pasalaska Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 This week’s Song of the Week is the whimsical Words I Might Have Ate off Green Day’s second album, 1992’s Kerplunk, because (as noted by bjrules in the nomination thread) we haven’t had a Kerplunk song in a while. Words I Might Have ate is track 12 on Kerplunk, and is technically the album’s closing song, however CD versions of the album also include the four songs from the Sweet Children EP at the end of the album. Despite its cheery, upbeat sound, Words I Might Have Ate’s lyrics are ones of a lost love, regret, and not truly appreciating a good thing until it’s gone (there’s that good ol’ Green Day juxtaposition again). The song’s narrator is dwelling on old memories of “better days”, and asking himself “why?” – what is it that he did, or more specifically said, that caused him to lose his girl. As with most of Green Day’s earlier songs, there’s not a whole lot of reading into the lyrics possible; Words I Might Have Ate’s a simple story about the one that got away, and the resulting self-blame. Musically, this is probably my favourite song on the album, just because it’s so unique, and because it contrasts with the lyrics so well. I especially love how the song – especially Billie’s voice - starts off so softly, stays on a steady level, and then suddenly but subtly gets more intense in the bridge, before returning to its previously level before trailing off towards the end of the song. It’s like a story, with the intro, the rising action, the climax, and then the resolution. I’m sure there’s a more technical way to describe that, but it’s just a brilliant bit of song writing, and it really makes the song great. The trailing off 'why?'s also close of the album brilliantly - sometimes I purposely stop listening to Kerplunk after this song, just because it almost does an injustice to the song to follow it up with the Sweet Children EP (no offence to the EP but I'm sure you know what I mean). This week’s video is actually one of my own that I recorded at the epic Prague gig on the 29th of June, 2010. It’s not the whole song, but I love how Billie segued it in from Redundant, and I love how it sounds with just him and his acoustic guitar. It was an amazing and surprising end to an amazing concert (and I love the ferris wheel in the background too). Words I Might Have ate starts at 2:31 Lyrics: Now it seems I can't keep my mind of you My brain drifts back to better days we've been through Like sitting on blacktop of the school grounds The love I bitched about I finally found But now it's gone and I take the blame So there's nothing I can do but take the pain Why? Now I dwell on what you remind me of A sweet young girl who sacrificed her love As for me, I am blind without a cause And now I realised what I have lost It was something real that I could have had Now I play the fool whose stable soul's gone bad Why? Tell me the words I might have said That's pumping pressure deep inside my head Was it bad enough to be too late? Just tell me the words I might have ate... The words I might have ate… The words I might have ate… But now it's gone and I take the blame So there's nothing I can do but take the pain Why? Why? Why? Why? Oh, why? Why? Why? ********************************************************************************************************* You can nominate songs for discussion as Song of the Week in the SotW Nominations and Archive thread, which contains links to each previous Song of the Week in its first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four. Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 I love this song. You can relate to it a lot too. Not just in love, but in friendship and stuff. Musically, I feel nostalgia coming from it, as well as a strong desire to go surfing for some reason. We had it acoustically done at the 2009 gig in Montreal, and that was splendid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Ahh I love the 60s sounding loveliness that is this song! It's just fantastic to hear that really interesting acoustic-y old fashioned sound on that album, so cool that they were happy to experiment and show a wider range of musical influences even as far back as then. Love Billie's voice on it and love those harmonies! And I agree Aska, I like the classic Green Day contrast between the happy music and the sad, bittersweet lyrics. Probably even more noticeable in this song because it's not just upbeat catchy music but really nice and sweet music and vocals. Total contrast with the lyrics. I love how it trails off with the repeated wistful "why?" too. One thing - in this song is he pronouncing ate as "ett" or "8"? Being English I say "ett", although for some freaky unknown reason when I think of the title of this song I always think of it as "8". Because of Billie's strange voice (rhyming "head" with "late" but it sounds more like "lett", and then rhyming that with "ate") it is impossible to tell which way he's saying it as far as I can tell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie, get your gun Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 it's a cute song I like the melody. But I prefer the acoustic version from the radio rather than the original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pasalaska Posted September 24, 2011 Author Share Posted September 24, 2011 One thing - in this song is he pronouncing ate as "ett" or "8"? Being English I say "ett", although for some freaky unknown reason when I think of the title of this song I always think of it as "8". Because of Billie's strange voice (rhyming "head" with "late" but it sounds more like "lett", and then rhyming that with "ate") it is impossible to tell which way he's saying it as far as I can tell He kinda says 'ay-yat', so a mix between '8' and 'ett'. What was that thing about being an American impersonating and Englishman impersonating an American? