Jimmy Eat World
Place Your Debts

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Place Your Debts Lyrics

Jimmy Eat World return after their tour to give us the follow-up to ‘Something Loud’. For ‘Place Your Debts’, they have turned to their atmospheric abilities to create a rich soundscape.

The song was inspired by instrumental demos by Denver Dalley and Clark Baechle, but ended up turning into an introspective song about latent uncertainty, which can eat away at your soul. The debt mentioned in the song is described as all the time you’ve avoided getting to know yourself, an increasing dissonance between who you really are and a dated self-image that no longer matches.

Suffice it to say, things are lyrically deep and dark, yet the song still has moments of light breaking through the dark clouds. Yes, the lyrics are downbeat. ‘The ending is off to a great start… in small increments, attention fades… how do we keep making all the same mistakes… you’ll pay with the life not lived’. The song isn’t nihilism, though. It’s a wake-up call.

Jimmy Eat World often mix these more reflective songs into their albums. They provide a richness you wouldn’t get from flat-out back-to-back rock tracks. Now we just wait to see how the album take shape!

Watch Jimmy Eat World – Place Your Debts.

Place Your Debts Lyrics

Gentlemen place your debts
Payment in full
By future you
I think we can all agree
The ending is off to a great start
The present is soon replaced
In small increments
Attention fades
One or another way,
The house collects its mark
How do we keep making all the same mistakes?
We’d rather have the misery than growing pains.
I chose a mystery
Went there alone, intentionally
Had to forgive myself
Grieving imaginary loss
You’ll pay with the life not lived
Pay with each thought
Of what could have been
But nothing adds to the cost
Like missing the ride you’re on
How do we keep making all the same mistakes?
We’d rather have the misery than growing pains.
Gentlemen place your debts
I’d wish you good luck
But luck isn’t it
The driver and passenger
Don’t go the same place

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Written by Fenton on 22nd October 2022

Steve Fenton writes in our music, words, and culture categories. He was Editor in Chief for The Mag and covered live music for DV8 Magazine and Spill Magazine. He was often found in venues throughout the UK alongside ace-photographer, Mark Holloway. Steve is also a technical writer and programmer and writes gothic fiction. Steve studied Psychology at OSC, and Anarchy in the UK: A History of Punk from 1976-1978 at the University of Reading.