Freshmen

Day 54

--STATS--

Group: The Verve Pipe

Genre: Alternative Rock

Album: Villains

Released: 1996




When I was young I knew everything
She a punk who rarely ever took advice
Now I'm guilt stricken,
Sobbing with my head on the floor
Stop a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice, no

I can't be held responsible
She was touching her face
I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place

For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen

My best friend took a week's
Vacation to forget her
His girl took a week's worth of
Valium and slept
And now he's guilt stricken sobbing with his
Head on the floor
Thinks about her now and how he never really
Wept he says

I can't be held responsible
She was touching her face
I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place

For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen

hey yeah
hey yeah
hey yeah

We've tried to wash our hands of all this
We never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt stricken sobbing with our
Heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to
Slip, we'd say

I can't be held responsible
Cause she was touching her face
And I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place

For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen

For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen
We were merely freshmen
We were only freshmen




This song is powerful, be warned. You either love it or hate it. I am almost certain that this is the most talked about song that has ever been written. My opinion is based on my findings & research. Though I say you either love it or hate it, I have never talked to anyone who doesn't love it, and consider it to be one of their top favorite songs of all time. One example; The television series Cold Case features the song "Freshmen" on their April 29th 2007 episode "The Good Death". People buzzed about it for months, & it was one of the most highly viewed episodes of the whole series. This song has power.

What makes this song so popular & why so much discussion over the meaning? For one, the topic is heavy, & he sings it with such sincerity, you would think from personal experience. The age is delicate, whether they are referring to a young teen or an almost adult & so many people can relate to the concept of thinking you know everything. The melody can be summed up with two words: Remorseful melancholy. Has their ever been a more brilliant arrangement of cords since Freshmen hit the airwaves?

The phrase in verse 1 has left many listeners in confusion over the entire meaning of the song " Stop a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice, no." Did they have a baby? Was their an abortion? Did they kill their baby? Were they married to young? What does "Shoe full of rice" even mean? I will let a quote from Brian Vander Ark clear that up for everyone. Who would know better than the person who wrote it in the first place.

"STOP A BABY'S BREATH, AND A SHOE FULL OF RICE, NO. First of all, forget the NO. Stop a baby's breath is just that. Abort the baby. A shoe full of rice is a result of a wedding. So--Stop a baby's breath AND then you stop a wedding. She's pregnant. Get her to abort, and then there's no wedding."

"A shoe full of rice" is a phrase in the song "The Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe. In the context of the song, commonly assumed to be about a botched abortion and a girlfriend's suicide, "a shoe full of rice" seems to be a nonsequitor. However, the song's author explains that "a shoe full of rice" simply is symbolic of a wedding. In many traditions, wedding guests shower the bride and groom with rice/grains to represent fertility. Because of the abortion referred to in the song, there will be no wedding.
-- Quote is from urbandictionary.com


So there you have it. It is obvious why the topic is so controversial. No matter your views on abortion & suicide, this song still remains a top contender for the greatest song ever written. But what do you think?

The song was actually originally recorded in 1992 & put on their debut album titled "I've Suffered a Head Injury". This was an acoustic version, & was re-recorded for the 1996 album Villains, which had another notable single "Photograph". My friend Jessica own this album, which brings me back to the early years of grade school. My first taste of alternative rock quite possibly. It continued to play throughout my middle school years, & made occasional appearances in my later teens as well. All my close friends have this song on a CD, A play list, phone or IPOD. I don't even have to ask, I just know. I played this album in my disc man (before I owned my first IPOD!) commuting from Tualatin to Lake Oswego via bus every morning while I attended NWN. That is before I discovered American Wedding. This song is very much apart of life. It connects me to almost any grouping of time I can think of. Not many songs I know do that. Now onto the music.