Wallows – Coffin Change. Lyrics Meaning: Realizing You Can’t Take It With You
Ever feel like you’re stuck on a hamster wheel, running towards a future you’re constantly saving for but never quite reaching? You meticulously budget, you skip the fancy coffee, you put every spare dollar away for a ‘someday’ that feels more like a myth than a plan. It’s a pressure we all know, this frantic race against time to build a comfortable future. Well, what if a song came along that perfectly captured that feeling, wrapped it in a catchy, sun-drenched indie-rock melody, and asked the one question we’re all a little scared to face: what’s the point of all this saving if we can’t take it with us? Wallows totally gets it, and in their track ‘Coffin Change,’ they serve up this giant existential thought on a silver platter. Let’s dive in and unpack what they’re really trying to tell us.
The Anxious Heartbeat of Wallows’ ‘Coffin Change’
Right from the get-go, the song throws you into the deep end of a late-night, ceiling-staring thought spiral. The opening lines are a direct hit to anyone who’s ever questioned their daily routine.
There’s more, more to life than living
More, more to life than this
This isn’t just about being bored; it’s a profound feeling of dissatisfaction. It’s the sense that just going through the motions—waking up, working, sleeping, repeating—isn’t the same as truly living. The narrator is searching for a greater purpose, something beyond the simple act of existing. Then they hit us with a brilliant twist on a common phrase about time:
Time, I used to waste all mine
Now time, time wastes me
Wow. Think about that for a second. It’s a shift from being an active participant who carelessly “wastes” time to becoming a passive victim who is being “wasted” by time. It’s the feeling of your youth and energy slipping through your fingers, no matter how hard you try to hold on. The clock is ticking, and you suddenly feel like you’re losing the race.
What’s the Deal with ‘Pinching Pennies’?
This is where the song’s title and central theme really click into place. The chorus lays out the core conflict in the most vivid way possible. It’s the ultimate commentary on our obsession with saving for a future we might not even get to enjoy.
If there’s a price to pay, maybe I’ll find it in my pocket
Pinching all my pennies ’til they shove me in my coffin
This image is both funny and kind of tragic, right? Picture someone so focused on saving every single penny, denying themselves small joys and experiences, all for what? To have a pocketful of change when they’re six feet under. This is the “coffin change” the title refers to—the useless wealth you’ve accumulated when it’s all over. It’s a powerful metaphor for the futility of prioritizing material gain over actual life experience. It’s like spending your whole life collecting arcade tokens, only to find out the prize counter is permanently closed.
A Detached Flight to the Afterlife
The chorus continues with this almost chant-like, dreamy sequence that feels a little detached from the financial anxiety of the previous lines.
Up, up and away
Heaven doesn’t change
This part feels less like a hopeful prayer and more like a resigned observation. While we’re down here on Earth, frantically running around and pinching our pennies, the grand finale—heaven, the afterlife, whatever you want to call it—remains static and unaffected by our earthly hustle. It puts our tiny worries into a massive cosmic perspective. But just as you get lost in that thought, the band pulls you right back to reality with a single, grounding line:
It’s an unrealistic thought
This is the narrator’s self-awareness kicking in. They acknowledge that spiraling into these huge, unanswerable questions about life, death, and heaven is maybe a bit much. It’s a relatable moment of “Okay, let’s bring it back down to Earth,” even though the underlying anxiety is still bubbling away.
Flipping the Script: What If We’re Looking at it All Wrong?
Just when you think you’ve got the song figured out, the second verse mirrors the first but flips the entire question on its head. It’s a sign of a mind that just can’t stop questioning everything.
Is there more, more to death than dying?
More, more than life to live?
Now the narrator isn’t just questioning life, but death itself. It’s a full-blown existential crisis! This contemplation is immediately followed by a feeling of helplessness against the unstoppable march of time, making the narrator’s own efforts feel pointless.
If time, time will outrun me
Then why do I still run?
It’s the perfect summary of the song’s dilemma: knowing you can’t win the race against time, but being unable to stop running anyway. It’s human nature to keep striving, even when we feel the odds are stacked against us.
So, what’s the big takeaway from all this? ‘Coffin Change’ isn’t just a downer track about how pointless everything is. Far from it! It’s actually a vibrant, energetic wake-up call. The song uses its upbeat sound to deliver a serious message: stop saving all your joy for a ‘someday’ that isn’t guaranteed. The real price to pay isn’t in your pocket; it’s the life you miss out on while you’re too busy counting your pennies. It’s a reminder to live in the present, to spend your “currency”—whether that’s time, energy, or yes, even a little money—on experiences and connections that make you feel alive right now.
Ultimately, ‘Coffin Change’ is a brilliantly disguised anthem for living a more present and fulfilling life. It challenges us to reconsider what we’re really working towards. But that’s just my take on it. What does this song say to you? Does it make you want to book a spontaneous trip, or does it just make you anxious about your savings account? I’d love to hear your perspective on what Wallows is trying to say here!