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 He kinda says 'ay-yat', so a mix between '8' and 'ett'. What was that thing about being an American impersonating and Englishman impersonating an American? That's exactly what it is! Straight down the middle of the Atlantic on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaniluau Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 What a jewel this track is. The melody is almost eerily cheery, in a sort of nursery rhyme way. This is the sort of song I'll play for the kids I'll never have as a lullaby. Yet despite the happiness of it all, it's clearly reminiscent. That's the primary emotion I experience when I hear the song--undiluted nostalgia. It's a story of lost opportunities and youthful yearnings. The narrator feels regret, but realizes that the time has passed and not much can be done. I was delighted when the boys whipped this one out for the tour last year. It's encouraging to know that they still think about--and enjoy playing--these precious oldies. My favorite live version has to be the one that's included on the enhanced version of 39/Smooth. It's splendid to hear Billie and Mike's voices intertwining with that masterful harmony, knowing that it was the just the beginning of a lifelong partnership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizziebix Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Sadly I think there are a lot of Americans that say "a-ett." Two syllables instead of one! We're pretty horrible when speaking English properly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Sadly I think there are a lot of Americans that say "a-ett." Two syllables instead of one! We're pretty horrible when speaking English properly! Probably not quite the same as Billie in this song though. I think that's unique Just gonna post my favourite video of this. All three of them singing. Ahem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 It's hard describing the song, haha. I think the OP and other posts do a wonderful job of it. It's so ... I really can't find the right words to describe it It doesn't sound like any other Green Day song at all. I like it. Let's just stick to that, can't go wrong. One thing - in this song is he pronouncing ate as "ett" or "8"? Being English I say "ett", although for some freaky unknown reason when I think of the title of this song I always think of it as "8". Because of Billie's strange voice (rhyming "head" with "late" but it sounds more like "lett", and then rhyming that with "ate") it is impossible to tell which way he's saying it as far as I can tell He pronounces ate really odd indeed, but doesn't he rhyme "said" with "head" and "ate" with "late" . Like, AABB*, not AAAA or ABBB or whatever. I don't think head and late are supposed to rhyme, although he does come close to making it rhyme anyway. *AABBBB, to be precise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 It's hard describing the song, haha. I think the OP and other posts do a wonderful job of it. It's so ... I really can't find the right words to describe it It doesn't sound like any other Green Day song at all. I like it. Let's just stick to that, can't go wrong. He pronounces ate really odd indeed, but doesn't he rhyme "said" with "head" and "ate" with "late" . Like, AABB*, not AAAA or ABBB or whatever. I don't think head and late are supposed to rhyme, although he does come close to making it rhyme anyway. *AABBBB, to be precise Yeah you're right . But it all kind of sounds like it rhymes anyway, because it's all in some weird place between an "ay" and and "ehh" sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porksoda Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 I love the 'why's?' in this song. Probably my favorite part because they say so much with so little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greendepent Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 My fav from Kerplunk. I remember that I had a really bad issue with one of my best friends asking her why this song depressed her so much. When she replay me, I felt like the biggest asshole. And that thing is a bit odd, cause we were replaying the main idea of this song in that situation. Awyway, I love this song. Is a real pleasure play it in the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen. Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 This song is all about the harmonies for me. They are beautiful. Amazing lyric - "Now I play the fool whose stable soul's gone bad". Every time I hear it, I'm like "whoa, you were writing that as a teenager!" I prefer the Prague version to the album version, but am I imagining it, or is this the song that they sang almost acapella after Billie broke a guitar string in some radio interview way back when? Someone posted about it recently and I remember being more than impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJA TC MD Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 This is one of my favorites from Kerplunk. I love the acoustic sound which hadn't really been used by Green Day on the albums. It has a great tune and some great harmonies as well. The intro sounds so cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justcause Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 First thing I always think of with this song is how much I love the title, just how the words sit. It's like they're a scrap of paper torn out of something much bigger, and the energy of that is all around them. In my mind, this is twinned with 'One of My Lies', partly because it's another fucking great title, so full of power and a kind of mystery - like, one of my lies ?? - and also because of the lingering 'why?'