Halloween...

I was at the show that the band played Halloween for the first time (Boston MA, 11/26/12) and the song has been one of my favorites since then. I think, and I may be way off, I have a basic understanding of the lyrics:
(For those of you who don't know them they are:
Sympathy,
this is my best disguise
My skin stepped out for my bones to dry up
for the rest of the world outside to see
You see I, bleed on the side
It's a part time thing, a private affair
I try to keep it out of the light

I must confess, I didn't recognize you tonight
dressed up like my love
And I hate these things but I always attend
A little sip of something to take off the edge
And I make my way through the ghosts in the room
trying to crack a smile

And who are you supposed to be?
You look like heaven tonight
Me, I'm a tomb, a corpse in a suit, trying to look a little alive
Are you alright? I worry sometimes
Are you dressed up to take my life?

We keep it coming.
Keep it coming.

Well I think I saw you for the flash of a moment
Your broken heart and the body that holds it
I lost your scent in the flash of the party
The big bright lights, baby, constantly haunt me
I've never been right, have you ever been lied to?
I think I just saw the same scars upon you
Is this a disguise? A masquerade for me?

Keep it coming.
Keep it coming.
Keep it coming.

Who are you supposed to be?
Yeah, you look just like my love tonight.
Who are you supposed to be?
Are you dressed just like my love tonight?
Who are you supposed to be?
Yeah, you look just like my love tonight.
Who are you supposed to be?
Are you dressed just like my love for Halloween? )

Anyway, i think the songs about someone who has multiple personalities, thus the "how are you dressed?" theme.
In the first verse, he's already admitting he's hurt by something, even though he might not know what it is, and he tries not to show people by possibly having sympathy for them.

In verse two, he sees someone who He thought to be someone else, but then realized that the same person was the one he loves, just in another "costume" at a "party" (could be any public place, really) with a bunch of other people doing the same thing with their false identities.

In verse 3, he's asking who is she today? what personality is she putting on? and he likes it...but he's someone who's just trying to live and to get by as well as he can.  He's worried that she's putting on a show, just to in the end put him down and hurt him, thus ending his life.

"Keep it coming" might suggest that he enjoys the mystery of not knowing who she is, but it also could say "keep this current disguise going"

Then, in the next verse, he sees who she really is, but only for a moment. he sees that she's really a person with a broken heart, just like he is. (the line Your broken heart and the body that holds it is probably one of my favorite Fallon lines ever for some reason.) but, then he loses what he saw because something distracted him. then, by saying he's never been right, he's admitting he does the same thing. asking "have you ever been lied to" he's saying he just did to her. he realizes that they have the same scars; they're the same. but, he can't help but wonder if its only another disguise.

This song really speaks to me. how you present yourself to others, are you leading multiple lives. changing yourself just so someone likes you. It also brings up the question:
Do you REALLY know who you're in love with?

Let me know what you guys think.

I think at least a couple lines may be about how much life has changed for him in the past year or so. But yes, I do agree with the multiple lives (lies?) theory.

I too was at the first performance of this song. Couldn't make out many of the lyrics at the time, which is a shame because it immediately became one of my favorites when I downloaded the official version.

My favorite line: "Me, I'm a tomb, a corpse in a suit, trying to look a little alive"

Who hasn't felt like that?

HeroOfVirtue wrote:

I too was at the first performance of this song. Couldn't make out many of the lyrics at the time, which is a shame because it immediately became one of my favorites when I downloaded the official version.

My favorite line: "Me, I'm a tomb, a corpse in a suit, trying to look a little alive"

Who hasn't felt like that?

I certainly have felt that way many times. Trying to figure out who I am. Trying to stay alive with the person I was at the time.

I was amazed when they first played it that night in Boston. I was front row, right in front of Xander. (as you can tell from my avatar) I took a video of it, but never posted it in respect to the band, but found others had. I wonder if they were ok with that.
But I knew when he said "new song" it was going to be good no matter what it was. And it was. I hope this new album keeps going in that direction.

Thought it would be appropriate to bring this topic back up today. This song gives me chills just how deep and personal the lyrics are to me and a situation I found myself in last year.

I just really, really hope the guys record a proper full studio version of 'Halloween' for the new album or failing that as a bonus track. It is too good to remain as a pretty much demo recording.

You beat me too it! I honestly have to say, even though it is still in a demo state, it's in my top 10 songs of theirs. A very deep song, and great use of Ian.
I think the line
"Well I think I saw you for the flash of a moment
Your broken heart and the body that holds it"
is an incredible line, such great imagery.

It really is isn't it. It's the following couple of lines that really hits me though -

'I lost your scent in the flash of the party
The big bright lights baby constantly haunt me.'

That was Las Vegas right there in that line for me. If I ever found a songwriter who basically speaks my mind, it is Brian Fallon that's for sure.

Been listening to this a lot lately. Does anyone else think the acoustic version is a lot better? After hearing the full band version a few times, I went back to the live one Brian did by himself. I just feel like it works better as a solo song, it sells the lyrics a little better in my opinion.

I think both the full band and acoustic are powerful but I definitely think the full band version would sound huge if it got a proper recording.

Christophe wrote:

I think both the full band and acoustic are powerful but I definitely think the full band version would sound huge if it got a proper recording.

You and I are on the same page brotha

I've been digging his acoustic stuff a lot lately. So the acoustic wins ATM.

Personally I wouldnt agree with the multi personality interpretation. Its more about how we tend to hide our inner feelings and thoughts from the world.

I think its about going to a 'halloween' party which he doesnt want to be at...some people feel most alone when in a crowd and thats what part of the song is about. You could also interpret the halloween part as a metaphor - costumes, masks trying to disguise who we really are

He then finds or sees a girl I would presume who he feels has similar feelings and its about his melancolly wondering about whether she will be his 'love' ie saviour

My favourite lines are -Me, I'm a tomb, a corpse in a suit, trying to look a little alive.
I know that feeling