Elliott Smith was a musician who captured his troubled emotions through his melancholic singing and intimate song writing. His most popular song “Between The Bars” puts his phenomenal talent on display, in a heartfelt story about the grasp of alcoholism, from the substance’s perspective. 

The only instrumental in the song is a lonesome major chord progression. The strumming of the higher notes, mixed with the picking of the lower, creates a dissonance. Musicians will often use dissonance to evoke sadder, more contemplative emotions from the listener. This is especially potent in a song that uses major notes. 

Drink up baby, stay up all night

With the things you could do

You won’t but you might

The potential you’ll be that you’ll never see

The promises you’ll only make

The first verse of the song has Alcohol, a personified character in the song, tempting another to ‘stay up all night’, and mentions the ‘potential you’ll be that you’ll never see’. Personally this is the most terrifying lyric.  Elliott Smith illustrates how a dependency on alcohol seeps away at someone’s ability to become who they truly want to be. He also sings: ‘The things you could do, you won’t, but you might’. This back and forth between, could, won’t, might, is reminiscent of many people’s procrastination of their goals and dreams. More often that not, many of us will imagine grande plans for our lives, only for it to never be actualized. 

People you’ve been before

That you don’t want around anymore

That push and shove and won’t bend to your will

I’ll keep them still

The third verse discusses the self-medicating aspect of alcoholism. Embarrassing moments, traumatic memories and regretful decisions haunt individuals, and these thoughts come into our stream of consciousness. Without control over one’s thoughts, someone may seek out alcohol as a way to ‘keep them [the thoughts] still’. Alcohol acts as a deceitful trickster here, promising to ‘cure’ the other, but fails to mention the harming effects it will have. 

Drink up baby, look at the stars

I’ll kiss you again, between the bars

Where I’m seeing you there with your hands in the air

Waiting to finally be caught

Drink up one more time, and I’ll make you mine

Keep you apart, deep in my heart

Separate from the rest, where I like you the best

And keep the things you forgot

Here, Alcohol is presented as a ‘caring’ partner. One that promises to ‘keep you apart, deep in my heart’. The other is given a choice to enter into a relationship with alcohol, whilst being separated from others. This story telling echoes reality. Many alcoholics slowly lose their friends, as their addiction grows worse. They become highly dependent on the substance for comfort, the same comfort that might be given by a loved one. 

Elliott Smith ‘Between The Bars’ is a masterpiece. Unfortunately, after battling mental illnesses and various addictions, Elliott Smith died by suicide in 2003. He channeled his struggles into his music, providing a solace for others in a similar position. He is known as a ‘Sad’ artist, but many of his songs have optimistic undertones, reminding everyone that through the pain of life, there are always happy moments worth cherishing.

Feature Image: Cover of his Either/Or Album