What is Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith about?

Question

This is one of my favorite Elliott Smith songs. What is the song(lyrics) about?

Answer 1

Since Elliott considered the majority of his music "pop" and not "folk", this song is open for interpretation and can really be about whatever the listener thinks it is. That being said, however, it's largely thought that this song is about Elliott and his mom and, to a lesser extent, his step-dad. I once read an interview in which Elliott says that when his mom was remarried to his step-dad, he (Elliott) received his first beating on her wedding day-- he was only three. When Elliott later left to live with his dad, he felt a reoccurring guilt because he felt like he abandoned his mom and was really worried about her. So he felt extremely guilty for leaving his mom with his abusive stepfather and yet he still loved her even though he would never be able to know her with him around, which could possibly explain the chorus (for lack of a better term): "I'm never gonna know you now/ But I'm gonna love you anyhow."

Further, in the interview, it said that Elliott had a lot of suppressed memories coming back to him which led him believe that his step-dad abused him sexually. When something so terrible happens at such a young age, it's extremely difficult to erase. He finally got the courage to tell his mom, but he had to convince her that he was still okay. He wanted to confront his stepfather with his accusations but he couldn't because he had made too many mistakes in his own life to accuse others of things they've done wrong because it'd be hypocritical. This could perhaps explain the lines, "XO, Mom/ It's okay, it's all right, nothing's wrong/ Tell Mr. Man with impossible plans to just leave me alone,/ In the place where I make no mistakes,/ In the place where I have what it takes."

So that's pretty much what I get out it, concerning the interview. Aside from that, the first verse is about one of Elliott's earliest memories in which his mom and step-dad are in a bar and she's singing "Cathy's Clown."

That's about all that I'm pretty sure about. But then again, I may be wrong entirely. Elliott was too much of a genius to be comprehended by mere peons such as myself. Above everything though, his music is about whatever you think it is. He left it open to interpretation and to be considered and shaped by each individual. He was such a great musician and a really kind person. It's a shame he's gone.

Answer 2

There's no way to know what it was about. Most of Elliott's lyrics were really metaphorical and symbolic, and are too vague to point toward any obvious life event. They were usually always very personal in that he sort of wrote "for himself" rather than other people... sort of his outlet for getting things off his chest. In other words, you might say it was almost like he took his diary and just put music to it. I think most of his songs were about personal situations that most noone else really knew anything about. The answerer above noted the problems with his step-dad, which is the one thing we know caused Elliott a lot of psychological issues (even into adulthood) - though I don't know if that's what Waltz 2 was about. Waltz 2 seemed more like a final-farewell-and-goodbye-to-a-*****-th... kind of tunes, though I could also be completely wrong.