The Freshmen -- Verve Pipe

What the hell is this song about? Anyone?

[istewart]

Is that the "can't be held responsible" song?

[Beerfund]

<insert obvious smartass answer about freshmen here>

[Beerfund]

When I was young I knew everything,
And she, a punk who rarely ever took advice
Now I'm guilt-stricken, sobbin' with my head on the floor
Stopped a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice, no...

BRIDGE:
Can't be held responsible
She was touchin' her face
I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place

CHORUS:
For the life of me
I can not remember
What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise
For the life of me
I can not believe we'd ever die
For these sins
We were merely freshmen

My best friend took a week's vacation to forget her
His girl took a week's worth of valium and slept
And now he's guilt-stricken, sobbin'
With his head on the floor
Thinks about her now and how he never really wept he said

BRIDGE
CHORUS

hey yeah yeah yeah yeah
hey yeahhhhhhh
hey yeah yeah yeah yeahhhhhh

We tried to wash our hands of all of this
We'd never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt-stricken sobbin' with our heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip we'd say...

BRIDGE

CHORUS x2

We were merely freshmen
We were only freshmen

[mmbt0ne]

Sorry for the formatting, not my words:

In 2001, Brian Vander Ark explained what the song means to him:
WHEN I WAS YOUNG I KNEW EVERYTHING. We all think we know everything at a young age. I thought I did. I realize I didn't know sh*t until i was 36.AND SHE, A PUNK, WHO RARELY TOOK ADVICE. How many people do we know like that? NOW I'M GUILT STRICKEN, SOBBING, WITH MY HEAD ON THE FLOOR. Something happened, that caused this reaction, but I wouldn't want to give that away this early in the song, so let's through in an some ambiguity: STOP A BABY'S BREATH, AND A SHOE FULL OF RICE, NO. First of all, forget the NO. Stop a baby's breath is just that. Abort the baby. A shoe full of rice is a result of a wedding. So - stop a baby's breath AND then you stop a wedding. She's pregnant, get her to abort, and then there's no wedding. And you know what? I CAN'T BE HELD RESPONSIBLE, CAUSE SHE WAS TOUCHING HER FACE. When I wrote this song, The Divinyls had a song out called I touch myself. The TV was on, she was touching her face in the video. Very sexy. So, I can't be held responsible because she was trying to be sexy, trying to seduce me, etc. I WON'T BE HELD RESPONSIBLE, SHE FELL IN LOVE IN THE FIRST PLACE. I didn't tell her to fall in love. FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CANNOT REMEMBER WHAT MADE US THINK THAT WE WERE WISE, AND WE'D NEVER COMPROMISE. What was i thinking back then. Who am I to put a girl though that? Why was I unable to compromise? Guilty feelings. FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CANNOT BELIEVE WE'D EVER DIE FOR THESE SINS, WE WERE MERELY FRESHMEN. We were just kids, let it go, we all make mistakes, etc. MY BEST FRIEND TOOK A WEEKS VACATION TO FORGET HER. He needed to get away because of what happened. HIS GIRL TOOK A WEEK'S WORTH OF VALIUM AND SLEPT. This is why this song is not that strong literally - it's confusing. HIS girl is MY girl. the same girl that had the abortion has now killed herself. NOW HE'S GUILT-STRICKEN SOBBING WITH HIS HEAD ON THE FLOOR, THINKS ABOUT HER NOW AND HOW HE NEVER REALLY WEPT HE SAYS. He has the same guilty feelings that I do about the abortion and death. WE TRIED TO WASH OUR HANDS OF ALL OF THIS, WE NEVER TALK OF OUR LACKING RELATIONSHIPS. We rarely spoke after the incident - we just tried to forget it. We never spoke of her or the fact that we can't have a decent relationship with anyone since then. WE FELL THROUGH THE ICE WHEN WE TRIED NOT TO SLIP. No matter how careful you might be, there are other perils out there.
The girl is real, the abortion is real. the death is not. it's poetic license--to make the story more interesting.

[KaneKungFu123]

He raped her.

