At twenty-nine you'd think I'd know better

Twenty-Nine
(The Gin Blossoms, New Miserable Experience)

Time won't stand by forever if I know it's true
And I've learned not to say never
Or else I'll seem the fool
At twenty-nine you'd think I'd know better
Living like a kid
When my lies may seem less than clever
Is when I fall for it
Only time will tell if wishing wells
Can bring us anything
Or fade like scenes from childhood dreams
Forgotten memories
Some rides don't have much of a finish
That's the ride I took
Through good and bad and straight through indifference
Without a second look
There's no intentions worthy of mention
If we never try
So hang your hopes on rusted-out hinges
Take 'em for a ride
Only time will tell if wishing wells
Can bring us anything
Or fade like scenes from childhood dreams
Forgotten memories
Only time will tell...



I first heard this song when I was fourteen and wondered to myself, is that how I'll feel when I'm twenty-nine?

And now here I am, fifteen years later.

I listened to "Twenty-Nine" on my twenty-ninth birthday this year and far more lines resonate with my current state of being than I would have hoped. Still, I remind myself that I'm still young(ish) and assure myself that this is a deceptively hopeful song. For instance: "only time will tell if wishing wells will bring us anything." Indeed. Don't stop wishing, and don't just give your hopes up for good. Not as melancholy as the tone might initially suggest.

But all the same, it's a damn uncanny song when your twenties are almost over and you're nowhere near where you pictured yourself ten, five, or even two years ago.

Pretty catchy, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiRdeA1sNFQ