{"id":4438,"date":"2026-07-30T15:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T19:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=4438"},"modified":"2026-07-30T15:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T19:09:16","slug":"the-meaning-behind-cigarette-daydreams-by-cage-the-elephant-and-the-growing-pains-of-evolving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-meaning-behind-cigarette-daydreams-by-cage-the-elephant-and-the-growing-pains-of-evolving\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning Behind \u201cCigarette Daydreams\u201d by Cage The Elephant and the Growing Pains of Evolving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201cCigarette Daydreams\u201d finds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/cage-the-elephant\">Cage The Elephant<\/a> expanding its signature indie rock sound. But the song also tells the story of a painful breakup. And how that pain becomes a defining moment in one\u2019s life and ultimately shapes the person they become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cage The Elephant - Cigarette Daydreams (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/opeETnB8m8w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>I Can\u2019t Explain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first verse begins with one partner noticing the other has changed feelings. Perhaps this marks the beginning of the end of the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Did you stand there all alone?<br>Oh, I cannot explain what\u2019s going down.<br>I can see you standing next to me,<br>In and out somewhere else right now.<br>You sigh, look away,<br>I can see it clear as day.<br>Close your eyes, so afraid,<br>Hide behind that baby face<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This person searches for answers in the dark, but they are only avoiding a confrontation with the truth. Something has changed here, and procrastinating in the rain won\u2019t offer a resolution to the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You can drive all night,<br>Looking for the answers in the pouring rain.<br>You wanna find peace of mind,<br>Looking for the answer<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>As I Recall, You Were Looking Out of Place<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When singer Matt Shultz began writing \u201cCigarette Daydreams\u201d, he didn\u2019t intend it to be a Cage The Elephant song. But his brother and guitarist Brad questioned why there needed to be a \u201cCage The Elephant\u201d type song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI like the idea of doing things that people might not expect from us. So we decided to take a whole new approach to writing, and this song is a good example of that. It\u2019s just about being honest,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicradar.com\/news\/guitars\/cage-the-elephants-matt-brad-shultz-talk-melophobia-track-by-track-584903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Funny how it seems like yesterday,<br>As I recall, you were looking out of place.<br>Gathered up your things and slipped away,<br>No time at all, I followed you into the hall.<br><br>Cigarette daydreams,<br>You were only seventeen.<br>So sweet with a mean streak,<br>Nearly brought me to my knees<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many relationships expose layers of ourselves we don\u2019t notice until someone else uncovers them. Attempting something new may be one\u2019s true self stepping out from the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The parallel lines of a splintering relationship and the band reworking its defined sound highlight how each of us contains many iterations if only we allow space for them to appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>If you can find a reason, a reason to stay,<br>Standing in the pouring rain<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer\/Getty Images for iHeartRadio<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cCigarette Daydreams\u201d finds Cage The Elephant expanding its signature indie rock sound. But the song also tells the story of a painful breakup. And how that pain becomes a defining moment in one\u2019s life and ultimately shapes the person they become. I Can\u2019t Explain The first verse begins with one partner noticing the other has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":4441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[442,200],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-4438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-cage-the-elephant","tag-indie-rock"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Features","term_id":12,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/features\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"Cage The Elephant","term_id":442,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/cage-the-elephant\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Meaning Behind \u201cCigarette Daydreams\u201d by Cage The Elephant and the Growing Pains of Evolving - Songfacts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cCigarette Daydreams\u201d finds Cage The Elephant expanding its signature indie rock sound. 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