Comments: 6

• Thatoneguy from OklahomaMy interpretation comes from a pretty messed up place. My ex and I were about to have a baby, this was over twenty years ago. She lied to me about a medical condition to convince me to let her get a late term abortion. We borrowed the money from her dad, whom she had also lied to. The whole mess came to light and truth almost two decades later. I can’t listen to this without crying. I love the song but my emotional reaction to it tears me to absolute pieces.
  
  That’s one thing about music I have a love/hate relationship with. When you can take it and make it personal, you will.
• Diana from Houston, Tx... honestly... i thought this song might have been about some poor kid trying to jack someones money cause he needs to help his family or something... but now that i read the 'meaning'... i totally get it... it makes so much sense...
• Dan from Colo Springs, CoWow, I thought it actually was about a young girl who just found out she was pregnant, and the boyfriend wants her to get an abortion.In my mind the "music video" would start out with her sitting by herself in the lobby or waiting room of an abortion clinic. remenising about what she has done, and is about to do.....
  
  "gave in again, the bastard." meant she gave in and had sex even though she thought she shouldn't."Can't keep refusing right" Again, she feels it's wrong, doesn't want to keep doing this.
  "So, he'll loan the cash"(for an abortion)"but the sin is on the hands of you" She is the one who actually has to go through with it.
  "to care(keep the child)or plead silence (Abort it, and pretend it never happened)
  "weak hands are calling" (the baby is pleading for it's life)"there's close enough, and there's to far but it won't change an empty stare" (was going all the way with this boy worth it? now there is a childs empty stare, haunting and looking like hell. brutaly reminding her of the abortion.
  "Come, enter the foriegn. Face, all that's shamefull. Cheat, may the past find out, separating." Now at this point she is actually going through with it. on the operating table It's very foriegn, she feels shamefull, she is cheating herself and her child, will someone find out, separating, now she and her child are officialy separated....as the girl lies crying on the operating table please end this catastrophic scene... then it goes back to her in the lobby of the abortion clinic...to care or plead silence...to care or...to care or....she realizes it was a dream.
  she puts the cash back in her pocket and walks out without going through with it.
  
  I think this would be a powerfull music video.
  
• Andrea from Upper Lake, CaThe idea that I got from this song was someone havig a child and the father or whatever not wanting anything to do with it. These are my interpritations of this song. "Gave in again. The bastard can't keep refusing rights" I thought had something to do with the fact that the father or whatever can't keep denying this little package of joy. "So he'll loan the cash, but the sin lies in the hands of you." just because he might willing to pay child support doesn't mean that he's father of the year. "To care or plead silence", might mean, "Are you going to fight for it, or just sit there and take it?" "Weak hands are calling." I'm here for you, even though you might not really see me. "There's close enough, and there's too far. But it won't change an empty stare." Why do you try to get close to him while moving farther from me. He still won't take the responsibility. "I can't seem to end these images. Hauntingly looks like hell." Don't you remember how you got in this situation in the first place? He hasn't changed. "Come, enter the foreign. Face, all that's shameful. Cheat, may the past find. Out, separating." Come with me and I will show you something that you've been missing. I've kept your secrets for all these years, need I remind you? I will take care of the child like it were my own. Let him find us, let him know that you don't need him.
  I like this song so much, it hit home because my adopted sister has to deal with the fact that her mother doesn't want her and my mother isn't that much better. Though she knows that I love her and that I will do anything for her.
• Robert from Mountain Lakes, NjActually, it is not "Trees, may the press find", it's "cheat, may the past find". This is one of my favorite songs by Chevelle and this is a great album.
• Charnette from Brooklyn, NyThis isn't offical, and sorta differs from the suggested idea of above, but this is what I got:
  
  The general theme of the song is shame for the lack of resistance of an abusive act that is being committed. The singer is question if it was right to interfere with the unfolding episode.
  
  Gave in again
  The bastard
  Can't keep refusing rights
  So, he'll loan the cash
  But the sin
  Is on the hands of you
  So...
  
  Pretty self explanatory, the on looker (let's call him Dan) who's the main story teller for this song, is witnessing an act of abuse. Perhaps the abuser is beating someone; we'll have to assume this. "Gave in again" refers to allowing the abuse to continue and not doing anything, so Dan is literally giving in. "The bastard/Can't keep refusing rights" is most likely Dan being bitter about the abuser's acts, so he's trying to defy it by saying that this person can't keep doing it, as one normally would say when being treated unfairly. "So, he'll loan the cash" probably means that the abuser is getting paid for the act he's committing and probably thinks that the person paying his would be guilty for paying him to do these terrible things, but Dan thinks otherwise, stating, "but the sin/is on the hands of you" which is basically saying that the one committing the act is at fault, not the one paying him.
  
  To care or
  plead silence?
  Weak hands are calling
  
  The refrain in this song is not some cryptic message. Take it as it is. Dan is simply asking himself, Should I take the time "To care or/plead silence?" If he plead silence, he'd have to let the abuse continue. "Weak hands are calling..." refers to the victims hands literally outstretched as if to say, "[Dan]! Help me!"
  
  There's close enough
  And there's too far
  It won't change an empty stare
  But
  I can't seem to end
  These images
  Hauntingly looks like hell
  
  "There's close enough/and there's too far" refers actually refers to how Dan got "close enough" to say something, yet he didn't letting it go "too far". Either way, it didn't help the victim who gives Dan an "empty stare" because of his refusal to stand up to the abuser. "I can't seem to end/these images/hauntingly looks like hell" refers to Dan feeling guilty about not being able to say anything to stop it, so his conscience is bothering him, by playing the scenes over and over again.
  
  Come
  Enter the foreign
  (Face)
  All that's shameful
  (Trees)
  May the press find
  (Out)
  Separating
  
  This whole bridge is how Dan is continually harassed by his conscience for not interfering and how it'll keep going if he doesn't say anything. "May the press find/out" may be Dan inserting the false hope that the press will find out and speak out against the abuse which he failed to do.
  
  This final questioning comes with a twist. Not only is he asking if he should interfere, but he's declaring that it seems that if he can somehow summon the courage to cast off the fear, he'll be able to finally breathe again, free from his own guilty conscience.

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