[Stephen Dame]

I'm getting an emerging band vibe, maybe a high school act, full of confidence and dreams, desperate to be heard... autobiographical?

Perhaps the lead singer, a young man, is equally interested in impressing a specific young lady as he is the record execs. "C'mon over I've got something to play you..."

A summer of hard work, non-stop, back of a flat-bed style "touring" is either taking it's toll, or is being hotly anticipated. But this is going to be THE Summer for this young artist, he'll sing, sing, sing all day.

The young man may not even be a musician, just somebody who loves music, but he see's this summer as a turning point, and he's certainly interested in playing a song for someone, and he's confident they'll love it.

Gord strecthing his range may be his way of self-reflexivly representing the subject of the song. Or as Bullet Riddled wrote: "As for those unreachable notes, I think that's intended. I'm pretty sure this song is about some young people forming a band and writing songs for the first time."

What do you hear?

[Summiteer]

My take on it is they may be throwing in a hint 0 mild sarcasm when they sing summers killing us,the gig still what they love doing,writing, doing everything they need to,too prepare for the summer/fall tour. but they are are still loving it as much as they did before and still do. My $1.50........

[gibbytime39]

very good stephen. i also liked your thoughts on vaccination scar.
your going places. _{not just hip concerts!!}

[direwolf74]

I'm getting an emerging band vibe, maybe a high school act, full of confidence and dreams, desperate to be heard... autobiographical?

Perhaps the lead singer, a young man, is equally interested in impressing a specific young lady as he is the record execs. "C'mon over I've got something to play you..."

A summer of hard work, non-stop, back of a flat-bed style "touring" is either taking it's toll, or is being hotly anticipated. But this is going to be THE Summer for this young artist, he'll sing, sing, sing all day.

The young man may not even be a musician, just somebody who loves music, but he see's this summer as a turning point, and he's certainly interested in playing a song for someone, and he's confident they'll love it.

Gord strecthing his range may be his way of self-reflexivly representing the subject of the song. Or as Bullet Riddled wrote: "As for those unreachable notes, I think that's intended. I'm pretty sure this song is about some young people forming a band and writing songs for the first time."

What do you hear?

Steve, you read my mind. Great analysis! That's pretty much what I got from it the first time I listened to the lyrics. To me it almost feels like a sister song to "All Tore Up", which if I'm not mistaken is kind of a tribute to young struggling musicians:

"Play your Tonight's the Night right and don't clear the place. Sweep up a little on your way out, you might make it."

This seems to a recurring theme in Gord's lyrics lately. A couple of
years ago he wrote a poem which appears as the forward to the
excellent CanRock biography "Have Not Been the Same". It touches
on some of the same themes explored in both "All Tore Up" and "Summer is Killing Us". For those who haven't read the book, here's the poem in it's entirety. Yeah, I'm bored, so what. Enjoy!

"It's officially unfair. The road.
It's the badly lit dream
where inanimate objects go to be lost...and found.
where cigarettes take up all of your time
where 'you mustn't escape and you mustn't get caught'*
where...obsessed with fresh...with relevant,
things can get all in a blur in a hurry
and a personal conviction fierce been in the family for years
is whittled to the music until
sitting amid Everything sugar
friends can become companions acquaintances strangers
until you're lonely as a buoy,
discipline coming in waves and
all you want to do is sleep.

Sensitivity happens anyway
at the gig
on the marquee
where what's written's what's inside.
Tonight Only!
Everyone's Way More Interesting On Stage!!
The Guilty...the Released...Everyone!
Sensitivity happens
and the idea is
the more it happens the more it happens more.
Inside under the silent arch
lost in the innocence of our showmanship
in the dancing and footfall of our happiness
describing diminishing and re-describing itself
we get to be
contrary to popular belief
not as high as giants
but the size of a pellet
small
imperceptively
barely
rocking
in place
yeah.

(*Truffault's "The 400 Blows")

Gordon Downie, July 2001.

[Stephen Dame]

Wow, I've never read that poem before... talk about talent. Gord continues to impress.

[dyersbay]

I have never read that either. That was pretty good! :wink:

[Sabina]

Gord's tour last summer immediately came to my mind.