Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a picture of a hidden, perhaps forgotten, entity or object. The "second cabinet" is literally "hiding in the attic," surrounded by "your things." This initial scene sets a tone of quiet neglect and obscured presence. The narrator seems to be deliberately making themselves difficult to find, dropping a "number" into a toilet, suggesting a desire for secrecy or escape from being located. The imagery of "smoking up the window" and something being "eaten like a sandwich" adds a surreal, almost violent, layer to this concealment.
The central tension arises from this act of hiding versus the implied search. The narrator actively obstructs discovery, yet simultaneously expresses a desire for a "second eating" tied to "fourteen thousand wishes." This suggests a longing for a specific, perhaps delayed, fulfillment or recognition, juxtaposed against the current state of being lost or ignored. The shift to "second coming" in the second verse introduces a messianic or transformative element, contrasting the passive hiding with an active, benevolent greeting.
The most striking craft element is the persistent, almost absurd, personification of inanimate objects and abstract concepts. A "glove department" can "steal" and "eat" something, and a "cabinet" can be the "second coming." This surrealism elevates the lyrics beyond a simple narrative of hiding. It creates a dreamlike logic where actions and motivations are detached from conventional reality, allowing for a more potent emotional resonance. The repetition of "passion" in the second verse, applied to both shaking hands and holding the wheel, highlights a duality of outward warmth and internal control.
These lyrics are effective because they create a disorienting yet compelling emotional landscape. The specific, strange images – a wallet eaten like a sandwich, wishes flooding Texas – lodge themselves in the listener's mind. The narrator's actions, while bizarre, convey a clear sense of wanting to be found on their own terms, or perhaps of undergoing a significant, albeit cryptic, transformation. The contrast between the "attic" and the "second coming," the hidden and the revealed, generates a powerful sense of anticipation and mystery.