Cross Eyed

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of someone grappling with a shared, perhaps inherited, emotional or psychological trait, symbolized by "crossed eyes." There's a sense of regret for past choices and a defense mechanism of "carefully sutured pride" and a "chip on your shoulder." The narrator seems to oscillate between feeling superior and acknowledging a shared struggle, noting their "wit goes limp again" in the presence of the other person. This shared experience, however, is also something they actively avoid confronting directly, preferring to "circle a sanctum" and "avoid the lucent breakthrough." The central tension lies in the narrator's conflicting desires: the urge to move past painful memories and the simultaneous reliance on a self-imposed "immunity" that ultimately "consumes" them. The act of "crossing out" memories, particularly those of "sanctity," suggests a deliberate erasure of something once held dear, perhaps a past innocence or a relationship that has soured. This repeated action, framed as "a funny thing," hints at a dark humor or a detached resignation to this destructive coping mechanism. The most striking craft element is the recurring motif of "crossing out." It's a literal act of cancellation, applied to memories and perhaps to the relationship itself. This is amplified by the visual of "crossed eyes," creating a double meaning where the physical trait mirrors the psychological act of obscuring or negating the past. The phrase "planes and trains and 95 straight up", repeated twice, offers a stark contrast to the internal emotional turmoil, suggesting a desperate attempt at escape or a relentless, unthinking forward motion that fails to resolve the core issues. Ultimately, these lyrics resonate because they capture the complex, often contradictory, ways people deal with difficult experiences and relationships. The narrator’s struggle between wanting to forget and being trapped by the very act of forgetting, coupled with the subtle yet powerful imagery of shared physical and emotional distortion, creates a potent portrait of internal conflict. The writing effectively conveys a sense of weary resignation and the isolating nature of self-protection that paradoxically leads to deeper entrapment.