All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know
Factory Dreams and Lost Faith: The Ataris' Reflection on Vanishing Americana
Lyrics
Is this how it was intended?
Questioning whether the current state is as intended or planned.
The sunrise over smokestacks in the Midwest
Describing the sunrise over industrial smokestacks in the Midwest.
The beauty of this abandoned factory
Appreciating the beauty of an abandoned factory.
Christmas lights blinking on and off all out of time in what used to be
Observing Christmas lights blinking out of sync in what used to be.
Your pink house dreams of a middle class America
Referencing dreams of a middle-class America associated with a pink house.
I'm trying to believe in you
Expressing a struggle to believe in something or someone.
But all these satellites
Mentioning satellites and shattered dreams obstructing the speaker's view.
And shattered dreams are blocking out my view
Emphasizing the hindrance caused by external influences.
Please don't forget who you really are
Pleading not to forget one's true identity amidst challenges.
'Cause nothing really matters when we're gone
Asserting the insignificance of things when life ceases to exist.
Fell in love with his Kena waitress
Narrating a romantic involvement with a Kena waitress.
They honeymooned in Memphis
Describing a honeymoon in Memphis.
They were married by the drive-up window
Highlighting an unconventional wedding ceremony at a drive-up window.
Trailer parks, neon signs, and an empty box of Lucky Strikes
Depicting trailer parks, neon signs, and an empty box of Lucky Strikes.
All used up on the dashboard of America
Symbolizing the decline and exhaustion of the American dream.
I'm trying to believe in you
Reiterating the struggle to maintain belief in something.
But this world sold its faith
Pointing out the loss of faith in the world, traded for materialism.
For parking lots and drunk sincerity
Connecting the world's choices to parking lots and insincere behavior.
Please don't forget how small we really are
Urging not to forget the true scale of our existence.
Nothing really matters when we're...
Reiterating the insignificance of things in the grand scheme of life.
You'll be saddened to know
Informing about the transformation of childhood train tracks into a graveyard.
The train tracks you once walked on as a boy
Connecting personal memories to the broader concept of loss and change.
Are now nothing but a graveyard
Depicting the train tracks as a symbol of the past, now obsolete.
Please don't forget how small we really are
Reiterating the plea to remember our smallness in the face of challenges.
Nothing really matters when we're gone
Emphasizing the transience of existence and the limited significance of worldly matters.
I'm trying to believe in you
Continuing the struggle to believe in something or someone.
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