The opening song on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot looks at a man who feels isolated and alone in the big city after a tumultuous relationship, seemingly ended by his own misdeeds.
In Sam Jones' documentary named after this song, Nonesuch Records executive David Bither was excited about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot...
[Verse 1]
I am an American aquarium drinker
I assassin down the avenue
I'm hiding out in the big city blinking
What was I thinking when I let go of you?
[Verse 2]
Let's forget about the tongue-tied lightning
Let's undress just like cross-eyed strangers
This is not a joke, so please stop smiling
What was I thinking when I said it didn't hurt?
[Verse 3]
I want to glide through those brown eyes dreaming
Take it from the inside, baby hold on tight
You were so right when you said I've been drinking
What was I thinking when we said good night?
[Verse 4]
I want to hold you in the Bible-black predawn
You're quite a quiet domino, bury me now
Take off your Band-Aid because I don't believe in touchdowns
What was I thinking when we said hello?
[Verse 5]
I'd always thought that if I held you tightly
You'd always love me like you did back then
Then I fell asleep and the city kept blinking
What was I thinking when I let you back in?
[Refrain]
I am trying to break your heart
I am trying to break your heart
But still, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't easy
I am trying to break your heart
[Verse 6]
Disposable Dixie-cup drinking
I assassin down the avenue
I'm hiding out in the big city blinking
What was I thinking when I let go of you?
[Outro]
(... Loves you
I'm the man who loves you)
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart was written by Jeff Tweedy.
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart was produced by Wilco.
Wilco released I Am Trying to Break Your Heart on Tue Apr 23 2002.
Jeff Tweedy on the lyrics in a 2021 interview at the Connecticut Forum:
Well, mostly they’re nonsense… but they mean something to me that I couldn’t say at the time. And I still can’t quite say it, but I feel it every time I sing it. And that’s kind of an element, to me, of poetry, and if I could s...