chicken January 4th, 2004 11:01AM  
It's a song about a guy who goes with his girlfriend for her to have an abortion and the guilt he feels along with it.

anonymous January 3rd, 2006 05:19AM  
As it has been said, it is about Ben's girlfriend having an abortion. The thing is, a baby is something that can truly connect a couple, but after the abortion has taken place the couple seem distant and almost as individuals again, alone, single individuals. The lyrics tell of the male waiting in the parking lot, meaning that the woman was alone during the precedure, further indicating the seperated state of the couple and the differed reactions to the devastating situation.

anonymous May 2nd, 2006 01:38PM  
Another aspect of this song that nobody's pointed out which really increases the melancholie is the fact that the abortion was the 'day after christmas.' You can imagine the pain and dread they had to endure over the holidays while having to put on a show of fake happiness for family.

anonymous October 4th, 2006 02:16PM  
Interesting how most feel that the "brick" is the girlfriend. I believe the brick in the song is the aborted baby. Not in a literal sense, of course, but that brick (thought) that weighs down and overcomes ben folds is his unborn child.

anonymous December 11th, 2006 01:49PM  
This song is about a masonry expert who falls in love with a brick. He gets in a wreck with a frozen car seat, and throws some clothes on once he hits the lake, then he drowns. Off the coast, he heads nowhere. Its really beautiful because it goes so far in depth of describing the loneliness of a mason worker. Its not sick to love bricks. Its just natural. At least that's what it means to me. Either that or an abortion.

anonymous April 29th, 2008 08:27AM  
I think that the part where it says 'she's a brick and I'm drowning slowly' could mean that she has been strong and together like a Brick throughout the whole ordeal while he is unable to cope or is 'drowning slowly'. I don't think when they 'broke down' they were speaking to the girl's parents. I think that he didn't really want the abortion and neither did she but they both thought it was for the best and so they didn't really share their true feelings with each other. The line 'cause I was tired of lying' refers to not letting his true feelings show to his girlfriend. Throughout the whole song it shows that he is reluctant to go through with the abortion with the lines 'can't you see it's not me you're dying for' and 'I pace around the parking lot' reinforce it. His girlfriends has doubts about the abortion but goes through with it and then she has regrets and the event has a huge emotional impact on her. When the song says 'as weeks went by, I realised she was not fine' it's talking about him discovering that she was not sure about their decision. The words 'she was balled up on the couch' also indicates that she is upset or insecure when he comes to pick her up. Also, the part that says 'to sell some gifts I got' doesn't really make sense to me. If he was selling some of his Christmas presents to pay for the abortion, wouldn't he want to make sure he could get the money before she had her abortion instead of while she was at the clinic.

anonymous November 2nd, 2008 09:27PM  
I found this interpretation and find it to be a very good one.

Some lyric interpretation:
"Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone
Then I ever have before
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
This is the main symbol in this song: the brick and drowning. "She" refers to the girlfriend. Just imagine yourself underwater, running out of air, and trying to resurface... all the while carrying a brick. A little hard, eh? This is how Ben Folds Five meant it, that the girlfriend is dragging him down. Another good twist on this is this: one lifeguard certification test is to retrieve a brick from underwater. Could it be that the guy in the song wasn't ready for this kind of responsibility and commitment, just like a beginning lifeguard wouldn't be ready for that test?
"Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere"
My interpretation of this line was that the abortion is throwing him off track. 'Off the coast' meaning his life has suddenly taken a little detour, and 'headed nowhere' is him realizing that becoming a teenage father will get him nowhere in life.
"They call her name at 7:30"
'They' meaning the people at the abortion clinic.
"Then I walk down to buy her flowers
and sell some gifts that I got"
Buying her flowers is maybe the one indication in the whole song that he still cares for this girl. He is selling some gifts (Christmas gifts, remember this is the day after Christmas) to help pay for the abortion.
"Can't you see
It's not me you're dying for"
This is an interesting two lines, as it is him talking to the unborn child.
"Now she's feeling more alone
Then she ever has before"
This is where we finally learn the girl's state of mind in all this, and this indicates she's not doing too well. This girl is very upset about the abortion, and might be becoming depressed.
"They told me son its time to tell the truth
She broke down and I broke down
Cause I was tired of lying"
The parents have finally realized something was up with those two, and both of them broke down and told the truth.
"Driving home to her apartment
For the moment we're alone
She's alone
I'm alone
Now I know it."
This is perhaps the saddest part of the song. Even though they both went through this experience, they aren't truly in it together. 'For the moment we're alone' makes you think he means that the two of them are away from everyone else, but the next two lines show that what he really meant was that she was alone, and he was alone. Despite being "alone" in the car together, they were separate. Going through this kind of experience is tough, and it helps if you're going through it together. But we finally realize they are on two totally different wavelengths, and while they may still love each other (I am assuming here that they do), they will never be as close as they were before. (thanks, Jen - Mt. Laurel, NJ)

BicycleThief14 November 17th, 2008 11:36PM  
I agree completely with the Top-Rated interpretation. I do, however, have something to add. This is a story about a moment of realization. The first half of the song goes thru all of his feelings. Anxiety, fear, and guilt. Ben cares for this girl. He's not in the room with her during the procedure because he doesn't want to be, but because she doesn't want him there. Despite this, he's out buying her flowers. This is when it becomes clear. He changes tone mid-verse. "Can't you see it's not me you're dying for?" It's a re-evaluation of the couple's situation. This has nothing to do with death in its literal form- the abortion. It's his recognition of the fact that the woman he loved wasn't getting rid of the child because she wasn't ready to have one, but, in fact, because she didn't love him. The story continues, but now with a sense of despair with his own epiphany. "You're alone, and I'm alone... AND NOW I KNOW IT."

anonymous February 16th, 2009 01:25PM  
Really good interpretations on this page. One thing I haven't seen regarding this line: "to sell some gifts that I got" Keep in mind they WERE going to have a baby. Maybe they got gifts for the baby. Now, with the baby gone, he sells the gifts. Although he didn't tell this story from any kind of political point of view, I hope that someone considering abortion would hear this song and think twice. Having an abortion is a life altering decision ... as is having a baby.

megvba11 January 19th, 2010 08:52PM  
The speaker of the song was the lead singer. This whole song is based on a man and a woman who decided the woman should get an abortion. This song really wasn't that difficult to figure out for me. When the singer says, "It's not me you're dying for" it most certainly can't be the woman, and because "they call her name at 7:30," you know that the woman has gone into some kind of appointment. This all fits in with the abortion. The tone of this song is sad, remorseful, regretful, and shameful. It's clear it wasn't the mans choice on the abortion, and afterwards the really hadn't wanted the abortion. In the phrase "she broke down, and I broke down, cause I was tired of lying" could mean the man put on a strong face for her to get the abortion because he thought she wanted one, but she didn't, which in turn made her think she didn't have a choice. In the end maybe his lie is what caused the abortion.