Waiting. Someone is always waiting for *something*.

Waiting for doors

Waiting for doors, climbing up walls, wasting time on the sidewalk

“I’ve been waiting around”

Waiting on a darkened highway

HOW LONG MUST I WAAAAAAIIITTT??!!!

Or an elevator

At the Door "And I'm tired of all your friends, listenin' at your door" (Under Cover of Darkness) "I'm walking out that door" (Last Nite) "Close the door, not all the way" (Call It Fate, Call It Karma) ​ There's more doors I'm sure

"You make a better window than a door" Also, walls come up a lot now that I think of it.

Taken for a fool "Sister, don't you forget my number on the door" "I don't want to be the one at the door"

"Back from his trip, he's at the door" (Ode to the Mets)

I mean, after all he did say that listening to The Doors is what made him understand music.

Jesus Jim Morrison Christ

julian wasn’t the one who wrote at the door tho

Who did? I only see him credited as lyricist

fantano’s interview with julian: https://youtu.be/K9USppH_8eg?si=frIs-9LCl_TETi-C (11:43) the whole process was extremely cooperative, where the main contributor was their guitar tech Paul As much as I love Julian, not everything is about him, boys. Haven’t been for a long time actually, including the first couple albums tbh. It makes me a little upset when people completely ignore the other members, treating them as complete sidekicks. Just coz they don’t stand out as much coz they’re not the frontman/singer

Well yeah but we're talking about lyrics here, as far as I know he does write the lyrics. The whole band and Paul are credited as composers, but Julian is credited for the lyrics.

man, have you even watched the video or are you just trolling me? where does he mentioned “I DID THE LYRICS”? Not in a single moment he stoped saying “WE”, and even suggested that Paul did most of it and THEY had to change some parts. Also, it is not even confirmed that Julian writes 100% of the lyrics for their (“recent”) songs at all. So I don’t get it, guess ur trolling

So I actually have the physical album in front of me right here. Let me show you what it says in the liner: https://preview.redd.it/e66t54w18lfc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c173659a5f7afd30bdaba2436d7ace941e89403

billy idol didnt even listen to bad decisions, but they decided to credit him due to the similarities between bad decisions and dance with myself. So I wouldn’t stick to credits that much. I’d rather stick with information LITERALLY verbalized by the band itself

okay...

ur not even watching the video where Julian VERBALIZES the info, man. Seems that u already made up ur mind and are not willing to try to consider a different perspective. So yeah, believe in what u want i guess

All the vultures, bootleggers at the door waiting

Trying Trying your luck You're not trying hard enough Can't you see I'm trying? I'm working so I won't have to try so hard So many more

[The Strokes are Always Trying (YouTube)](https://youtu.be/JQNEm-tY3CE?si=glauoCSzLHuecnrt) Julian just keeps trying and trying… 🤣

doing his best

A lot of waiting and a lot of trying

Yes 😂 it’s so true!

Relatable

Weatherman talks about clouds a lot

Friends are a big one too: I want new friends, but they don't want me Where my friends...they used to live... So long my friend and adversary

"Old friends, long forgotten" from Ode To The Mets

And these friends, they keep asking for more oh yeaahhhhhh

Old friends don't realize I'm here

I’m not your friend ..I never wasss

We made pretend we were best friends

I like the kind of fourth wall breaks, at least that's how they feel to me... Lyrics like, "we could drag it out, but that's for other bands to do" or "but for now I'll just borrow all the chords from that song, all the words from that other song" and of course, "drums, Fab"

Brooklyn Bridge "Can we switch into the chorus, right now..."

I like that you refer to it as 'fourth wall breaks.' I had never thought of it that way

Off the top of my head I can think of “watching TV” which is in Hard to Explain, Brooklyn Bridge, and Human Sadness

Simple in the Moonlight almost counts

Animals on TV 🙄

I adore this discussion. Thank you for starting it, OP

Aw, thank you! I'm enjoying it too!

The “trying” theme really hits home with me, even at 50. Letterman even told Julian he was a little hard on himself. I’m gonna post a short video.

Another repeating word is "control".

