Ani Difranco - School Night Lyrics

That one track that speaks so many volumes.......

If I need a check on rage......
This is it.

how the hell can anybody write songs like this??????

3....
Baby

What instrument is that from 3:58? Driving me nuts :D

I think it’s an oboe or clarinet, but I’m not entirely sure

a# f# a# d# f# c for anyone out there who's also waited years to see how this song is tuned. :)

lufe M🤔

Im sorry

More stress than that puke Lil fuk blonde bastard will ever see

Bleeding FUKING fingers

Your tears and sweat

Your bleeding

Your music is your heart

a deeply beautiful song, she's quite a courageous writer to able to not only put on paper such profound and intimate truths but to share them with the world...for our disillusionment

I love how the video of this beautiful and touching song is simply black lyrics flirting with a blank page.  I would love to know how 2 do this.  Brilliant and you are my porch light Ani.

Such power

@justajumpinggypsygirl i feel ya. exact same situation here so it seems. i too want too split in two

i too want to*

this song haunts my lost mind

Mine too.

No mind is lost.....
Just misplaced like love, loyalty, or keys ......

As David Letterman often said there is no off position on the genius switch!
Does the genius hurt Ani? Is there a lot of pressure involved? I've often said that I'm a genius, just not a very smart one. And, it's true, my genius is a bully. It pokes me in the chest, and when I look, it flips me in the nose! God forbid I turn my back on it, wedgie time! And the emotional abuse OMG ! ! !
How do you do it? Did you trick your genius? Blackmail? Do you have something on it, so it leaves you alone? I can't turn it off, and I'm unable to utilize it, it's driving me crazy, it's driving me nuts. Hell, I'm close enough to walk, hell if I fell down my head would land in nuts! OH YEAH PLEASE double entendre the shit outta that! So, on a less serious note Ani, I'm a pretty good percussionist, and I'm single. send me a reply. I'm sorta good looking but that just my opinion. And, I'm a crippled genius! So, what do I know? disclaimer: (I'm not crippled, my genius is) OK?, OK!

Did anyone else always think the "one [she] so loves pleasing" is her guitar? Her music, her lyrics, her art, her home base? The "gravity of duties" always struck me as her job as a musician, constantly writing and producing and performing for her audience, as she has so diligently and ceaselessly done for so many years. The "ground speed of joy" was her long-time relationship. This record came out just two years before her official separation and divorce from Goat Boy, her sound guy. I always thought it was her ode to him, to how in love with him she was, how he elated her so, but that their relationship was impeding her first true love -- her art. So she, the mother, was forced to carry one of her children first through the smoke of unthinkable choices, and she chose her art.
Man, she is an astounding poet, lyricist, musician, artist. A true Wonder of the World to be treasured til the end of time.

@Meredith Unger Such a beautiful interpritation

Meredith Unger
Wow! one of the most beautiful interpretations of this song I've heard. Elegantly written Meredith.

"What kind of scale compares the weight of two beauties?
The gravity of duty or
The ground speed of joy?" Another brilliant Aniism

I just discovered Ani. I haven't felt so happy about finding a musician for a long time.

Ani seems to like it when you notice her mistakes though! I think she does them on purpose sometimes just to show us that it's ok. :)

Me too. I feel like losing the one I am committed to would be like losing an arm. Yet when I talk to the other one on the phone I subconciously pick up a flower and put it in my hair. I don't even realize I'm doing it until I find the petals in my hair half an hour later. This has happened multiple times. Sigh, I wish i could split myself in two.

Stop talking to the other man, and, in time, you will get over him. You're not being fair to either of them, or yourself. You can't split yourself in two, so you either sever your arm off and choose the new man or cut him out and choose your husband.

telegaleria butt jeans addvert >_< ahahahahah

I just love all to songs of her.. shes the best!!!

i had lost a love and was running to take my mind off of it. This song came on my ipod and it literally took my legs from under me. for 5 minutes all i could do was kneel on the shoulder and cry. poignant, moving stuff.

This song is just so damn good. I never bought this album but I seriously want to cry every time I hear this.

@Lastpaw Actually, I did. So read it again. And get some counselling or something so you can stop harassing people on YouTube over stupid crap to make yourself feel tough.

@Lastpaw Are you serious? I have the CD. Why would I sit on YouTube just listening to a song, with my eyes closed? That's stupid. I was looking for a video with this song to show my friend and introduce her to Ani, and the lyrics distract from the weight of the song if you're listening to it for the first time. So yeah... I'll just close my eyes... WTF.

absolutely stunning.

Undoubtedly one of her best songs. In my top 3 favorites.
I just think that the text in this video takes away from the song. It'd be nice to be able to find this song on here with images or something. The text is hard to ignore and distracts from her singing and playing. :(

just magick. pure . magick.

beautifully done. beautiful.

"The fact that I adore you is just one of my truths..."

I love her lyrics. She's such an amazing poet and musician!

hey, thanks (and to all of you for the comments). think i could've done a lot better work, especially toward the end doesn't feel quite right, but still thanks a lot for not noticing the mistakes

now I can see what you mean... definitely not on purpose, didn't even occure, but certainly could have been as it makes sense to me too.. on a personal life-like level, unfortunately. hm.

this must be her saddest song, its totally heartbreaking

de lo mejor de Anita junto con dilate, joyfulgirl, you had time... bueno de las baladas luego tiene canciones más inteligentes. Excelente toda ella

she has the most amazing way of describing her feelings:-So she built a skyscraper of procrastination...she leaned out the twenty-fifth floor window
--...choking on the smoke of unthinkable choices...haunted by the voices of so many desires,...bent over ...business ..begging forgiveness,While ...running ...putting out fires

Every song since the early 90's has so much, except I haven't heard much of RLY, after a few listens, nothing has stuck out. If anyone has a fav on there let me know.

..and I know about the role being kept in the dark. So for a while now, I hate this song.

this is one of my favorite ani songs.

this is a great song.

lil' choked up are we?

While she tells a painful story, the emotions are VERY positive and mature. Just amazing...

Everytime I listen to it, it gets more and more beautiful.

no i understand... many of ani's best album's have a continuity that is lacking in R/R

You sure pegged it...truly haunting

how can you say R/R is her weakest!?
i mean,it is great album,
and i love it!
and also agree with that it contains some of
her most amazing songs;)

It's funny--in a lot of ways, R/R is Ani's weakest album, but it contains some of her most amazing song: School Night, Marrow, So What, et al.

this is the ultimate ani song. it haunts me so, but i truly love it.