Placeholder
Embracing Empty Spaces: Elliott Smith's Placeholder Tale
Lyrics
Looking at all the rows
Reflecting on various situations or aspects.
All these records look like big zeros
Feeling a sense of emptiness or insignificance in life.
Got your picture on the back of a forty-five
Having a photo featured on a vinyl record cover.
A placeholder 'til you take up mine
Being a temporary placeholder until the other person reciprocates.
A placeholder 'til you take up mine
Repetition emphasizing the temporary nature of the role.
I'm the person you'll never need
Feeling unimportant or not essential to someone.
The biggest loser on sixteenth street
Expressing a sense of failure or inadequacy.
The invisible man with the see-through mind
Being unnoticed and having thoughts easily seen through.
A placeholder 'til you take up mine
Continuing as a substitute until a deeper connection is formed.
A placeholder 'til you take up mine
Reiteration of being a temporary stand-in for someone else.
Break off of in someone's laughter
Disconnecting from the joy expressed by others.
You can tell right there
Observing someone who remains conventional or unoriginal.
He's still a square
Describing someone as old-fashioned or out of touch.
He likes the way that you look now
Appreciating the current appearance of someone.
Like an open book
Seeing someone as transparent or easy to understand.
Just like my favorite song
Comparing a person to a favorite but fleeting experience.
Some pretty words that didn't last that long
Recalling beautiful words that didn't endure.
Like a package sent priority overnight
Metaphorically likening a relationship to an expedited delivery.
Placeholder come and take up mine
Repeating the role of a placeholder, inviting the other to reciprocate.
Placeholder come and take up mine
Emphasizing the call for the other person to take up the role.
Placeholder come and take up mine
Repetition to reinforce the invitation to be a placeholder.
Placeholder come and take up mine
Continuing the invitation for the other person to take up the role.
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