Song Meaning
The narrator finds a strange allure in the mundane, almost tacky, domesticity of someone they're observing. There's a fascination with the other person's unselfconscious "cheesy" nature, which is repeated to emphasize its defining, perhaps irritating, quality. This "suburban kitsch" and "domestic shit" is something the narrator is drawn to, even as it creates a peculiar distance, making them prefer their dog's company.
The core tension seems to be a push-and-pull between attraction and repulsion, or perhaps a recognition of fundamental incompatibility masked by superficial charm. The narrator admits to liking the person, but this is immediately undercut by the bizarre, almost cannibalistic, "I wouldn't eat you" line, juxtaposed with the image of the other person eating the narrator's birthday cake. This suggests a relationship where boundaries are blurred or violated in unsettling ways.
The lyrics play with a kind of faux-divinity and self-unawareness. The repeated "You're cheesy like you don't know" is echoed by "You're Jesus and you don't know," elevating the person's cluelessness to a near-mythic status. This contrast between perceived grandeur and actual, mundane "cheesiness" highlights the narrator's complex feelings – a mix of amusement, frustration, and a grudging affection for this oblivious individual.
Ultimately, the effectiveness lies in its specific, off-kilter imagery and the raw, unvarnished expression of conflicted feelings. The narrator isn't presenting a polished romance; instead, they capture the awkward, sometimes gross, reality of being drawn to someone whose very essence feels slightly off, leading to a uniquely unsettling yet compelling portrait of attraction.