Keep Me In the Open – Gang of Youths

Song Six: Keep Me In the Open

Keep me in the open is a song about lead singer David Le’aupepe’s ex-wifes battle with cancer, however in this blog it has been interpreted in the author’s own way, as they were struggling in a relationship at the time and it reflects how they were feeling as well. The song begins with some incredibly disheartening lines,

“I don’t know if I blame you for being so distant,

But I’m trying to be real with you, and God, it’s been a hell of a week”

This is relates to the author in a few ways, as they were in a long distance relationship, spoiler alert: They never work out, however, the author expected distance as it’s a difficult situation to be in, however distance can eventually lead straight into ignoring and that’s where the second line really hits home. There’s only one person you really want to talk to and when you can’t it’s almost unbearable.

“If it means being here with you, then hey, I am trying to be
I’ll always struggle to think of you in a harsh way”

The author was desperately trying to get over to where the significant other was living, but it never seemed to work. The author was convinced that when they saw each other again, everything would make sense. However, even when the inevitable conversation happened and they tried to make the author hate them, which really reflects in the second line, even now the author thinks no differently of them.

“I’m getting used to the sleepless hours from sundown
The terrible dreams that lead me inward to terrible truths”

It’s amazing how much of a toll this sort of stress can take on a person, sleep becomes difficult and even when you finally do fall asleep, the mind loves playing tricks on you. So even in your own dreams, you cannot escape these thoughts.

“Tell me how I can do this thing
Tell me how I can help this thing go easily
‘Cause I’m trying, honeybee”

In a situation where you can feel a relationship failing, you’ll try anything that you can to make it work, this lines resonate with the author quite strongly as that’s how they felt for most of the last part of the relationship.

“When did everything get this weird? How the f**k did it start?
Did you ever believe in me? Was it always so hard?”

Again, at some point in the relationship you have a deep look inside and you don’t understand where everything started to go wrong, was there one incident? One Moment? One situation? It becomes very difficult to deal with to try and pinpoint where exactly a relationship went wrong. The second line is relevant to the author after the inevitable conversation about the ending of a relationship, where things were brought up that had never been an issue throughout the entire relationship, which is a hard pill to swallow at the end of a relationship.

“The heart is closed, but keep me in the open
‘Cause I deserve better than this
Yeah, I deserve better than this”

During the author’s last relationship, the significant other was a very closed book, but usually very open and accommodating to the author. So the first line reflects on the entire relationship, especially when it went long distance. You understand people require space and time, which is completely understandable; however, you don’t want to be cut out completely and end up on the outer of a relationship you’re trying so hard to maintain.

The finals lines can be taken a bit selfishly, as at the end of the of a relationship sometimes you feel like you’ve done all that you can do and sometimes your best just isn’t good enough. But, you can feel you deserve a better outcome then what you were served. However, that’s life.

Achilles Come Down – Gang of Youths

Song four: Achilles Come Down

Achilles Come Down is possibly my favourite song on this album, maybe even my favourite by Gang of Youths of all time. The song begins with a haunting cello solo and is mainly focused on strings throughout the story where we see Le’aupepe attempt to talk down the character from jumping off a roof, which is beautiful intertwined with his intrusive thoughts trying to get him to jump, which the vocalist is desperately telling Achilles that they are lies. It is also is quite a long song, so the analysis will be a little bit longer than the others.

“Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, come down

Won’t you get up off, get up off the roof? “

The opening lines of the song are Le’aupepe talking to the character Achilles telling him to get off the roof and not to jump, which could be a reference to the signers own suicide attempt or the character Achilles from Homer’s odyssey.

“Remember the pact of our youth

Where you go I’m going, so jump and I’m jumping

Since there is no me without you

Solider on Achilles, Achilles come down

Won’t you get up off, get up off the roof.”

In this verse, the singer begins pleading with Achilles, explaining that he means much more to him than he thinks, implying that from a youthful pact of sticking together and he hasn’t forgotten that, as there is no Le’aupepe without Achilles. Then telling Achilles to solider on and get down from the roof as there is so much more to live for and jumping would not be worth it.

“Today of all days, see

How the most dangerous thing is to love

How you will heal and you’ll rise above.”

The chorus connects the story of Achilles with Le’aupepe’s personal life; the character of Achilles is in love with a character Patroclus, when she dies in the poem Achilles is obviously distressed, this is where it really refers to the singer’s personal life and his ex-wife and her battle with cancer. The final line of the chorus is a message of hope, which Le’aupepe was able to heal and rise above the pain, so Achilles will be able to do the same.

