Song Meaning
The narrator counts wasted tears and the passage of time, feeling youth has slipped away. The imagery of a "broken watch" and "run-down clock" underscores a sense of stagnation and lost opportunity. A "smiling face on my wist" and later "on my floor" suggests a disconnect between outward appearance and inner turmoil, perhaps a lost connection or a memory that now feels shattered.
The central tension seems to be a desperate yearning to reclaim lost time and potential, captured in the repeated refrain, "Someday I'll get it back." This hope is fragile, however, constantly undercut by the narrator's awareness of their own potential for self-sabotage. The line "Before I open up my mouth / I think of all the weight" reveals a deep-seated fear of miscommunication or causing further damage, hinting at past mistakes.
The craft here hinges on stark, almost bleak, imagery and the contrast between aspiration and reality. The "slipping tongue loose lips and ships" phrase is particularly potent, evoking a cascade of unintended consequences from careless words. The "tried and true way to make a new adversary" is a darkly ironic observation, suggesting that the narrator's attempts to navigate life often lead to conflict, further isolating them.
This lyric's power comes from its raw portrayal of regret and the paralyzing fear of repeating past errors. The simple, almost childlike repetition of "Someday" highlights a persistent, if perhaps naive, hope against overwhelming evidence of present struggles. It's the sound of someone trapped, looking for an escape hatch that always seems just out of reach.