LogFAQs > #954218208

216. Elliott Smith Between the Bars (1997)
from the album Either/Or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5g-91mwiNs

Key lyrics:
The potential youll be, that youll never see
The promises youll only make

In a career full of despairing tracks, Between the Bars just might be Elliott Smiths most haunting. He sings in a strained whisper, almost like a ghost. The instrumentation is equally ethereal, dominated by the gentle strumming of a guitar. On all levels, this is a song that suggests someone who has given up, made all the harder to consume in retrospect.

The lyrical point of view is so compelling. Instead of singing directly from the heart, the perspective is given from a bottle of alcohol. This is a siren song, a destructive force gently lulling you into comfort. This lends a more universal element than a straightforward approach. Not everyone has experienced addiction or depressive episodes. By painting his struggles as an outside entity, Smith articulates his situation as spending time with an enabling friend, someone incapable of realizing the harm they are doing. The quietness of the song suggests, if not a warm place, at least a safe one away from the world. This is a friend who will never leave you, one which must be pushed away with great force; but why would you when they offer such an easy escape? As someone who has been lucky enough to never deal with addiction, this gets the message across painfully well.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/