The next chorus takes a drastic turn as the singers voice is now slightly distorted, which implies that he is now singing from the point of view of Achilles intrusive thoughts:

“Achilles, Achilles, Achilles, jump now

You are absent of cause or excuse

So self-indulgent and self-referential

No audience could ever want you

You crave the applause yet hate the attention

Then miss it, your act is a ruse

It is empty, Achilles, so end it all now

It’s a pointless resistance for you”

This changes the whole tempo of the song and really digs in deep at how intrusive thoughts can effect someone’s thought process. Even though Achilles has the singer talking him down with positivity he can’t help but think negatively in the moment, with his thoughts telling him he’s just making it all up and may as well just end it now.

“Achilles, Achilles, just put down the bottle

Don’t listen to what you’ve consumed

……

And there may not be meaning, so find one and seize it

Do not waste yourself on this roof.”

In this verse it reverts back to the singer talking to Achilles, the opening line could be a metaphor for Le’aupepe’s life as he was drunk on the night he tried to kill himself, as spoken about in the Magnolia blog. He then closes out the verse by saying, that there might not be a meaning that you can see right now, but you will find one it’s not worth wasting yourself, or jumping off this roof.

The next verse I personally think is one of the best verses I’ve ever listened to, what we hear is the intrusive thoughts and Le’aupepe is arguing with each other about what Achilles should do:

“You want the acclaim, the mother of mothers
(It’s not worth it, Achilles)

More poignant than fame or the taste of another
(Don’t listen, Achilles)

But be real and just jump, you dense motherf**ker
(You’re worth more, Achilles)

You will not be more than a rat in the gutter
(So much more than a rat)

You want my opinion, my opinion you’ve got
(No one asked your opinion)

You asked for my counsel, I gave you my thoughts
(No one asked for your thoughts)

Be done with this now and jump of the roof
(Be done with this now and get off the roof)

Can you hear me, Achilles? I’m talking to you.”

This chorus is the climax of the whole situation and comes to a battle between Achilles own thoughts and his friend down below, both trying to convince him to do what they want. The ending line shows that his intrusive thoughts are adamant that he kill himself that night, however the singer is not relenting, and reassuring Achilles that he is talking to him and won’t go anywhere.

“Throw yourself into the unknown

With pace and fury defiant

Clothe yourself in beauty untold

And see life as a means to a triumph”

The final pre-chorus is Le’aupepe showing Achilles that there is so much more the live for, throw yourself into the unknown could be just trying something different, the band relocated to the USA to follow their music careers; it could be in reference to this. The closing line is just saying to Achilles there’s more positives to look at in life then the negatives. I think this implies that the singer was successful is talking down Achilles. But, this could be the most haunting song I have ever listen to, with the heavy focus on the cello and the juxtaposition verse, I think this is their most amazing song.

What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out? – Gang of Youths

Song three: What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?

What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out is a song off the Gang of Youths is a more upbeat song then the two songs previously spoken about, but still tells a story of a relationship falling apart but can also be interpreted as Le’aupepe losing his Christian faith.

The song begins with a 90 second instrumental before launching into the lyrics:

“Do I throw my clothes in the fire? Do I throw my hopes in the fire?

Do those things grow in the fire

Or just burn to keep me complying

Can you still show me the way? Can you still show me the light?

‘Cause I was only a kid when I fell and you tossed me aside, hey!”

This can be applied to both the loss of Christian faith as well as Le’aupepe’s lost relationship. Asking if he should just throw everything he’s ever believed in; God and love, into the already burning mess that he sees in front of him. The last line I believe has more to do with relationships as he was only 22 when he and his wife divorced.

With a song mainly focused on an upbeat tempo and the instrumental side of things, there’s not many lyrics to interpret, however, the chorus again can be interpreted in two separate ways:

“What can I do if the fire goes out?

‘Cause I don’t know if I can live without.”

The fire can be referred to the loss of his Christian faith, as Christians will refer to them being ‘on fire’ when they feel a strong Christian faith and in his situation he can feel it going out. Although, this can also be referred to as the fire or the flame in a relationship and what to do when the spark starts to fall out of a relationship and begins to fail or become stressful. The final line of the chorus again can be interpreted as both, how can he live without his Christian faith or how can he live with his first love?