Track four on
Grandaddy's 1999 EP
Signal to Snow Ratio. Written by
lead singer
Jason Lytle.
One of the more passionate and sad songs released by the band, this
also has one of the most common and tangible ideas they present.
Almost
heart wrenching for me, knowing exactly the situation it
describes. Try standing in the rain with it playing and not think of lost loves ... impossible.
Rapid arpeggios on a keyboard start the song, with the lyrics
slowly and monotonously sung over them. Slow deliberate piano chords come in with the word "rather"
Hello my name is on my shirt
Pocket
I'd rather not speak right now
I'm remembering
Something
At 0:35 the arpeggios die out and just the voice and piano remain.
Most typically my dreams are dreadfully boring
Therefore I come to these places
Just to see the girls
With hair like hers
With clothes like she wore
With smells like hers
With handwriting like hers
At 1:34 the voice is through an effect (crunch or something) and a pulsating synth noise enters in the background. The song feels as if it is building to a climax as the final line is repeated
You wrote me little letters
And you brought me lunch that time at my work
And that poem you left on my windshield
Wrapped in plastic to protect it from the rain
Protect it from the rain
Protected from the rain (X7)
From 2:55 until the end at 3:59, the instruments slowly continue without the lyrics until they turn into discordance and noise, perfectly echoing the mood of the theme.