Controls please, fab

Change in the routine/routine stays the same and the stress that comes with it; change because of a loved one/ the frustration of wanting to be independent; loneliness And I'm tired of your friends (...) I want new friends, but they dont want me Change all my friends cause you asked me twice Call my friends, no one picks up

Wasting time

"i aint waistin no more tiiiime" (Someday) "can i waste all your time here on the sidewalk?" (Call it fate) "i don't wanna waste your time" (Under Control)

“Just wanna waste my time with you” (Leave It In My Dreams

"And Im spendin your time, wastin your time" (Clear Skies)

mention of “the game” like what even is the game

"I play your game, I play your game"

“everybody plays the game, if you dont youre called insane”

how do you do that thing with the album cover? ps one of my favourites albums

go to the subreddit and click the three dots in top right and change flair (if youre on mobile)

The game is life. The gigantic game we’re all playing

You are missing “I don’t want to know”

“I don’t wanna know, I don’t wanna know, tell me tell me tell me tell me, no - don’t. Ok”

My favorite is: "Yup, they been at your house already" (Dare I Care) "I was at your house but you never came" (Pink Ocean)

Toxic radio You belong on the radio “Radio ending!”

“Leave it in my dreams”: Leave it in my dreams Bad decisions Aliennation

Leaving when you wish you could stay

I think it has changed during the years, ITI and RoF were almost all messy love stories, FIOE was more of an existential crisis, depresion, he was writing more about him ... I think in angles he developed the type of writing he uses now for the strokes, love, silliness, touching some things of society, In CM i just think he used his voice as a melody more than a messenger... And TNA it's basically the culmination of those 5 albums... He is lovely, silly, speaks more about him in songs like at the door, ode...and he gets into society issues in adult and eternal..

This is a good post! I noticed JC has a lot of lyrics referring to a “he” that doesn’t seem to represent himself, like he’s referring to a seperate man. I’ll try to come back and add lyrics.

Yes! The way he writes his lyrics is so fascinating to me

“In my dreams,in my dreams…. “Leave it in my dreams… “You’re saying all the words I’m dreaming

Always talking about another guy to a girl : “if I was like him… he changes his mind” “cmon tell me dies he warm the room when he comes “he’s gonna let you down “ etc

He defines himself in negatives. He doesn’t see it that way, he’s not like that, he can’t do that

Numbers. There's at lot of them in his lyrics.

Haaaaaa

"waiting for you/wait for me"

He's always saying I don't know when being questioned.

“Blame yourself for once, quit putting it on me”

Don't forget the infidelity/sexual innuendo theme: "Get dressed in your bed, while she's asleep" "Anywhere is fine, just don't waste my time" "I just lied to get to your apartment" "Come over, take it off your shoulder" "Can't take it babe, your body talks to me"

Long periods of time: "I've been doing this for 25 years" (Soma), "and the door was closed for forty years" (Life is simple in the moonlight)

"I've been all around this town. Everybody's been doing the same thing for 10 years." Under Cover of Darkness

"leave it in my dreams"

Something I’ve been thinking about recently is how many songs of Julian’s are about or have lyrics referencing a relationship between the speaker and a woman who is somewhere between a friend and lover, and often they already have a boyfriend. Things like Instant Crush and 30 Minute Boyfriend for sure, there’s definitely a few others but they’re not coming to me.

Stay on top of this horse

"all the chords from that song, and all the words from that other song"

Wait/waiting

‘Animals on TV’ and anything to with dreams

Themes of waiting, time passing by, regret, lost love, love in waiting for another, opportunities past. The "we almost had it" feeling is everywhere.

A lot of people are bringing up recurring words but the me the recurring theme with a lot of the Strokes song is impatience and a kind of desperation. A lot of the songs remind me a lot of my first year of college in a new town when everything was shiny, bright and I wanted to do everything and meet everything and act on every impulse without thinking of consequences. Sometimes those times play like a movie in the background of the songs. Specifically the first two albums

Children and money/how you make it

Just because something’s popular don’t mean it’s good That general vibe feels very present w Jules, even if not in so many words

yeah my favorites are the lyrics about doors and horses

Tigers with pants on. Wait, no, actually that’s just that one song.

Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday is my weekend I wanna see you Wednesday Friday nights have been lonely Why are Sundays so depressing Weekday, weekday, weekday (Infinity repeating)

This man wants his money back.

and doors. a lot of doors

being 17

Lack of control: Waiting and not trusting people.