Indigo Girls — Least Complicated
Album: Swamp OpheliaAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 1249
Length: 4:06
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I sit two stories above the street
It's awful quiet here since love fell asleep
There's life down below me though
Kids are walking home from school
Some long ago when we were taught
That for whatever kind of puzzle you got
You just stick the right formula in
A solution for every fool...
I remember the time when I came so close to you
Sent me skipping my class and running from school
And I bought you that ring, cause I never was cool
What makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated (yeah)
Oh, I just sit up in the house and resist
And not be seen until I cease to exist
A kind of conscientious objection (ahh...)
A kind of dodge in the draft
The boy and girl are holding hands on the street
And I don't want to but I think 'you just wait'
It's more than just eye to eye
Learn the things I could never apply...
Well, I remember the time when I came so close with you
Let everything go it seemed the only truth
And I bought you that ring, it seemed the thing to do
What makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated
So what makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated, ohh...
I'm just a mirror of a mirror of myself
All the things that I do
And the next time I fall
I'm gonna have to recall
It's isn't love
It's only something new
I sit two stories above the street
It's awful quiet here since love fell asleep
There's life down below me though
The kids are walking home from school
And I remember the time
When I came so close with you
Sent me skipping my class
And running from school
And I bought you that ring
'Cause I never was cool
What makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated
So what makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated
The least complicated
The least complicated
It's awful quiet here since love fell asleep
There's life down below me though
Kids are walking home from school
Some long ago when we were taught
That for whatever kind of puzzle you got
You just stick the right formula in
A solution for every fool...
I remember the time when I came so close to you
Sent me skipping my class and running from school
And I bought you that ring, cause I never was cool
What makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated (yeah)
Oh, I just sit up in the house and resist
And not be seen until I cease to exist
A kind of conscientious objection (ahh...)
A kind of dodge in the draft
The boy and girl are holding hands on the street
And I don't want to but I think 'you just wait'
It's more than just eye to eye
Learn the things I could never apply...
Well, I remember the time when I came so close with you
Let everything go it seemed the only truth
And I bought you that ring, it seemed the thing to do
What makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated
So what makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated, ohh...
I'm just a mirror of a mirror of myself
All the things that I do
And the next time I fall
I'm gonna have to recall
It's isn't love
It's only something new
I sit two stories above the street
It's awful quiet here since love fell asleep
There's life down below me though
The kids are walking home from school
And I remember the time
When I came so close with you
Sent me skipping my class
And running from school
And I bought you that ring
'Cause I never was cool
What makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated
So what makes me think I could start clean slated?
The hardest to learn was the least complicated
The least complicated
The least complicated
Comments (63)add comment
Still the same 9 for me ...
smartn1 wrote:
Same here. I got to book 4 of Game of Thrones and wondered why I wasted that much time on the series. I only ended up reading two Wheel of Time books so a lot less waste but then the first Game of Thrones book was really good. Wheel of Time meh. In fact, I don't have any memories of what that book was about.
I totally get what you wrote. But it's a pleasant song, especially if one isn't well acquainted with the rest of their music.
Yeah, I gave up on that series after about book 3. Same with Game of Thrones.
Same here. I got to book 4 of Game of Thrones and wondered why I wasted that much time on the series. I only ended up reading two Wheel of Time books so a lot less waste but then the first Game of Thrones book was really good. Wheel of Time meh. In fact, I don't have any memories of what that book was about.
The hardest to learn was
The least complicated
The least complicated The least complicated
Whenever a band does that on their song ending, it always looks to me like they ran out of ideas. "Let's just sing that last line over and over and hit that final note".
Solanus wrote:
IIRC, one of the things with this album is that a lot of the musicians ended up playing instruments that they weren't intimately familiar with. It was like a group of music friends that got together and just had fun recording an album.
MavenofMayhem wrote:
couldn't disagree more! It feels fresh, loose, unscripted, festival-like. It feels like we're sitting in the living room with them. So, definitely less produced, but no less lovely.
I'm confused, it feels like we're talking past each other here. I certainly wasn't dissing the song (I have it rated as an "8") and was simply remarking that the musicians weren't trying to come up with a perfect sound, just kinda messing around and creating something fun & familiar.
