Coffee and Cigarettes – Jimmy Eat World

Ever since I heard “The Middle” and consequently the entire Bleed American album, I’ve really liked Jimmy Eat World. Last week I finally had the opportunity to see them live, and it was even better than I had anticipated. I told my friend Will right before Jimmy took the stage that I was a little bummed that they had a new album coming out on Tuesday. “I just want to hear old stuff”, I said. Well, they made me eat my words. Timmy Eat Words. Every new song they played sounded amazing as well as the old classics, but this one really stuck with me. I’ve been listening to this album over and over since Tuesday, and I still can’t get enough of this tune, “Coffee and Cigarettes.” Although I do freely enjoy an occasional smoke, I’m not a huge fan of cigarettes. I’ve seen the Truth commercials, and I have seen and heard the aftereffect of a laryngectomy. Nor do I drink much coffee. If I had written this song, it probably would have been called Pop and Burritos…

But that just doesn’t have the same ring to it. You’ll see what I mean when you listen to it and then try to sing my version.

The point is…

The simple and boring things in life end up being the most significant things, and you are probably taking those things for granted.

If Grooveshark is working, you can listen to both the acoustic and electric version of the song in the playlist on the left. I love them both.
If Grooveshark is not working, you can go here to listen.

“Coffee and Cigarettes”
When I finally finished school
It was the first thing that I did
What every townie kid dreams of,
I packed and started west
A thousand dollars I had saved
And my sister’s two cassettes:
The Dead from Fillmore East
And Otis Redding’s Greatest Hits

Coffee and Cigarettes
As simple as it gets
Of all the things I think I’ll miss,
There’s staying up with you
Coffee and Cigarettes
Coffee and Cigarettes

Then, I commit with some restraint
To a boy I thought might care
It didn’t work but I found out soon
And never dug roots there
Been a lot of places since
But nothing else compares
To easy times and easy eyes
To meet you in a stare

Coffee and Cigarettes
As simple as it gets
Of all the things I think I’ll miss,
Coffee and Cigarettes
Coffee and Cigarettes