Elliott Smith - Single File Lyrics

He should have called this album, "Idiot Kid."

This album(and this song) takes me back. Im 41 now but when this album came it was my jam. It reminds me so much of my youth and the autumn. I would drive around my town in the fall when it was chilly out with the windows open and the heat on im october with the changing leaves and the sun setting and i would sing along to all the songs. It sounds corny i know but i live in the south now and this time of year gets me nostolgic.

Who else loves to get High and listen to this for hours in bed

What kind of high are you getting? Just curious. Weed? Lucky you if that's the case.

Danielle Marin weed and alcohol man

Or some shit that isn’t fent which is rare ;-;

Here in line where stupid shit collides with
Dying shooting stars all we got to show
What we really are is the same kind of scars
And looking at you all I see is your waiting
For something single file you're a murder mile
You idiot kid your arm's got a death in it
If your choking up take this paper cup
But there's a price you'll pay for
Trying hard to become whatever they are
And saying whatever they say
So help yourself to this bitter pill
Or somebody else will
Single file you're a murder mile
You idiot kid your arm's got a death in it
Single file single file single file single file

It's you. You are like single file. I miss you man.

I'm still here

Damn the chord transition is so good..i first heard this riding through smokey mountains when this album came out.. blessed

Single File cover
End Drug War vid
https://youtu.be/ZsSaxxG7LFY

Here in line where stupid shit collides.

I bought this album quite a few years ago. If you love Elliot, you'll play it frequently.

Your arm's got a death in it

[Verse 1]
Here in line where stupid shit collides
With dying shooting stars
All we got to show what we really are
Is the same kind of scars
And looking at you all I see is
You're waiting for something

[Chorus]
Single file
You're a murder mile
You idiot kid
Your arm's got a death in it

[Verse 2]
If you're choking up, take this paper cup
But there's a price that you'll pay
For trying hard to become whatever they are
And saying whatever they say
So help yourself to this bitter pill
Or somebody else will

[Chorus]
Single file
You're a murder mile
You idiot kid
Your arm's got a death in it

Note: early on, live, he'd sing the fourth line as "is the scars on our arms"

Always a fave. Couldn't get it out of my head when I'd wash up at another damn clinic, looking at all my compatriots arms- again, again, again. God I'm glad I'm off that shit.

No one could describe the sense of listening to idiots bullshitting with each other at 4:30am in line at a methadone clinic than Elliott in the first line of this song.

[Cm - Cm/Bb - F - G#dim - Eb x4]

[Ebm]Here in line
where [F#]stupid shit collides
[G#]with dying [B]shooting [F#]stars
all we got to [C#]show what they really are[G#]
is the same kind of [B]scars
[Ebm]and looking at you [F#]all I see is[G#]
you're wait[B]ing for something

[Cm]Sin[Cm/Bb]gle [F]fil[G#dim]e[Eb]
you're a [Cm]mur[Cm/Bb]der [F]mi[G#dim]le
you [Cm]idi[Cm/Bb]ot [F]kid [G#dim] [Eb]
your [F]arm's got a [G#dim]death in [Eb]it

[Ebm - F# - G# - B - Ebm x2]

[Ebm]If you're choking up take this [F#]paper cup[G#]
but there's a [B]price that you'll [F#]pay
for trying hard to be[C#]come whatever they are[G#]
and saying whatever they [B]say[Ebm]
so help yourself to this [F#]bitter pill[G#]
or somebody [B]else will

[Cm]Sin[Cm/Bb]gle [F]fil[G#dim]e[Eb]
you're a [Cm]mur[Cm/Bb]der [F]mi[G#dim]le
you [Cm]idi[Cm/Bb]ot [F]kid [G#dim] [Eb]
your [F]arm's got a [G#dim]death in [Bdim]it
[Cm]sin[Cm/Bb]gle [F]fil[Bb]e
[Cm]si[Cm/Bb]ngle [F]fil[Bb]e
[Cm]si[Cm/Bb]ngle [F]fil[Bb]e
[Cm]si[Cm/Bb]ngle [F]fil[Bb]e

[G#dim - Eb]

this, st. ides heaven, and angeles are the only elliott songs that i never filtered out of my general playlist. 3 endlessly playable songs.

plus I don't think I'm ever gonna figure it out.