[ QUOTE ]
When I was young I knew everything,
And she, a punk who rarely ever took advice
Now I'm guilt-stricken, sobbin' with my head on the floor
Stopped a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice, no...

BRIDGE:
Can't be held responsible
She was touchin' her face
I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place

CHORUS:
For the life of me
I can not remember
What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise
For the life of me
I can not believe we'd ever die
For these sins
We were merely freshmen

My best friend took a week's vacation to forget her
His girl took a week's worth of valium and slept
And now he's guilt-stricken, sobbin'
With his head on the floor
Thinks about her now and how he never really wept he said

BRIDGE
CHORUS

hey yeah yeah yeah yeah
hey yeahhhhhhh
hey yeah yeah yeah yeahhhhhh

We tried to wash our hands of all of this
We'd never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt-stricken sobbin' with our heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip we'd say...

BRIDGE

CHORUS x2

We were merely freshmen
We were only freshmen

[/ QUOTE ]

[Beerfund]

[ QUOTE ]
He raped her.


[/ QUOTE ]

I think he just impregnated her and then forced her to have an abortion, JUST LIKE ME! Cool....

[slickpoppa]

looks like it is about abortion

so then what does the friend have to do with this? that's where they lose me. every time. damn freshmen.

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry for the formatting, not my words:

In 2001, Brian Vander Ark explained what the song means to him:
WHEN I WAS YOUNG I KNEW EVERYTHING. We all think we know everything at a young age. I thought I did. I realize I didn't know sh*t until i was 36.AND SHE, A PUNK, WHO RARELY TOOK ADVICE. How many people do we know like that? NOW I'M GUILT STRICKEN, SOBBING, WITH MY HEAD ON THE FLOOR. Something happened, that caused this reaction, but I wouldn't want to give that away this early in the song, so let's through in an some ambiguity: STOP A BABY'S BREATH, AND A SHOE FULL OF RICE, NO. First of all, forget the NO. Stop a baby's breath is just that. Abort the baby. A shoe full of rice is a result of a wedding. So - stop a baby's breath AND then you stop a wedding. She's pregnant, get her to abort, and then there's no wedding. And you know what? I CAN'T BE HELD RESPONSIBLE, CAUSE SHE WAS TOUCHING HER FACE. When I wrote this song, The Divinyls had a song out called I touch myself. The TV was on, she was touching her face in the video. Very sexy. So, I can't be held responsible because she was trying to be sexy, trying to seduce me, etc. I WON'T BE HELD RESPONSIBLE, SHE FELL IN LOVE IN THE FIRST PLACE. I didn't tell her to fall in love. FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CANNOT REMEMBER WHAT MADE US THINK THAT WE WERE WISE, AND WE'D NEVER COMPROMISE. What was i thinking back then. Who am I to put a girl though that? Why was I unable to compromise? Guilty feelings. FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CANNOT BELIEVE WE'D EVER DIE FOR THESE SINS, WE WERE MERELY FRESHMEN. We were just kids, let it go, we all make mistakes, etc. MY BEST FRIEND TOOK A WEEKS VACATION TO FORGET HER. He needed to get away because of what happened. HIS GIRL TOOK A WEEK'S WORTH OF VALIUM AND SLEPT. This is why this song is not that strong literally - it's confusing. HIS girl is MY girl. the same girl that had the abortion has now killed herself. NOW HE'S GUILT-STRICKEN SOBBING WITH HIS HEAD ON THE FLOOR, THINKS ABOUT HER NOW AND HOW HE NEVER REALLY WEPT HE SAYS. He has the same guilty feelings that I do about the abortion and death. WE TRIED TO WASH OUR HANDS OF ALL OF THIS, WE NEVER TALK OF OUR LACKING RELATIONSHIPS. We rarely spoke after the incident - we just tried to forget it. We never spoke of her or the fact that we can't have a decent relationship with anyone since then. WE FELL THROUGH THE ICE WHEN WE TRIED NOT TO SLIP. No matter how careful you might be, there are other perils out there.
The girl is real, the abortion is real. the death is not. it's poetic license--to make the story more interesting.

[/ QUOTE ]

that's a better response than I ever could have expected ... thanks