Breaking Down Lyrics: Waving Through a Window

*** “I’ve learned to slam on the brake, Before I even turn the key. Before I make a mistake, Before I lead with the worst of me.” ***

I think we’ve all had these moments. Self-doubt can be more destructive than anyone tearing you down. And it’s a vicious cycle, because the fear of the doubt only amplifies it.

So almost all cars you find today don’t use keys anymore, but of course that phrase is to allude to the image we all still know.

It’s striking to use the phrase also because there are other things you could say with the car metaphor, like shifting the gear. But this makes it crystal clear that he stops himself before the first step.

The amount of things we wouldn’t have (or haven’t) done because we’re afraid of failure could fill the Egyptian pyramids. To say “the worst of me” also adds a personal sting.

*** “Step out, step out of the sun if you keep getting burned. Step out of the sun, Because you’ve learned.” ***

This part is almost self-explanatory. Just do the simplest thing, that will stop the thing that’s hurting you. It’s the easiest and hardest thing to do. And once you’ve done it, it shows that you’ve learned.

*** “On the outside always looking in, Will I ever be more than I’ve always been? Because I’m tap, tap, tapping on the glass. I’m waving though a window!” ***

This story is about a teenage boy dealing with social anxiety. It’s through that lens we can fully understand this. Always on the outside… feeling apart from everyone. Looking in… at the regular life he wants to have.

Asking if he can “be more than he’s always been” brings it to the core of the matter. Having the difficulty he has with socializing, he feels trapped in his own lonely world. And you can’t advance to something else if you can’t do something different to get there, right?

Tapping on the glass… like pushing against the boundary to the real world. Waving through a window… hoping someone can see the real him.