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Scattered


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This week’s song is "Scattered", track number five on Green Day’s fifth full length album. Nimrod was released on October 14, 1997, three years after they broke into the mainstream with Dookie. The immense popularity of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" helped to take the album to #10 on the Billboard Chart and sell nearly six million copies since its release.

With the opening lyric “I’ve got some scattered pictures lying on my bedroom floor,” it is clear that this song is about looking back on memories. As the song progresses into the chorus, it is made clear that the song is about fixing the “loose ends tied in knots” and salvaging a relationship on the fritz. It seems most plausible that the relationship he is speaking of is his marriage, based on the line “Now it seems I’ve forgotten my purpose in this life.” "Scattered" fits in with the theme of a lot of Nimrod’s songs – Billie seems to be evaluating his life at that moment as a husband and father of two boys and asking where it will all end up in the future.

Although this was never released as a single, it certainly strikes a chord with many fans and has been played as a rarity at a handful of shows, generally to great reception. I was lucky enough to see it performed live on the second leg of the 21st Century Breakdown tour in Mansfield, MA when a fan requested it and Billie obliged. Here’s a pretty good quality video from that night, preceded by a video of the boys performing the song acoustic:

Lyrics:

I've got some scattered pictures lying on my bedroom floor

Reminds me of the times we shared

Makes me wish that you were here

Now it seems I've forgotten my purpose in this life

All the songs have been erased

Guess I've learned from my mistakes

Open the past and present now and we are there

Story to tell and I am listening

Open the past and present and the future too

It's all I've got and I'm giving it to you

Loose ends tied in knots leaving a lump down in my throat

Gagging on a souvenir

Lodged to fill another year

Drag it on and on until my skin is ripped to shreds

Leaving my self wide open

Living out a sacrifice

If you got no one and I got no place to go

Would it be alright? Could it be alright?

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Nominate a song for Aska next week or check out past entries in the sotw archive thread.

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My favorite song off of Nimrod. I love this simple rock ballad. It's sweet and reflective. I remember Billie tweeting about this song, he said something like the verses were written years apart and how everything comes back around at some point. Very true.

My favorite lyric is: "It's all I've got and I'm giving it to you". It's a life lesson moment.

I really wish they played this song at concerts more.

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My favorite lyric is: "It's all I've got and I'm giving it to you". It's a life lesson moment.

I really wish they played this song at concerts more.

Thats my favorite line too :)

Probably my favorite song off Nimrod as well. I always thought this song would tie in well in the AI Musical if it was in there somewhere. Goes with the theme

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Thats my favorite line too :)

Probably my favorite song off Nimrod as well. I always thought this song would tie in well in the AI Musical if it was in there somewhere. Goes with the theme

It actually would've gone nicely in the AI Musical. Hm, now I wish they had included it in there somewhere.

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Aww, I fucking love this song - so intense and tender and mysterious, so personal, so upfront. I love the thrumming sound of it, and how the words well up from the music, propelling this aching feeling into expression. The word-pictures are all so vivid - the scattered pictures full of memories, the 'loose ends tied in knots', unresolved, tormenting, the forgotten purpose and the someone who held you to that purpose. Over it all is the doorways of time - past and present and future, commanding it so that it all becomes 'now and we are there', standing in that doorway with just one question - 'would it be alright ?'

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Oh man. This one hits where it hurts. It came out right after i'd been in kind of a sore relationship. It really fucking hurt that it didn't work out. This song was like a fiery hot knife edge in my gut.

But, y'know, in a good way...

(also i was at the show in MA. Word. My DNA is like, in the air of that video. Somewheres.)

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This is one of those songs I need to listen more often (it never comes on my iPod :() I love that guitar at the beginning, that sound is really cool!!

Reading the lyrics just then, I realized how different the first and second verses are. The song is really well written and another great song from Nimrod.

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this song means so much to me, one night I was going through some pictures and I found one of my very best friend and I when we were like 10. We both moved away from where we lived and he lives on the other side of the country. "I've got some scattered pictures lying on my bedroom floor Reminds me of the times we shared Makes me wish that you were here Now it seems I've forgotten my purpose in this life".It describes exactly how I feel looking back on our friendship. He kept me together for 9 years, I know I'll never see him again and it breaks my heart.

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Definitely my favorite song off Nimrod. I really don't know what else to say. I love this song :happy:

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I had an obsession in a long with this song lately, it's also one of my favorite songs from Nimrod btw..it needs to be played more often at concerts! :wub:

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Well, (obviously) it's one of my favourites. Especially because it also has been one of my first Green Day songs I got into. To me it has always been one of those late night songs that just fit with listening to at night ^^

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I know I'll probably say this every week, but I love this song! It makes me consider my past too.

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It actually would've gone nicely in the AI Musical. Hm, now I wish they had included it in there somewhere.

There's a lot of older songs I always imagine being in there :lol:

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I love this song so much, the lyrics, the instrumentals, just everything about it. It's definitely my favorite song on Nimrod and probably my favorite Green Day song. This was actually one song I had never heard even though I've had Nimrod for a while, and when I heard it, I listened to it over and over for like an hour straight. This is an amazing song. I actually got to see this live in MA in 2010. It was so fun to see them preform it (I had never heard it before, though).

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My favorite Green Day song. This was the first song I heard off Nimrod besides the obvious. It's always struck a chord with me. It's such a beautiful song and means a lot to me. I wish it would've been released a a single because I believe it would still be getting a lot of airplay, and it could have one kickass music video. :)

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