Tabs if you want to play along.
https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/indigo-girls/least-complicated-chords-11146
https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/indigo-girls/least-complicated-chords-11146
Solanus wrote:
IIRC, one of the things with this album is that a lot of the musicians ended up playing instruments that they weren't intimately familiar with. It was like a group of music friends that got together and just had fun recording an album.
couldn't disagree more! It feels fresh, loose, unscripted, festival-like. It feels like we're sitting in the living room with them. So, definitely less produced, but no less lovely.
IIRC, one of the things with this album is that a lot of the musicians ended up playing instruments that they weren't intimately familiar with. It was like a group of music friends that got together and just had fun recording an album.
couldn't disagree more! It feels fresh, loose, unscripted, festival-like. It feels like we're sitting in the living room with them. So, definitely less produced, but no less lovely.
I think that the sloppiness is the point.
I totally get what you wrote. But it's a pleasant song, especially if one isn't well acquainted with the rest of their music.
Yeah, I gave up on that series after about book 3. Same with Game of Thrones.
vit wrote:
Yeah, I gave up on that series after about book 3. Same with Game of Thrones.
vit wrote:
The Indigo Girls are like the Robert Jordan of progressive music. First "Wheel of Time" book I (drunkenly) read I thought, "Hey that's not bad." So I bought another. And another. And another. All the sudden I found myself at the ninth bloody novel and it finally occurred to me that somewhere along the line the series had turned to absolute crap. Maybe it was that way from the very beginning. Anyway, I fell for the same thing with the Indigo Girls. Their first album (really their second, but their first was kindof like that Robert Jordan book with Spring in the title. A prequel, but crap) inspired me to buy more and more. Finally at Swamp Ophelia I realized, this is navel-gazing at its worst!
If you like these guys, check out “Sound Of The Sirens”
Not many places you'll hear a song which has been in (limited) rotation since 2001.
Lang may yer lum reek, William
Lang may yer lum reek, William
andrewimft wrote:
IIRC, one of the things with this album is that a lot of the musicians ended up playing instruments that they weren't intimately familiar with. It was like a group of music friends that got together and just had fun recording an album.
Such a sloppy tune, with off key singing, bad recorder, tinkly keyboard parts that don't fit, ick. This is when I stopped listening to them after those 2 fine first records. I can't understand how this got to the final cut, it's so unprofessional and doesn't go into the Neil Young or Bob Dylan category of an inspired despite sloppy performance.
IIRC, one of the things with this album is that a lot of the musicians ended up playing instruments that they weren't intimately familiar with. It was like a group of music friends that got together and just had fun recording an album.
That_SOB wrote:
Yea, and it is that mediocrity that helps them hit the center of the bell curve of popularity, cha-ching. Really not impressed.
The vision that comes to mind is "Strive to be mediocre"
Yea, and it is that mediocrity that helps them hit the center of the bell curve of popularity, cha-ching. Really not impressed.
mandolin wrote:
Are they really?
...i think what i dislike most about the indigo girls is that they're such easy targets for satire...
Are they really?
jeremyleo wrote:
This and Power of Two from the same album are my favs. I like the production on this compared to some of their later works.
Me too!
Great song, but I hate the lyric: "clean slated".
MsJudi wrote:
This and Power of Two from the same album are my favs. I like the production on this compared to some of their later works.
My fav IG song!
This and Power of Two from the same album are my favs. I like the production on this compared to some of their later works.
I would prefer something off Rites of Passage, Swamp Ophelia is decidedly not their best work.
dctrpunda wrote:
And they're very successful at it.
They are trying so hard to sound just like every one of their other songs.
And they're very successful at it.
Such a sloppy tune, with off key singing, bad recorder, tinkly keyboard parts that don't fit, ick. This is when I stopped listening to them after those 2 fine first records. I can't understand how this got to the final cut, it's so unprofessional and doesn't go into the Neil Young or Bob Dylan category of an inspired despite sloppy performance.
The vision that comes to mind is "Strive to be mediocre"
stevo_b wrote:
Ditto
Tune hits home today.
Ditto
My fav IG song!
vit wrote:
Maybe they'll kick the bucket in the middle of recording their next album?
The Indigo Girls are like the Robert Jordan of progressive music.
Maybe they'll kick the bucket in the middle of recording their next album?
Twice in a day Bill - thank you!
dctrpunda wrote:
That's basically the problem
They are trying so hard to sound just like every one of their other songs.
