New Disaster
Chasing Ghosts: Unraveling the Mystery in Elliott Smith's 'New Disaster'
Lyrics
The ghost of your smile is always looking for new
The lingering memory of your smile is always seeking new bodies to influence or haunt.
Bodies to haunt
Continuation of the metaphor, suggesting a haunting presence seeking new connections.
And it's been here
Referring to the haunting presence being present.
And disappeared
Acknowledgment that this presence comes and goes, appearing intermittently.
It's hanging around aloofly for awhile
The presence lingers around indifferently for a while.
Gradually gone
Gradually fading away or disappearing.
It's pleasing
Despite its ephemeral nature, the haunting presence is described as pleasing.
And freezing
Also, the presence is freezing, perhaps suggesting a chilling effect.
Well I wonder what it is you're after
The singer wonders about the motivation or goal behind the haunting presence.
Keeping company with this disaster
Questioning the choice of keeping company with a destructive force or situation.
You looked all over town
Describing a search or exploration throughout the town.
Got turned around
Feeling disoriented or lost during the search.
To walk back through the mud
Returning to a difficult or messy situation, symbolized by walking through mud.
The kind you had left behind you
Reflecting on the consequences or remnants of past actions.
Everybody is the same in this long no-win game
Expressing a sense of universal similarity in a challenging, unwinnable situation.
Where every new blood gets time to
Introducing the idea of every newcomer having time to accept or become resigned to the situation.
Become resigned
Continuation of the resignation theme.
Now I wonder what it is you're after
Repetition of the earlier wondering about the motivation behind the haunting presence.
Keeping company with this disaster
Reiterating the choice to associate with a destructive situation or person.
Why you never tried to tame your master
Questioning why there was no attempt to control or manage the destructive force.
You just blow through the coals
Describing a force blowing through the coals, possibly symbolizing a disruptive influence.
Blow through the coals
Repetition of the idea of blowing through the coals.
Blow through the coals
Continuation of the blowing through the coals metaphor.
'Til everyone knows
Suggesting that the disruptive influence continues until it becomes widely known.
That your smile is just a ghost
Emphasizing that the smile is merely a ghost, possibly alluding to a false or insincere facade.
The ghost of your smile was seen on a body in the park
The haunting presence is observed on a body in the park, indicating its impact on others.
It's old news
Acknowledging that this information is not new; the impact is well-established.
You see that it's no use
Realizing the futility of waiting or expecting a change.
Waiting to start
Continuation of the waiting theme, possibly for a positive transformation.
Waiting to light
Waiting for a light or revelation, possibly in a metaphorical sense.
Waiting 'til dark
Continuation of waiting until a darker or more challenging time.
I told you man
The speaker asserts that they had warned or informed someone.
I told you
Reiteration of the earlier warning or information provided to someone.
Well I wonder what it is you're after
Repetition of the wondering about the motivation behind the haunting presence.
Keeping company with this disaster
Reiterating the choice to associate with a destructive situation or person.
Why you never tried to tame your master
Questioning why there was no attempt to control or manage the destructive force.
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