In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
People think that we don't understand
What it takes to want to be a man
I don’t care much for that
I don’t know why
Just a fight or just a waste of time
Hiding things that no one wants to find
I don’t know much of that
I don’t care why
Goin’ against your mind (16x)
When I was a kid I saw a light
Floating high above the trees one night
Thought it was an alien
Turned out to be just God
If you’re not sure who not to believe
Who has better reasons to deceive
They're really good at it
That's all they do
Goin’ against your mind (16x)
And he was there
No he was there
What it takes to want to be a man
I don’t care much for that
I don’t know why
Just a fight or just a waste of time
Hiding things that no one wants to find
I don’t know much of that
I don’t care why
Goin’ against your mind (16x)
When I was a kid I saw a light
Floating high above the trees one night
Thought it was an alien
Turned out to be just God
If you’re not sure who not to believe
Who has better reasons to deceive
They're really good at it
That's all they do
Goin’ against your mind (16x)
And he was there
No he was there
Lyrics submitted by Dramamine01, edited by trinitone
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Goin' against your mind is the perspective of a person who has come to the realisation that the actual truth is something other than what his mind informs him. This is something you can realise by meditation, by taking certain drugs or by experiencing mental illness. Our perceptions are always limited in several ways, but a huge number of people are under the delusion that what we perceive is actual reality. They do not realise that what we are fed by our minds at any moment, is just a small, selected part of a mirror image of reality, that our mind has created for us using various mental systems. If we could perceive actual reality, we would all agree about most things, but since our minds warp it for us, we get different perspectives and biases. To "go against your mind" is to try to see through the veil of delusion to find truth and actual reality. It could be about a particular drug trip or episode of mental illness, too. The perception of the 'unknown' differs between cultures and ages. Now that God/gods are going out of fashion, people who experience unexplainable stimuli will more often interpret them as aliens rather than as fairies, gods or demons.
thats why built to spill is so great, their lyrics are so much more simple and unpretentious than the other indie rock bands..they don't try to be philosophical and it turns out great
(off upcoming unreleased album that was leaked)
What an awesome new song for this band
love the instumentals
its not leaked, its on myspace, and many indie radio stations....
good song, much anticipated album..april...
(When you hear the early leaked album you will soon despise Mike Jones.)
WHO'S MIKE JONES?!?!
i don't know, who is mike jones!!!!!????? fucking song sampling.
When I was a kid I saw a light Floating high above the trees one night
Thought ‘twas an alien Turned out just god
awesome, just awesome
And he was there No he was there
god was there....
Turned out to be just god...
i love this song! can't wait for the new album! there's another track from the new album (conventional wisdom) on myspace.com/built to spill !!