This is the end

The truth to the story is that it was his best friend, John Nolan, formerly of Taking Back Sunday, currently in Straylight Run. Jesse Lacey felt uncool and sat around his kitchen while he watched John Nolan and his girlfriend flirt. The events lead up to betrayal and Jesse disregarded both of them. John Nolan, however, had a reply to his defense in Taking Back Sunday’s “There’s No ‘I’ In Team”.

“And is that what you call tact?
You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back.
So let's end this call, and end this conversation.”

These lyrics appear in both songs, but in TBS’s response it is followed by “That’s right, he said it.” With “he” referring to Jesse Lacey, the song is about how he blows things out of context and should just forgive and forget.

The two bands, Brand New and Taking Back Sunday, actually performed this song together calling it, “There’s No ‘I’ In Team or Seventy Times Seven, which ever song you heard first.” In Bolder, Colorado in 2000. It appears as if Jesse Lacey did forgive to an extent; the bands Brand New and Straylight Run have recently toured together, which has indirectly let everyone know what had happened is now basically over and done with.

Response to a comment..

 ashlyn childs said...

How do you know it's a friend and not a girlfriend?

“…now I know I want to kill you like only a best friend could.”

This line is proof enough that the situation is the doing of a best friend and not a girl friend. He was betrayed by his best friend whom he trusted completely. He never expected the betrayal. He is so deeply hurt that he feels the only compensation for what has happened would be to take the life of his best friend. But what if it was the girlfriend? It is not stated up front, but look a little deeper into the words and it is an entirely possible concept. She has betrayed him so he will no longer put his trust in her for a relationship. He will kill her slowly emotionally by being nothing more than a friend or best friend, and not what she really wants, had, and gave away. However, the lyrics point to the offender being the best friend as show in past posts. This sentence fragment contains an entire story either fueled by the likes of a betraying friend or the untrustworthy girlfriend. Either way you look at the situation, they are both untrustworthy, and they are both betrayers.

And Again..

“Everyone’s caught on to everything you do.”

A powerful statement, which says all that it has to. It tells us directly that everyone has found out what has happened, and everyone supposedly thinks lowly on the situation to the point where they themselves may be watching out for the back stabber. This statement is also a warning that everyone knows about everything and he better watch himself closely. This line could also be predicting a future event that everyone is fed up with the things you do and you might have it coming.

“And is that what you call tact?
You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back.
So let's end this call, and end this conversation.
and is that what you call a getaway?
well tell me what you got away with.
cause you left the frays from the ties you severed 
when you say best friends means friends forever”

This is a very interesting set of lyrics as the story unfolds. These lyrics when looked at deeply may be telling of a trial of forgiveness given to the ex best friend. He gave him a chance to see if things could be the same. “You’re as subtle as a brick in the small of my back”. Being so close to him again left him very uncomfortable knowing he still felt vengeance for what had happened. “So let’s end this call, and end this conversation.” A Metaphor suggesting, lets just give it up, part ways, and never talk again. He feels that his ex best friend has gotten away with destroying their friendship and his relationship with his broken love. The new enemy had gotten away leaving broken promises and going back on his word that “best friends means friends forever”.

Just Another Analysis

“Back in school they never taught us what we needed to know,
like how to deal with despair, or someone breaking your heart.”

In school, you learn about history, geography, mathematics, but no one really ever teaches you about love, the consequences of love, and the darkness it can bring. He talks about getting his heart broken, and how he is deeply lost in depression and confusion. This type of heart break comes from the depths of the heart, when it hurts the most, when you were so in love, then it broke. 

“I played it quiet, left you deep in conversation.
I felt uncool and hung out around the kitchen.
I remember I kept thinking that I know you never would,
and now I know I want to kill you like only a best friend could.”

He watched from a distance as his best friend and his lover were deep in conversation. He felt out of place, maybe at a party, and decided to separate himself from everyone else. He thought to himself over and over that his best friend would never make a move on his girl, and he did. Now, he feels like it is up to him to give him only what a best friend now deserves.

True Friends Stab You In The Front

So, is that what you call a getaway?
Well tell me what you got away with.
Cause I've seen more spine in jellyfish.
I've seen more guts in eleven-year-old kids.
Have another drink and drive yourself home.
I hope there's ice on all the roads.
And you can think of me when you forget your seatbelt,
and again when your head goes through the windshield.

The above lyrics are the reason I chose this song in the first place. I can not listen to this song without the hair on the back of my neck standing up at this part. The emotion that can be heard the second time he sings the above lyrics is unparallel to any other song ever written, and can only be the work of in my opinion, the greatest vocabulary artist ever to portray feelings through pen and paper. I never caught on to this before, but you can hear church bells around 1:48 in the song to slow things down right before he sings these lyrics for the first time and then another stanza comes in just as mellow and then for the second time he comes back to these lyrics the beat picks up and he starts screaming for the breakdown of it all.