This song is AMAZING! Takes me back to the summer of 98 and my freshmen year in college 😥

Not only did he have the chord changes/riffs, but he had the lyrics too. And oh, such amazing lyrics they were.

Such unusual chords. So lovely.

I love this album.

Its about waiting in line a methadone clinic. The "bitter pill" refers to the bitter opiate taste of methadone (or suboxone) which comes in a little paper cup. By "same kinda scars." he is referring to track marks. And "your arm's got a death in it." is pretty self-explanatory. The song really describes the clinics depressingly accurately. Everyone waits single file, nobody talks to each other "There's a price that you'll pay. For trying hard to become whatever they are, and say what they say"

Did you bring your lock box with you? Can’t give you your take homes without it.

I don’t think he had a Methadone clinic in mind when he wrote the song. But, I can see how you could view the song as being about that. The beauty of art, so many interpretations. Former clinic member myself.

Jack Blare spot on

It is specifically about that, but I think this could also be taken metaphorically in a lot of ways. The single file could be people walking into a soul crushing job etc. Just my view on his lyrics in general.

@Nicholas DeRienzo Yeah, it's kind of hard to really know. How I would love an hour with Elliott to pick his brain on what at least a good handful of his songs personally meant to him by their origins. Perhaps this song is part fiction/non-fiction. Even before doing some research and seeing his autopsy, it didn't seem to me he was an intravenous heroin user and likely snorted or smoked. He had some old scarring from allegedly being a "cutter", something that I personally will never be able to fathom, but I always was a bit of a sissy with a low pain threshold. I guess that's why I was addicted to opiates after having taken only one, and I wasn't looking for it and was already 31 years old and hadn't touched a pill before that time. My own brotherinlaw who is a physician gave me a prescription because HE wanted them. He overheard my complaining to my sister (his wife) about my miserable neck pain and the next thing I know I was leaving her house with a prescription in my hand with instructions to give him half of the prescription. This was 2 months after 9/11 happened so every time this God forsaken 9/11 anniversary rolls around I hate it for 2 reasons, I know our country was altered for the worse after 9/11 and I know my life was altered forever. Before 9/11 and after and I'd give anything to go back to before.
Does anybody ever successfully get off of heroin and/or opiates? I still keep hoping to come across a success story that I can actually find hope in. I never went looking to take opiates (why would I at 31 years old?) and I never even heard of suboxone until someone brought that into my life in 2010. 9 years later and I'm still on this poison and do not kid myself into thinking this is something I can quickly get off of. We have very evil people running our society, especially in the hijacked USA, Incorporated. I am envious of "normal" people who have never put an opiate in their body or if they have, it either made them sick or did nothing for them.

Call me crazy but this song might have my favorite elliott chord change and riff... And some of my favorite lyrics.

yes this actually my first favorite song of his too

Same. This, Christian Brothers and The Enemy Is You might be my 3 favorites

So missed

This album saved my life. Thank u Elliott. Love u. Miss u

Jay Orazi mine as well !!

interesting , yet sadly ironic . I can relate , great music

Used to be a huge fan but only Lord Jesus Christ saves lives guys.

@Hillary Sudeikis Lol, except for this guy, who was clearly saved by Elliott, not jc.

@Hillary Sudeikis get the f outta here

so help yourself to this bitter pill
or somebody else will

single-file line from the cradle to the office to the grave. christ, songs like this almost make drinking alone worth it

this songs about methadone, your chokin up take this paper cup but theres a price that youll pay. when your on the methadone clinic you wake up early, get there, wait in line, and some clinics give you a little bitty paper cup with the drug already dissolved and some give you a pill. songs about feeling bad for a friend whos about to get on the clinic because its so much worse than heroin, amost impossible to kick

pukey loww Taking the train 430am everyday in the early 2000s. I hated those days.

If you're chokin' up, take that paper cup, but there's a price that you'll pay

Danny Phillips this*

Murder Mile.

You idiot kid, your arms got a death in it.

My absolute favorite.

hot ass riff <3

Jedi Maneuvers...nice. I like Jedi Maneuvers much better than Jawa Maneuvers.

favorite off the s/t, along with Southern Belle

Amazing

Beautiful guitar tune.