Aimee Mann's romance with her boyfriend has turned abusive in the piercing "Voices Carry."
A tense guitar and resigned keyboard open the single, setting a shaken tone. A trembling Mann is in their room. She's hiding in there to escape him for a while. They've had a major fight. He's told her that she isn't any good and that her pain is only acting. She can't understand why he would say such hurtful things. She would like to know why he became that way. But she's afraid she may find out something she doesn't want to know. She explains to him that she loves him, which is why is she's crying.
"I'm in the dark, I'd like to read his mind/But I'm frightened of the things I might find/Oh, there must be something he's thinking of/To tear him away/When I tell him that I'm falling in love/Why does he say."
Her boyfriend tells her to stop yelling and making a scene. Other people could hear her. He does want to listen to her.
"Hush hush/Keep it down now/Voices carry/Hush hush/Keep it down now/Voices carry."
Usually, she chokes back her tears and bites her tongue. If she speaks up, he will punish her. Her boyfriend thinks crying is a manipulative thing woman do to get their way. Crying also unleashes other troubling emotions. It could only cause more pain. She's been holding her anguish inside for such a long time. She feels as though she is ready to blow. She can't do it anymore.
"I try so hard not to get upset/Because I know all the trouble I'll get/Oh, he tells me tears are something to hide/And something to fear/And I try so hard to keep it inside/So no one can hear."
The resigned keyboard and tense guitar have a brief solo.
Article comments
1 - J. P. Spencer
I always liked this song for some reason. I remember seeing 'Til Tuesday in concert towards the end of their time together and they were quite underrated.
Thanks for clarifying some of the many lyrics in this song that I've obviously misheard over the years.
2 - DJRadiohead
I fuckin' love this song. Always have. I bought it from iTunes and I queue it up often.
3 - GoHah
Great! Thanks for the appreciative reminder. I am a huge fan of Aimee Mann (solo and with 'Til Tuesday) for her well-considered and finely-executed craftsmanship in songwriting.
4 - SFC SKI
I always liked Gang Green's cover of this song a bit better.
5 - sadi ranson-polizzotti
long been one of my favorite songs... that and "coming up close..." by Aimee Mann, which i'm sure you know too. Great stuff. Excellent job.
:)
sade
6 - MichaelDavidHume
I heard this in graduate school when it frist came out. The singer's voice is one of the best. It is firmly in my mind. The range of her voice is incredible.
Another interpretation is this. They did not have a fight. Instead, the guy is two timing and he does not want the other woman to hear Mann talking. That interpretation would work fo this song easily. The guy would want to keep Mann in the dark concerning the other woman he is having a romance with. And of course he does not want the other woman to know about Mann. Such a situation does NOT require a fight at all and it is still abusive to someone who is decieved. It would also be that way if a woman was doing that to two men. It is not illegal but it may be viewed as morally wrong if it keeps going on. And I see in this song,a situation that has been deceitful for a long time towards Mann. Have a nice day and thanks for providing this web page.