When I first met Eli on move in day I thought he was a nice, quiet kid. By the third day I realized how wrong I was- he’s a quirky guy with a big personality. When he told me he liked to write songs, I asked him to send me a video of one of his performances, but admittedly I didn’t have any expectations for his writing abilities. I have friends from high school who are similarly interested in songwriting, but my interest in their songs was more for support rather than genuine enjoyment. When Eli sent me “You’re Too Old to Play with Dolls” I looked at the title and laughed, thinking this was another coming of age song in C Major. Within 30 seconds I realized how wrong I was, again.
Without listening to the lyrics, the strong piano coupled with the voice of the singer alone are enough to hook any listener. However, when you listen closer the lyrics reveal a deeper, more captivating story that describes a boy who hopes to help an unnamed friend struggling with depression.
My favorite part of “You’re Too Old” is that Eli describes the friend’s troubles very well, employing imagery to paint a picture of her struggles in our head- my favorite line is when he writes “Cause you’re going in circles like a merry-go-round/And there’s no way off, no turning around.” Additionally, although the song describes the friend’s painful reality, the song is overall very encouraging. The narrator acknowledges “the start’s the hardest part,” but insists that “something will change.” As the song progresses, the role of the narrator in his friend’s rehabilitation grows clearer as the first chorus changes from “you’ll find a way out someday” to “we’ll find our way out,” ending with “together we can make a new day.”
This song surprised me in multiple ways. I was initially taken aback by the fact that a goofy kid like Eli would write such a meaningful song. Additionally, after hearing the first verse I immediately jumped to the conclusion that this song would have a gloomy ending. However, the song closes with the extremely satisfying line “because together we can make a new day.” The lyrics are additionally adaptable to the listener’s preference- although the song’s message is straightforward, the ambiguity of who is telling the story and who the song is about allows the listener to determine if this is a love song or a song about two friends.This song taught me to never underestimate the talents of those around you, because those secret knacks can really blow you away.
When I asked Eli why he chose the title “You’re Too Old to Play With Dolls” I expected a profound answer, but once again I was misled: “I enjoy picking stupid titles because it makes the song in comparison that much better.”
lyrics:
Verse 1: Slip away from the hurt and the trouble
It’s such a lonely life
Hide away what you feel from the outside
It’s true that you only fear what nothing can prove
*Instrumental break*
Verse 2:
Drifting slowly too far,
Through the rubble
The start’s the hardest part
Every step that you take is a stumble
Through the forest; wrapped in vines that don’t let you move
Pre-chorus:
Oh I know it’s the day
I know its day,
I know
I know it’s the day
I know it’s the day, I know
Chorus:
Cause you’re going in circles like a merry-go-round
And there’s no way off, no turning around
But I know you’ll find a way out someday
Falling, crashing, into the ground
With no one to stop you; you can’t make a sound
So you’ve gotta find the way off today
Verse 3:
Every moment awake is a struggle
To keep your mind at bay
Many thoughts plague your head
But you can’t deny
That there’s always something to gain when there’s nothing to lose
Pre chorus:
Oh something will change, something will change, I know Something’s gonna change, oh something gonna change, I know
Chorus:
Cause we’re going in circles like a merry-go-round
There’s no way off, no turning around
But I know we’ll find a way out someday,
Falling, crashing, into the ground
With no one to stop us; we can’t make a sound
So I know we’re gonna change this today (Repeat two times)
(Everything cuts out except piano and/or acoustic guitar)
Cause we’re going in circles like a merry-go-round
There’s way off, no turning around
But I know we’ll find a way out someday
(Everyone back in, but there’s a key change from A minor to D minor)
Cause we’re heading light speed straight into the stars,
No people to hurt us, or know where we are
I knew that we could change this someday
Take a bullet to the head and an arrow to the heart
We can’t stop now that we’re this far from the start
I knew that this would happen someday
Because together we can make a new day
Amazing! Eli has a “big personality”? Really? Really? Feigned shock, horror and surprise follow! (and this from a guy who was described by a third party as being able to “suck the air out of a room”).
I’d love to hear this professional produced the guitar and the vocals are a little under amplified if you ask me (all due respect to Eli’s piano playing).
What a sensational plot twist this is and thanks for bringing it up with humor and pathos. You ever ask Eli if there was a specific “muse” for this piece?
I agree- you can appreciate the singer’s voice much more in their better recorded songs. Here’s what Eli had to say about his inspiration: “… it was about a friend who was/is struggling with depression and how I knew one day someone (not necessarily me) would come along and help her out of it. In general the song was meant to be about hope I guess.”
I’ve never really gotten the time to listen to many of Eli’s songs except for a few, but this was a really impressive song. The lyrics are meaningful without being direct, and it feels so complete in itself despite being so open to interpretation. I have to say, the song’s ambiguity does wonders for the song as a whole. I actually just read Eli’s last reflection, and he said there that he thinks it’s best when a song’s lyrics are vague, because they can be relatable to anyone that way. It was cool getting to hear this song and really see what his ideal lyrical approach is, and it truly shows how right he is about how unspecific lyrics can make a song so much more relatable.
This is quite a song–especially coming from Eli! I love how the pitches for the lyrics weren’t your usual progression; going up instead of down. I feel bad for not knowing he wrote music (then again it took me a while to realize you two were in the band so that’s probably just me). I really like the unique yet simple wording used to convey this story. The piano and lyrics give off a hopeful feel that ties everything together really nicely. In the end I’m left with a warm feeling followed by the comfort in Eli’s usual antics represented in his title selection.
After listening to this song, I just want to say OMG! I knew that Eli is interested in songwriting but I never had a chance to hear any of his songs. This is the first one I heard. It is so complete in itself. The music and lyrics are also wonderfully integrated together, simple guitar and piano create a great sound effect. And the most impressive thing is the meaning behind it, and the fact that it is written to a friend suffering from depression, which makes this song more awesome. Lastly I want to say Eli, you are so talented! I’m looking forward to listen to your other music too!
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Karya Bintang Abadi