
I asked her, “did it ever occur to you
A fantasy where you pushed little kids
From the tops of the ride?”
Then she shook her head no
And I said “oh, neither do I”
And with my grandma's ring
I went down on one knee
And the subsequent catastrophe
Has since haunted me
(like a fiberglass ghost)
Asking of my inconveniently
Selective memory

Provisionally you mercifully
Withdrew all the
Bearing points we thought we knew
Days run, days set clock,
Our calm is shot
One common shot
We sailed waywardly on
Singing our midnight archer's songs
Until well past dawn
It's still dark in the deck of our boat
Haphazardly blown, broken bows

Our aimless arrow words
Don't mean a thing to whether I think
It's pretty obvious that there's no God
And there's definitely a God!

I dreamt of the rocks at the Asbury dunes
That you jumped from the top
Of the log flume
And they gathered like wolves
On the boardwalk below
They're addling for answers
No wolf could know

I charged at the waves
With a glass in my hand
I was tossed like a ball
At the bottle stand
And I landed beside your
Remains on the stones
Where you cold fingers
Wrapped around my ankle bones

Maybe ten feet away was a star
Thousands of times the size of our sun
Exploding like the carny balloons
You throw darts at

We slept until our chest was full
Of yarn we’d spun from Shetland wool
Socks from where the Dorset grows
Sheared and scoured hours before
The rooster crows

The price of German silver fell




Threw this huge thaler
Down the superstition well

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Fox's Dream of the Log Flume" by mewithoutYou are dense and full of imagery that can be interpreted in different ways. The song explores themes of uncertainty, memory, and spirituality, as well as relationships and the passing of time.


The first verse seems to be about the confusion between signs and what they represent. The singer admits to mistaking sign for signified and has often cried about it. He mentions the story of Gadarene swine, which refers to the biblical account of Jesus casting devils out of a man and into a herd of pigs that then rush down a steep hill into the sea. The image of running off a cliff like Gadarene swine could be an expression of feeling lost or hopeless.


The second verse delves into the singer's memories and relationships. He mentions being inside his wardrobe, which could symbolize a private space of introspection. He ponders whether he and his loved one are better than others or just better at pretending. He also reflects on the passage of time and the uncertainty of life. The last lines, "There's only one girl I've kissed!" could be a nostalgic, bittersweet reminiscence of a past relationship.


The final verse of the song is more abstract and mystical. It refers to dreams and the natural world. The image of the rocks at the Asbury dunes and the log flume could represent memories of a joyful time that contrast with the suffering and chaos of the wolves gathering on the boardwalk below. The explosion of the star and the sleeping until the chest is full of yarn are possibly metaphorical expressions of wonder and awe at the universe. The song ends with the image of a superstition well, which could be a reminder of the hope and fear that people attach to beliefs.


Line by Line Meaning

Provisionally I, practically alive
I exist, but just barely


Mistook sign for signified
Confused the symbol for what it represents


And so since I’ve often cried
Frequent emotional outbursts have occurred


To run them off a cliff like Gadarene swine
An urge to destroy others like pigs over a cliff


Inside my wardrobe seem anchor bent
Lost in own thoughts


Wondering whether we were somewhat better than
Questioning superiority


Or maybe just better able to pretend
Illusion of superiority


And what better means to our inevitable end?
Reflection on life's purpose


You know, I don't know if I know
Uncertainty about knowing


Though some, with certainty insist
Some are convinced of their beliefs


No certainty exists!
Absolute knowledge is impossible


Well I'm certain of this, in the past 14 years,
The only confirmed romantic interaction


There's only one girl I've kissed!
No other romantic partners


In the blistering heat of the Asbury pier
Location of a hot day


We sat quiet as monks on the Ferris wheel looking down at the water
Silent contemplation on a water view from a ride


I asked her, “did it ever occur to you
Asking a question


A fantasy where you pushed little kids
Imagining an act of violence


From the tops of the ride?”
From a high location


Then she shook her head no
Response to the question


And I said “oh, neither do I”
Agreement with the response


And with my grandma's ring, I went down on one knee
Proposal to a partner with a family heirloom


And the subsequent catastrophe has since haunted me (like a fiberglass ghost)
The aftermath of the proposal brought negative consequences


Asking of my inconveniently selective memory
Questioning memory errors


Provisionally you mercifully withdrew all the bearing points we thought we knew
You have acted with mercy by disrupting our beliefs


Days run, days set clock, our calm is shot One common shot
Time passes and disorients us


We sailed waywardly on Singing our midnight archer's songs Until well past dawn
We wandered aimlessly, singing until dawn


It's still dark in the deck of our boat Haphazardly blown, broken bows
The boat is damaged and poorly controlled


Our aimless arrow words Don't mean a thing to whether I think
Our words lack real meaning


It's pretty obvious that there's no God And there's definitely a God!
The existence of a God is uncertain


I dreamt of the rocks at the Asbury dunes That you jumped from the top Of the log flume
A dream about jumping from a ride


And they gathered like wolves On the boardwalk below
A crowd gathered below


They're addling for answers No wolf could know
A confused and unanswerable crowd


I charged at the waves With a glass in my hand
Approaching waves with a glass


I was tossed like a ball At the bottle stand
Thrown around like a game object


And I landed beside your Remains on the stones
Near the remains of a loved one


Where you cold fingers Wrapped around my ankle bones
The sensation of phantom fingers grasping at legs


Maybe ten feet away was a star Thousands of times the size of our sun Exploding like the carny balloons You throw darts at
Observing the vastness of space and the destruction of stars


We slept until our chest was full Of yarn we’d spun from Shetland wool Socks from where the Dorset grows Sheared and scoured hours before The rooster crows
Restful sleep while snug in warm socks


The price of German silver fell Threw this huge thaler Down the superstition well
A monetary transaction related to superstition




Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: AARON WEISS, BRANDON BEAVER, GREGORY JEHANIAN, MICHAEL WEISS, RICHARD MAZZOTTA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Cameron Reuschel

Fun fact: mewithoutYou is Hayley Williams' favorite band in the world. This must be like a dream come true for her

Vinícius Sarmento

And they're going to Parahoy with Paramore... It must also be a dream come true to Hayley

12rockandrollforever

+Seth Ðracam I thought it was Sunny Day Real Estate...

Cameron Reuschel

She's got their lyrics painted on her stairs at home... ^^

Jessica Forgione

and now Aaron collab with Paramore with a song called No Friend, everything came full circle

Keenan Horrigan

Jessica Forgione Something something All Circles

9 More Replies...

Christine Beisel

At first I couldn't get into his singing either, but after listening closely to the artistry of his lyrics, I view it more as spoken work poetry or beat poetry. His use of phrasing, emotional delivery, etc really connect in that way. Ever since I shifted my perception of his vocals, mewithoutYou has become poignant band in my life. I understand they are not everyone's cup of tea though.

J C

It's like a weird blend of singing and spoken word. He's not just monotonically reciting the words, he's hitting notes as he goes. Years later I always come back to this album, it's fucking fantastic.

benis44

I strongly relate with that. I started after no friend and I didn’t like it at first but once feeling the texture of the lyrics and understanding more the mastermind of Aaron weiss 😂

NathanJ Rodey

In a Sweater Poorly Knit was the song that I first got into and for years it was really the only one that I listened to until I found their first 2 albums second hand and bought them.

More Comments

More Versions