some alternative explanations for "go down on me"

[sailorstkwrning]

I came up with a theory a few months back, just before he made the "it's about blowjobs!" comment, and then after that comment, I let it go. Or at least I tried to. But really every time the song came up in rotation on my iPod, I kind of had the same reaction: This song is a mess. It makes no goddamn narrative sense whatsoever. What the fuck, Brendon Urie?

I'm going to discuss my theory in a minute, but first, the text, taken directly from their website:


I feel the salty waves come in
I feel them crash against my skin
And I smile as I respire because I know they'll never win
There's a haze above my TV
That changes everything I see
And maybe if I continue watching
I'll lose the traits that worry me

Can we fast-forward to go down on me?
Stop there and let me correct it
I wanna live a life from a new perspective
You come along because I love your face
And I'll admire your expensive taste
And who cares divine intervention
I wanna be praised from a new perspective
But leaving now would be a good idea
So catch me up on getting out of here

Taking everything for granted but we still respect the time
We move along with some new passion knowing everything is fine
And I would wait and watch the hours fall in a hundred separate lines
But I regain repose and wonder how I ended up inside

Can we fast-forward to go down on me?
Stop there and let me correct it
I wanna live a life from a new perspective
You come along because I love your face
and I'll admire your expensive taste
And who cares divine intervention
I wanna be praised from a new perspective
But leaving now would be a good idea
So catch me up on getting out of here

More to the point, I need to show
How much I can come and go
Other plans fell through
And put a heavy load on you
I know there's no more that need be said
When I'm inching through your bed
Take a look around instead and watch me go

Stop there and let me correct it
I wanna live a life from a new perspective
You come along because I love your face
and I'll admire your expensive taste
And who cares divine intervention
I wanna be praised from a new perspective
But leaving now would be a good idea
So catch me up on getting out of here

It's not fair, just let me perfect it
Don't wanna live a life that was comprehensive
'cause seeing clear would be a bad idea
Now catch me up on getting out of here
So catch me up I'm getting out of here



My theory, which I will be the first to admit is possibly a little (or a lot) cracktastic, is that "go down on me" was not about blowjobs at all, but rather, an echo of Ryan's "Hey moon, please forget to fall down/Hey moon, don't you go down" from Northern Downpour, where "going down" = "screwing up", falling, failing, etc. I based this theory on the way Brendon had previously echoed Ryan's metaphors, specifically the concept of "summer" migrating between Folking Around ("summer lasted longer, longer than we two") and When the Day Met the Night ("When the sun found the moon/She was drinking tea in a garden/Under the green umbrella trees/In the middle of summer").

I also thought there were two implied/unstated "you"s in the song - the one that fell down, AND the one that had to bear a heavy load unexpectedly. And the second one appeared apparently randomly in a conversation withe first one, as an aside inserted literally mid-verse.

Tangentially, I didn't (and don't) think it's too much of a stretch to read the first implied "you" in the song as Ryan (and the "going down" as his various extracurricular transgressions); the second "you" I had taken to be Spencer, having to contend with the band split and associated fall out.

Then this weekend I was discussing "fuck you" songs in general and this song in particular with someone I shall call the First Mate, and she had a TOTALLY DIFFERENT explanation which made a whole lot more sense than mine. She agreed that there were two "yous", but in a different way; she saw two speakers within the song, like so:



Speaker 1:
I feel the salty waves come in
I feel them crash against my skin
And I smile as I respire because I know they'll never win
There's a haze above my TV
That changes everything I see
And maybe if I continue watching
I'll lose the traits that worry me

Speaker 2, interrupting: Can we fast-forward to go down on me?

Speaker 1:
Stop there and let me correct it
I wanna live a life from a new perspective
(etc)

and then later

Speaker 1:
More to the point, I need to show
How much I can come and go

Speaker 2, interrupting again, perhaps trying to apologize:
Other plans fell through
And put a heavy load on you

Speaker 1:
I know there's no more that need be said
When I'm inching through your bed
Take a look around instead and watch me go
(etc)



In this interpretation, "go down on me" would be about blowjobs, though whether they are literal, metaphorical or both, is, of course, open to question. We did, however, conclude that the "I'm done sucking your dick, Ryan Ross" message was pretty clear and unambiguous.

I did play "Change" for her as well. She was most unimpressed and had no interpretive thoughts, on the grounds that she couldn't understand half the lyrics, it sounded like it had been recorded in bar/at the bottom of a well, and also what she could understand was something about cats? Maybe? It did not rate very high on the "fuck you" song scale, that is for sure.

Comments

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

there's just one glitch in you theory, though! according to brendon he wrote this song several years ago, while there (presumably) was no reason to say fuck you to anybody :D

[sailorstkwrning.livejournal.com]

heh, according to brendon, he wrote the song two years ago, a year and a half ago, nine months ago . . . the date changes every time he gives an interview!

That said, yes, your Earth logic does crimp my style. Ah well. :D