A song by Elliott Smith not so much about unrequited love, but about being loved by someone who loves you, but knowing they’re only in love with who they think you are. And that you can only ever
fail them and
hurt them. Even though you love them so truly that you don’t want to
hurt them, even if that means you cannot be with them. But you still
hurt them, just by being what you are, and by being lucky/unlucky enough to know them, and you’re
hurt too. Maybe more deeply than you can handle. And all this you keep to yourself, because how could you ever tell them? How could you ever let them know who you really are?
Elliott Smith rarely
played Pitseleh in concert, often dismissing it as too much of a “lyrics based song” when it was requested, though some have speculated that it was a rare example of a song too special or
personal for him to be performed
like his others.