Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: emo
Song Meaning of “A Stain On The Carpet” by The Early November
The Early November’s song “A Stain On The Carpet” describes a happy memory and the difficulty of letting go of it. While nostalgia can sometimes be positive, this song portrays the artist’s longing for the past as a struggle. It illuminates how clinging to a past memory can stop us from moving forward.
The repeated chorus “There’s still a stain on the carpet/That won’t go away, no matter what I do/A faded image of what has come and gone” speaks to the power of lasting memories, and how some pieces of the past can’t be let go or forgotten. The “faded image” suggests that the singer can only partially remember the memory they are struggling with – just enough to make them long for the past, but not enough to make them want to stay in the moment.
The lyrics in the verses tell a story of a happy memory, filled with laughter and dancing, before reflecting on the anguish of wanting to cling on to it. The artist sings of how the longing for this happiest moment in history “makes it hard to move on”. The longing here is so deep, and the singer paints an image of them trying to scrape away the stain on the carpet in a fruitless attempt to move on from the memory.
The song’s undertones suggest that the stain that won’t go away is in fact the singer themselves, and how they are unable to move on from this memory and let go of it. This can be seen in lines like: “And I’m too weak/Trying to stay in the past/Trying to scrape away the stain/On the carpet that won’t go away”. These lyrics suggest that they are unable to progress and remain rooted in the past, unable to accept that this moment has come and gone.
Overall, “A Stain On The Carpet” highlights the power and difficulty of clinging to a past memory, and how it can make it difficult for us to move forward. It conveys the sadness of wanting to hang onto this moment in time, no matter how hard we try.