Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: singer-songwriter
Song Meaning of “Punch and Judy – Other Version” by Elliott Smith
‘Punch and Judy – Other Version’ by Elliott Smith is an emotional song that is filled with regret and pain. The song is about a love gone wrong and how someone is dealing with it differently to the other. It seems to be about two people who can’t seem to let go of each other and the way they are dealing with this is in two completely different ways.
The chorus lyrics, “Love punch and Judy, like the other version, just like they do in all the storybooks,” suggest a sense of helplessness. The Punch and Judy here symbolizes a conflict between two unequal powers in a relationship; like a puppeteer manipulating their ‘victim’. Smith is implying that the situation between the two people is irresolvable, like a perpetual version of the Punch and Judy show.
The lines ‘Wait just a little while, try to take it back, so someday you can make it right,’ reflects the sadness of the narrator’s hopelessness and desperation. They’re unsure of how to move past the broken relationship, yet still hope there’s a possibility to fix it.
The song ultimately conveys a feeling of loneliness and regret of a relationship no longer intact and one of the partners unable to fix the situation.