. Words I Might Have Ate has the feeling of writing something down and singing it out just to spill it and get it out your head, in the hopes that doing that will make it let go of you. The counterpoint of the music angles it, seeking a cool perspective in this stinging emotional place that's all 'what the fuck did I do wrong, what did I say, how did I screw it up?'. All the emotional 'whys' come to some kind of rest in Good Riddance's 'don't ask why', but fuckit, in that song the ache is so deep, so endless. I love the video in the OP - the segue of the two songs is beautiful and meaningful. 'Redundant', with 'I cannot speak, I'm lost for words, speechless and redundant' - 'Words I Might Have Ate' with 'tell me what are the words I might have said / the words I might have ate'. Both of these songs have the sense of not knowing what the other person wants from you, of being somehow remote - like, of somehow getting it 'right' or 'wrong' based on the words you say, how you succeed or fail in expressing what's in your heart, this painful sense of inarticulacy. I love the sound of the Kerplunk songs - you can feel the sunshine and the sense of space, like a clear blue sky where the clouds that float by are easy to see. I feel like it's always summer in Kerplunk, that it's simple and uncomplicated and whatever the woes of the day, the next horizon is coming fast - yet, songs like Words I Might Have Ate resonate all the way to songs like Whatsername, the regrets still haunting, the whys never completely stilled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissawebster Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I love this song every time I hear it. The radio interview version added to the 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours CD is my favorite. BJA and Mike Dirnt harmonize together so perfectly. I think they were trying to track down a guitar - pronounced geeh-tar ;0 - but I'm almost positive they got one before they started singing it, but it's still all about the vocals for me. So perfect. Great song of the week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gloria123 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 this is an amazing song! i love the acoustic because it doesn't make it sound like a boring slow song. plus i just love the way billie says "why"!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spark in the night Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I like the beginning the guitar and then the first line softly flows in "now it seems, I can't keep my mind off of you.." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjrules Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Yay!!! I feel so happy that this song got picked after I nominated it! This song is actually one that I honestly didn't like for ages, I would always skip it when it came up on my ipod. But then I finally listened to the whole song one day and I fell in love with it. The harmonies on this song are just brilliant, and the lyrics are excellent especially considering that Billie was only about 18 or 19 when he wrote them. "Now I play the fool who's stable soul's gone mad" is just pure brilliance. I love it how even at this early stage of their careers they weren't afraid to put an acoustic song on their album, even though it isn't "punk". I honestly can't understand why I didn't like this song, its so underrated, and I would die if I got to hear it live one day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophiaAndTheAve. Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Words i might have ate is my favorite song of kerplunk it's that kind of song i listen to on a sunny morning or when i'm happy about something. it's always the song that brings me trough the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestboundSign! Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 I'm pretty happy about Words I Might Have Ate being the song of the week.. It has always been that kind of song I can always listen to. Whether I'm happy or sad. It always kinda cheers me up (even more). And I love Billie Joe's acoustic version (the video). He changes the song a little if it comes to the way he's singing and everything. But that's amazing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DecanoLP Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Not a huge fan of this song, the accoustic version is pretty good though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilyMarie Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 This is definitely one of the best songs from Kerplunk. It is so touching and sweet, there is an honest tone of regret to every word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristen M Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 This song is so chill. ....yup that's all I have to say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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