This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
It's a beautiful world we live in
A sweet romantic place
Beautiful people everywhere
The way they show they care
Makes me want to say
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
For you
For you
For you
It's a wonderful time to be here
It's nice to be alive
Wonderful people everywhere
The way they comb their hair
Makes me want to say
It's a wonderful place
It's a wonderful place
It's a wonderful place
For you
For you
For you
Hey
Tell me what I say
Boy 'n' girl with the new clothes on
You can shake it to me all night long
Hey hey
It's a beautiful world we live in
A sweet romantic place
Beautiful people everywhere
The way they show they care
Makes me want to say
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
For you
For you
For you
It's not for me
It's a beautiful world, For you
It's a beautiful world, For you
It's a beautiful world, For you
It's a beautiful world, Not me
A sweet romantic place
Beautiful people everywhere
The way they show they care
Makes me want to say
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
For you
For you
For you
It's a wonderful time to be here
It's nice to be alive
Wonderful people everywhere
The way they comb their hair
Makes me want to say
It's a wonderful place
It's a wonderful place
It's a wonderful place
For you
For you
For you
Hey
Tell me what I say
Boy 'n' girl with the new clothes on
You can shake it to me all night long
Hey hey
It's a beautiful world we live in
A sweet romantic place
Beautiful people everywhere
The way they show they care
Makes me want to say
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
It's a beautiful world
For you
For you
For you
It's not for me
It's a beautiful world, For you
It's a beautiful world, For you
It's a beautiful world, For you
It's a beautiful world, Not me
Lyrics submitted by bouncing soles
Beautiful World Lyrics as written by Mark Mothersbaugh Gerald V. Casale
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
You know, I think even without the "It's not for me" line it's got a very sarcastic/ironic vibe to it.
It's funny, because it takes the incredibly superficial concept of a "beautiful world", the kind where everything's made of plastic, and has the General Electric logo, which was an actual mentality at one time, but makes it sound so incredibly upbeat that it sounds as superficial as it really is.
What it does is take a cultural mentality, and sets it to such repetitive, up-tempo, upbeat music that if you were to take it seriously you would think "ugh, what a terrible pop song", which in turn makes the statement that consumer culture is as superficial as pop music.
And the video is great. I'm not even sure the song's complete without the video.
There was a Target commercial several years ago with this song playing in the background featuring a creepy "futuristic" family marveling at a house filled with piles of brand items. The song added such an unsettling subtext to the whole thing that whoever sought licensing for that song either had no idea what they were doing, or in fact knew exactly what they were doing.
one of the most bitterly ironic commentaries on the excess and self indulgence of the 1980's i've ever heard
This song is utterly sarcastic (as devised by the music video), and most people don't realise that. The "for you" line really illustrates that it's not a beautiful world for the singer, but to another's point of view.
The song itself is kinda cute when you first hear it for the first time. Then you hear the "but not for me", and you start to think. It still has that hilarious biting irony DEVO will always have, but has a very serious side. Then when you watch the video progress into progressively more violent and shocking images (KKK groups, police beatings, riots, famine, etc), you get an utter chill at "but not for me", and you do much more than think. I know I did.
This is a pretty bad rendition of the lyrics. The video for this is one of the best short videos I've ever seen.
One interesting thing is how frequently covers of this song neglect the "not for me" lyric twist. It's like when people miss the "freedom FROM choice" part of "Freedom of Choice;" you wonder what song they were listening to.
One of the best pieces Devo has ever done. Forget "Whip It", and "Girl You Want", and "Working In A Coal Mine", this song is far more thought provoking.
Is it in fact a "Beautiful World"? Or is it that it COULD be, but isn't yet?
one of my fav, and first, songs of devo i listen/ed to. quite clearly is sarcastic and i love how the lyrics can invoke such meaning.
A lot of people have really hit the nail on the head with the meaning of this song, but I'll throw in my opinion anyway.
This is comes across as Devo's tongue in cheek commentary on commercialism and the general 80s "money is good" mentality. Creating a false sense of happiness, surrounding yourself with items and people you don't care about. However, you continue kidding yourself you're happy... almost putting on a show for other people.
The way the lyrics come across is almost like Devo are patting these people on the head and saying, "You're beautiful and have money, that's nice, good for you." But, they're above that and it's not for them.
The music video also reminds me of old American news/info shorts from the 40s and 50s; they have a stiff upper lip attitude combined with sweeping things under the carpet. The world is OK, everything is OK... go back to sleep.
I love this song, the video too. I believe its by far the best video, when it gets to the "for you" part and it starts with all the explosions, nazi's all that. But yeah this song is clearly sarcastic, thats why i love it so much