Available by The National Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Emotional Labyrinth
- Music Video
- Lyrics
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Song Meaning
- The Melancholic Overture: A Soundtrack for the Heartsick
- Unraveling the Webs of Desire: The Quest for Intimacy
- The Veneer of Composure: Navigating the Red Seas of Passion
- A Portrait of Self-Inflicted Isolation: The Dirt Left Behind
- The Anthem of the Emotionally Available: A Call to Arms or Resignation?
Lyrics
For me last night
Put the water out and donned a marigold
In your hair to bring me here
Tie one on you
Did you dress me down and liquor me up
To make me last for the minute
When the red comes over you
Like it does when you’re filled with love
Or whatever you call it
Do you feel alone when I’m in my head
While you wait for me
To take my breath?
Do you still feel clean
When the only dirt is the dirt I left?
How can you blame yourself
When I did everything I wanted to?
You just made yourself available
You just made yourself available
Why did you dress me down?
Why did you dress me down?
Why did you dress me down?
Why did you dress me down?
Why did you dress me down?
Dress me down?
Why did you dress me down?
Dress me down?
Why did you dress me down?
Dress me down?
Dressed me down and liquor me up?
And liquor me up?
And liquor me up?
And liquor me up?
In the realm of indie rock, The National stands as a beacon for the introspective, the pensive, and those who find solace in the murky waters of emotional ambiguity. ‘Available,’ a track off their 2003 album ‘Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers,’ serves as a complex mosaic of melancholy and sardonic realism that is as haunting as it is enlightening.
While the song may initially seem like a post-mortem on a relationship, a closer reading of the lyrics uncovers a tapestry of self-reflection and interpersonal dynamics that is both personal and universal. The National has a penchant for weaving intricate stories that resonate on a deeply human level, and ‘Available’ is no exception.
The Melancholic Overture: A Soundtrack for the Heartsick
From the very first guitar strum, ‘Available’ sets a poignant scene. It’s a song that wears its heart on its sleeve—bruised and unabashed as it dives headlong into the complexities of emotional availability and vulnerability.
As the melody progresses, it weaves a tale of yearning interspersed with moments of stark honesty. The music itself becomes a landscape, through which The National guides us toward an understanding of the delicate balance between opening ourselves to love and the need to protect one’s own heart.
Unraveling the Webs of Desire: The Quest for Intimacy
The lyrics of ‘Available’ speak to a volatile dance of intimacy. The opening lines, ‘Did you clean yourself for me last night?’ immediately confront the listener with the rawness of preparing oneself for another, both in body and spirit.
This preparation, however, is not just physical but rather an emotional armament; a way of bracing for the impact of connection. It’s a confessional moment that exposes the contradiction of longing for closeness while simultaneously guarding against the inevitable vulnerabilities it opens us up to.
The Veneer of Composure: Navigating the Red Seas of Passion
The line, ‘When the red comes over you like it does when you’re filled with love or whatever you call it,’ delves into the fluidity of love and the volatility of passions. It suggests an ephemeral moment, intense and fleeting.
The National doesn’t just sing about love; they pull apart its fibers, questioning its very nature. Here, the color red symbolizes not just love, but the blinding, overwhelming rush of emotions that alternately resemble both affection and destruction.
A Portrait of Self-Inflicted Isolation: The Dirt Left Behind
One of the track’s most gut-wrenching inquiries comes in the form of, ‘Do you feel alone when I’m in my head while you wait for me to take my breath?’ Here, the song touches on the alienation that exists even within intimacy.
It’s a poignant reminder of the isolation one can feel when their partner withdraws into themselves, leaving the other to grapple with the lingering uncertainty and the detritus of emotional estrangement.
The Anthem of the Emotionally Available: A Call to Arms or Resignation?
The repeated line, ‘You just made yourself available,’ serves as both an accusation and a self-reflective realization. It’s a declaration of vulnerability, a recognition of the protagonist’s role in the twisting narrative of connection and separation.
This refrain becomes a haunting echo throughout the song, stitching the themes of love, vulnerability, and the courage it takes to be truly available to another human being. Ultimately, ‘Available’ challenges us to ask ourselves: what does it mean to be truly open to someone else, and what are we willing to endure to achieve that closeness?
