Homework Blockage I

In Nada Surf's The Weight Is a Gift I taste a lot of favorite flavors: Tommy-era Keith Moon drums, sweet vocals and Byrdsian harmonies, and mature, reflective lyrics. Powerpop for the middleaged? Maybe. I especially relate to "Always Love," whatever that says about my thinking these days:

To make a mountain of your life
Is just a choice
But I never learned enough
To listen to the voice that told me
Always love... Hate will get you every time
Always love... Don’t wait til the finish line

Slow demands come 'round
Squeeze the air and keep the rest out
It helps to write it down
Even if you then cross it out

But Always Love... Hate will get you every time
Always Love... don't wait til the finish line

Self-directed lives
I want to know what it’d be like to
Aim so high above
Any card that has been dealt you...

Always Love... Hate will get you every time
Always Love... Hate will get you...

I've been held back by something
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs,
I've been held back by something
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs.
You said...
Hey, you good ones.
Hey, you good ones.

To make a mountain of your life
Is just a choice
But I never learned enough
To listen to the voice that told me...
Always love... hate will get you every time
Always love... hate will get you...

I've been held back by something
Yeah, You said to me quietly on the stairs,
I've been held back by something
Yeah, You said to me quietly on the stairs
You said...
Hey, you good ones
Hey, you good ones
Hey, you good ones
I...

I love the mystery and the imagery of "I've been held back by something/Yeah, you said to me quietly on the stairs," the meaningful whisper that he doesn't yet grasp and the cinematic shot downward as they try to find their way upstairs, perhaps on a fire escape, at an overcrowded party. Then, I'm stuck trying to find the portent in "Hey, you good ones...." Maybe it doesn't matter what I think; maybe what matters is that the speaker finds the words powerful enough to hold him back. And maybe the speaker is "held back" because he's thinking "wtf?" Nah. Probably not.

Then there's the line beginning with "self-directed lives" that speaks to me.

I can't get back to coding homework without saying how much I love Matthew Caws' vocals.

(This much.)