That's basically the problem
The Indigo Girls are like the Robert Jordan of progressive music. First "Wheel of Time" book I (drunkenly) read I thought, "Hey that's not bad." So I bought another. And another. And another. All the sudden I found myself at the ninth bloody novel and it finally occurred to me that somewhere along the line the series had turned to absolute crap. Maybe it was that way from the very beginning. Anyway, I fell for the same thing with the Indigo Girls. Their first album (really their second, but their first was kindof like that Robert Jordan book with Spring in the title. A prequel, but crap) inspired me to buy more and more. Finally at Swamp Ophelia I realized, this is navel-gazing at its worst!
They are trying so hard to sound just like every one of their other songs.
Still, Indigo Girls always remind me of the Lost Coast, so I can't be too hard on them
garthwb wrote:
One can hear they're not wearing any makeup...
Can you read that I'm not wearing any pants?
wafaa wrote:
Please, more Indigo Girls!
Please, less Indigo Girls!
neither am I, what's your point?
One can hear they're not wearing any makeup...
And who wouldn't like "Get Out the Map"?
Please, more Indigo Girls!
Two Indigo Girls songs in one day? Ugh.
always liked this song
Dose this particularly fine track have funny stereo or is my system on the blink?
...i think what i dislike most about the indigo girls is that they're such easy targets for satire...
the only song i've ever heard them sing well was cover of a dead song on Deadicated...other than that 
handyrae wrote:
Odd--I used to really, really like the Indigo Girls. Now they just mostly annoy me. 
Happened to me too.
For some reason, this sounds like a different version of this song. Maybe I just haven't heard it in a while.
Did I miss anything? I had to put on an Indigo Girls recovery set. I think I'm allergic.
A total mystery.
FlatCat wrote:
Because they collectively know one chord and one rhythm. And every song they sing sounds exactly the same.
You could not be more wrong about that.
Collectively that is...
Great album title.
Whatever happened to them? They used to be so good. I get the just got too common and their songs sounded the same.
Austin2Florida wrote: 
Bought this album today and it's brilliant, Indigo Girls Rock! 
FlatCat wrote:
Because they collectively know one chord and one rhythm. And every song they sing sounds exactly the same.
Quite ....
Odd--I used to really, really like the Indigo Girls. Now they just mostly annoy me.
absolutemotion wrote:
Weird that I really like The Indigo Girls, but after a certain amount of songs their sound turns suddenly from "sweet harmonies" to "fingernails on a blackboard". After a period of recovery, they become listenable again (for a while).
Why is this?
Because they collectively know one chord and one rhythm. And every song they sing sounds exactly the same.
Weird that I really like The Indigo Girls, but after a certain amount of songs their sound turns suddenly from "sweet harmonies" to "fingernails on a blackboard". After a period of recovery, they become listenable again (for a while).
Why is this?
I disagree with the earlier comments that the Indigo Girls "jumped the shark" after their first album. I enjoyed their first album, but really loved their subsequent work, especially Indians, Nomads & Saints. I enjoy the harmony on this song just as much as I did on "Closer to Fine."
Leslie wrote:
Pretty good song. I am tainted though, very tired of the Indigo Girls. I think that they reached their peak with their first album. I can't really tell you why I am not thrilled with them...lots of talent and passion...perhaps I am just tired of thier music.
I feel the same way. I just can't get excited about any of their music any more. Perhaps I listened too much too early...should have spaced it a bit. I should like it, but I really don't any longer.
Tune hits home today.
A nice enough little ditty.
Saw the Girls live about a year and a half ago... just the two of them and their guitars... AMAZING!!!
It makes you want to sway to the music and sing along. They have such sweet voices. Interestingly, I had only heard the a capella version before this.
Originally Posted by gillespp:
The first album was something special; they really seemed to collaborate on each song, and it was by no means clear who wrote it. For every album since, however, I can tell on first hearing whether Amy or Emily wrote any given song. Don't get me wrong, I really like them, but I miss the cohesion in the first album.
I think that's what makes them absolutely wonderful collaborators. They are completely different entities, but when they come together, it's mind blowing. They sang this song on 7/5/02 here in Minneapolis, and it was so fresh and awesome. I never, ever tire of their music. And though the first CD is one of my favorites, I completely love all of their CD's for different reasons.
The first album was something special; they really seemed to collaborate on each song, and it was by no means clear who wrote it. For every album since, however, I can tell on first hearing whether Amy or Emily wrote any given song. Don\'t get me wrong, I really like them, but I miss the cohesion in the first album.
Pretty good song. I am tainted though, very tired of the Indigo Girls. I think that they reached their peak with their first album. I can't really tell you why I am not thrilled with them...lots of talent and passion...perhaps I am just tired of their music.