Step off the train all alone at dawn
Back into the hole where I was born
The sun in the sky never raised an eye to me
The blood on the tracks, and they must be mine
The fool on the hill, and I feel fine
Don't look back 'cause you know what you might see

Look into the wall of my mind's eye
I think I know, but I don't know why
The questions are the answers you might need
Coming in a mess, going out in style
I ain't good-looking, but I'm someone's child
No one can give me the air that's mine to breathe

I met my maker
I made him cry
And on my shoulder he asked me why
His people won't fly through the storm
I said, "Hey, listen up man, we don't even know you're born"

All my people right here, right now
D'you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah
All my people right here, right now
D'you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah
All my people right here, right now
D'you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't really care for what you believe
So open up your fist or you won't receive
The thoughts and the words of every man you'll need
Get up off the floor and believe in life
No one's ever gonna ever ask you twice
Get on the bus and bring it on home to me

I met my maker
I made him cry
And on my shoulder he asked me why
His people won't fly through the storm
I said, "Listen up man, they don't even know you're born"

All my people right here, right now
They know what I mean yeah, yeah
All my people right here, right now
They know what I mean yeah, yeah
All my people right here, right now
They know what I mean yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah

All my people right here, right now
D'you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah
All my people right here, right now
D'you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah
All my people right here, right now
D'you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah


Lyrics submitted by AhmedAR94

D'You Know What I Mean? Lyrics as written by Noel Gallgher

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

D'You Know What I Mean? song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

48 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +3
    General Comment

    The greatest line oasis have ever written...

    No-one can give me the air that's mine to breathe Its all about how no one can live your life for you. make mistakes, learn from them, and loev every minute of it.

    This whole song is about jsut living your life as you see fit, and not letting anyone do it for you. Nice message.

    big timmyon January 30, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I always took this song to be a psychedelic anthem. It's about being in the here and now and seeing how great the world is. It's seeing that you have everything you need, and life isn't about answers, but rather about the questions that give you meaning.

    Not sure if anyone here has had a truly transcendental experience on psychedelics, but I've always called the place your mind takes you to the here and now, a place that exists outside of time. It seems like he is reaching out to other people in that mind state with this song. SOmetimes for me, going to the here and now can be a scary and overwhelming experience. You see the connections between everything and the universe ceases to be made up of separate objects, but rather becomes one living entity. You are just as much a part of it as anything else, therefore you are in a sense part of God.

    I take this song to be being reborn through psychedelic use.

    "Look into the wall of my mind's eye I think I know, but I don't know why The questions are the answers you might need" -This is easy for me to relate to. When you transcend, you see that there are no answers, only questions. It all makes sense, but you can't exactly explain why, or carry it with you after you come down.

    "Coming in a mess going out in style I ain't good-looking but I'm someone's child No-one can give me the air that's mine to breathe" -Taking the drug because life is a mess and you need to sort out your head. Realizing that you are perfect to someone, then taking that realization further and realizing your life is your own. The only person who can take from you what you need is yourself.

    "I met my maker I made him cry And on my shoulder he asked me why His people won't fly through the storm I said 'Listen up man, they don't even know you're born'" -Getting in touch with your inner connection to God. I take this as an extension to the last verse about the air he breathes. He starts to see the world as perfect, but thoughts of all the imperfections in life makes the perfection (God) inside himself sad. Why do people have to behave the way they do? Why do they put such emphasis on things that aren't important? We have the air we need to breathe, we have food, we have a home (earth). It makes God cry that humanity should suffer, but he justifies that suffering saying that some people don't know what he means. A lot of people are waiting for the second coming of God to save us from life here, but we don't realize God has come, and God is existance. If we realized our true potential, and our connections to the universe we would be limitless, and we could easily fly through the storm. I'm probably reading way too much into this verse and not expressing my meaning here clear enough, but I hope some of you get the point.

    "I don't really care for what you believe So open up your fist or you won't receive The thoughts and the words of every man you'll need" -If you fight to make people believe what you do, you are closing your mind to the things you need. This life is about sharing experience and ideas. When we die, we will all go back to one. Think for a second what it would mean to be God, to be the ONE. If you are alone for ETERNITY (no beginning or end ever... EVER), what can you do? You separate yourself into unique subjective perspectives. It is like being a schitzophrenic. God is just imagination come to life to entertain a timeless being. When you realize this, then the thoughts of other people and your own thoughts are coming from the same source. If you close your mind and don't listen to your fellow man, you are ignoring things that may be important in enriching your life.

    "Get up off the floor and believe in life" -The biggest danger of psychedelics is that some people start to believe that life is fake after taking them, but this song in general is about coming through that realization. If you take the viewpoint that everything is fake, then for everything to be fake, for those experiencing a fake reality it has to be real. If nothing is real, then to define non-reality everything in non-reality must be real because everything you do has some sort of consequence or reaction. You can say, "Well none of this really matters cause we're just going to die." Yeah, true, but then what fun is your time here if your just waiting for it to end? Stop moping around and believe in your experience! Make it the best fucking experience it can be!

    I think I've said enough, but this song is a powerful song about living in the moment and realizing that everything is in its right place.

    TMV4everon December 11, 2008   Link
  • +3
    Song Meaning

    Thanks to lennon-mccartney and kingink for helping me understand this song. Yes, I think this is a song about changing musical style and influence and the fact that chords (and even tempo) are just the same as those of Wonderwall is not a case, it's INTENTIONAL and PROGRAMMATIC. See the trick? Same chords, different song: one is kind of a romantic ballad, the other rocks. And why? Because back then Oasis had a quarrel with McCartney who didn't tolerate the fact that Oasis and Beatles were compared. So this song is just like saying: you know what? You may have been famous and "fab" back then, but now it's our turn, there are milions of kids out there who don't even freaking know that Beatles ever existed, but they know us, they love us and sing our songs! So all my people are right here, right now, while yours are back then. Your story is over. Get along with this fact! And of course it's over reaction: Beatles are still a very known and worshipped band (though it's true that they're not so "fab" any more) and Oasis didn't changed that much after this song. But you know Gallagher bros: they tend to be quite bully-like, so "if you piss my territory, I'll devastate yours" and stuff like that... Great song, even for the meaning....

    JohnSteedMrsPeelon April 19, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Love the video to this, sums up the excessive coke years to a tee. Just completely over the top and god bless em for it : )

    debaser2002on August 14, 2002   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    Before their success the Gallaghers were deadbeat losers. The shithole town you're from doesn't care about you. The sun doesn't raise an eye to you. Nobody is going to ask twice. You claim the air you breathe or you die. But don't dwell on this.

    Instead of stubbornly and hopelessly clinching your fist you should open your hand and grab what you want. Get off the floor, get on the bus, make your maker cry and let the world know you exist. A song about seizing life.

    Aicradaon August 25, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    top top song

    charcoon July 06, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    erm? and again... wtf is up with this site ;p

    Disposition_987on July 06, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ok now I am logged in as RLGRIFFBOB this is just getting stupid...

    that's 3 usernames I seem to be logged in as...

    YOUR SITE IS FUBARED

    ta :p

    rlgriffbobon July 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hey people, I am the real Disposition_987. Yeah, what is up with being logged onto random peoples' names everythime I go here? It always happens to me, and now I see I am not the only person. It happens every single time I come to this site!

    Disposition_987on July 08, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hey! It's me again the first 3....... sorry about using your account like that. I'm just a big miffed about it all =(

    I didn't do anything malice with it and now I aint logged in anymore so let's not worry :P

    saint 76on July 08, 2002   Link

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

Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Mountain Song
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."
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
Blue
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.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.