Cavetown: Sharpener Meaning

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Sharpener Lyrics

Sharpener's callin' me again
Tryin' to turn it into some
Thing I can draw into my skin
Make it a picture that I'll love
Insert something that I wish
I could get in the bath and scrub right off
Why am I ashamed to look the way I do?
All...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Oct 7th 2021 report

   yeah the song is about selfharm. but "broke the sharpener in two" reminds me more of when you break the sharpener to get to the blade to sh instead of recovery.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 16th 2021 report

   I believe that this song covers self-harm/ unhealthy coping mechanisms. The thing that makes me think this is that "sharpener" is the name of the song and the thing that is "calling him" in the first line, and as a person who has struggled with this before, a sharpener is one of many things you can use to cut. The third line, "thing i can draw into my skin" and the post-chorus, "all because an escape to me was just a sharpener to you" both point toward this conclusion as well. Towards the end of the song, Cavetown seems to nod at recovery, "broke my sharpener in two". This song is a great escape for me when things seem to turn grey.
3. Sages

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   Apr 10th 2022 report

   This song is about cutting yourself. The blade in a sharpener is an escape for you, but others don't know so it's just a 'sharpener' to them. The last part about feeling selfish is the people in your life telling you to stop. You can't, so that makes you feel selfish.
4. anonymous

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   Aug 25th 2021 report

   The sharpener in this context is about sh
   
   The whole song has a generally pretty clear meaning but some lyrics i wanna go into detail about (as a person who has gone through similar).
   
   "Sometimes seems like Im still young, looking at the boy across the sink. Thinking "What the hell have you just done?" " - Speaking from experience, after sh I sorta feel like 'why am i insane' 'why do i do this' 'why am i doing this' and i have never heard a song that really displayed these feelings.
   
   That was just what i wanted to express with this
   
5. anonymous

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   Aug 3rd 2021 report

   I belive this song is About self harm/Unhealthy ways of coping When it says "looking at the boy across in the mirror" what the hell did you do" Makes me think of when you have that brief moment you freak out relaizing what happened
   
   And the end where it syas broke the sharpener in two could point to recovery and Destory it So it won't happen again

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