The lyrics show that his friend thought he could get away with what he had done but was foolish because everyone has caught on to it and his friend doesn't have the guts to admit to it. Being in denial and continuing to lie just makes the situation worse and the person more despicable. He can't even be a true friend and admit and apologize for what he had done but just tries to cover it up.

Love Makes It Impossible To Forget

In my previous post I explained how the title of the song is in hidden relation to a verse about forgiveness in the Bible, Matthew 18:21-22.

Religion plays an important role in the singer Jesse's life and his lyrical career, having attended South Shore Christian School on Long Island. The song ultimately is about forgiveness and the question of whether or not to in heart-wrenching, back-stabbing situation. Just as Peter questions Jesus about forgiving his brother, Jesse questions himself and whether or not to forgive a best friend.

When Ms. Wiedbrauk commented my last post quoting "they say you can't really hate someone unless you loved them first" it evoked new thoughts about this song in my mind. Jesse never comes out in the song saying specifically how his best friend betrayed him but just how he feels about it.  It could be possible that this is because what his friend did might not sound that extreme to others to be so upset to make death threats in a song about it. When you love someone and are close with them, their actions can impact you a lot more as apposed to some stranger.  Best friends know you well enough to know what will piss you off and that makes it easier to hold grudges or even hate them, because they didn't take your feelings into consideration. 

This song is one of those songs that screams every "horrible and forbidden" thought that hurt people wish they could say without being thought of as insane. It says the things people wish would be okay to say, but they're not socially accepted. Being hurt by someone you love is intense, and the anger that comes along with it is intense. Hearing someone express that deep anger when you fell you can't find the words is amazing, and I love Brand New for that.

Arguement

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

The real point is that forgiveness should be beyond calculation. It is clear to see through the lyrics that the initial tones the song establishes are of anger and hurt. This is confirmed throughout the entire song by the several threats the singer makes. The song lets you know that this is a new feeling of hatred because the enemy was an old best friend. This person used to be someone he could trust and somehow they defied him leading up to the ultimate betrayal of a best friend. The title with a deeper meaning of forgiveness leads me to believe that this song was written in the confusion of wanting your friend back and just moving on but having it feel impossible to do so.

They say you need to pray
if you want to go to heaven
But they don't tell you what to say
when your whole life has gone to Hell

We were brought up our whole life to do the right thing but everyone comes to a point where it feels literally impossible to forgive and forget and this song deals with that frustration and anger. 

Purpose

This blog is a student run project to delve into Seventy Times 7 written by Jesse Lacey and sung by Brand New.  The posts that follow will contain a textual and contextual analysis of the lyrics, the writer’s word choice, how the music emphasizes certain lyrics, and how those lyrics function in the world.  

 

I am particularly interested in seeing what responses, memories and feelings these lyrics evoke in myself as I continue to peel back the layers of meaning.  And less interested in interviews given by the artist on the lyrics, although I may include some of those later on in my project.

 

Later, this blog will also feature an analysis of the official music video associated with the song

Lyrics

Lyrics by: Jesse Lacey

Performed by: Brand New

Back in school they never taught us what we needed to know,
like how to deal with despair, or someone breaking your heart.
For twelve years I've held it all together but a night like this it was begging to pull me apart.
I played it quiet, left you deep in conversation.
I felt uncool and hung out around the kitchen.
I remember I kept thinking that I know you never would,
and now I know I want to kill you like only a best friend could.

Everyone's caught on to everything you do
Everyone's caught on to.

As if this happening wasn't enough I got to go
and write a song just to remind myself how bad it sucked.
Ignore the sun, the cover's over my head.
I wrote a message on my pillow that says, "Jesse, stay asleep in bed."
So don't apologize. I hope you choke and die.
Search your cell for something with which to hang yourself.
They say you need to pray if you want to go to heaven
but they don't tell you what to say when your whole life has gone to hell.

Everyone's caught on to everything you do
Everyone's caught on to
And everyone's caught on to everything you do (And I can't let you, let me down again.)
Everyone's caught on to (And I can't let you, let me down again)

So, is that what you call a getaway?
Tell me what you got away with.
Cause I've seen more spine in jellyfish.
I've seen more guts in eleven-year-old kids.
Have another drink and drive yourself home.
I hope there's ice on all the roads.
And you can think of me when you forget your seatbelt,
and again when your head goes through the windshield.

And is that what you call tact?
You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back.
So let's end this call, and end this conversation.
and is that what you call a getaway?
well tell me what you got away with.
cause you left the frays from the ties you severed 
when you say best friends means friends forever

So, is that what you call a getaway?
Well tell me what you got away with.
Cause I've seen more spine in jellyfish.
I've seen more guts in eleven-year-old kids.
Have another drink and drive yourself home.
I hope there's ice on all the roads.
And you can think of me when you forget your seatbelt,
and again when your head goes through the windshield.

Everyone's caught on to everything you do (And I can't let you, let me down again)
Everyone's caught on to (And I can't let you, let me down again)
And everyone's caught on to everything you do (And I can't let you, let me down again)
Everyone's caught on to (And I can't let you, let me down again)

(lyrics from www.azlyrics.com- edited for spelling and clarity)