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"
To me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
To me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
When I go fishing
for the words
I am wishing you would say to me
I am really only praying that
The words you'll soon be saying
Might betray
The way you feel about me
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
To me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
End is the only part of the word
That I heard
Call me morbid or absurd
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
When I go fishing
for the words
I am wishing you would say to me
I am really only praying that
The words you'll soon be saying
Might betray
The way you feel about me
But to me
Coming from you
Friend is a four letter word
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
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.
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
I had originally thought that this word was a negative end to a friendship.. and that the singer was talking about a friendship that no longer had meaning to him. I asked a friend of mine what he meant by four letter word and he said "I end" but that's two words.. and so he alluded it to swears.. however.. on taking a closer look and thinking about it.. to me it reveals itself to be about love (which conveniently happens to be a four-letter word). The "When I go fishing..." stanza tips off that he wants "his friend" to say something besides friend.. and that whenever she calls him a friend.. he just wants to friendship to end so the "love" can begin.. that way the song makes perfect sense to me.. but is almost completely the opposite from what I originally thought. Great song..
I agree except I think it's about a relationship that already happened and he wants her to just stop acting so distant and get close to him again. She's doing what many girls do and trying to keep the guy in her life as a friend, but all he wants is for her to want him back again. I think he's sort of going along with it just waiting for the oppurtunity to get back with her, and this song is sort of what's going on in the back of his mind.
The phrase '_____ is a four letter word' is a phrase that references something as being negative (which, in turn, references many swears, i.e. sh*t, f*k, cnt, d*mn). For example, the term 'diet is a four letter word.' Isn't saying that the word diet has four letters in it, it's saying that the speaker strongly dislikes diets.
Many of you have said that this is about a guy that is in a lover type relationship that is ending. Though that may be the situation, I do not see that there is enough evidence in the lyrics to say that definitively.
The term "four letter word" has been around for a while. Normally, when it is use, it is not meant literally. When one says 'I have a few four letter words I would like to tell him' or 'That movie has too many four letter words for me' then the term means ' vulgar insults and/or the using foul language'
With that said...
What I believe this song to mean is, A person (a guy in this case since the singer is male) is in a relationship (does not have to be sexual but could just be a friend) and the relationship has taken it's toll on him. Since there is no mutual benefit in the relationship he feels taxed by it. That feeling that he is being used or mistreated then makes him feel insulted... especially when his friend uses the word "friend" to excuse and condone the mistreatment.
The singer now beyond the breaking point in the relationship makes the decision that the person being sang to is no longer a friend and ends the friendship... if there ever really was one.
Similar to the saying "with friends like these, who needs enemies?"
Just my thought on the song.
This song, while not necessariy negative, is very sad. It's about when someone in a relationship says "let's just be FRIENDS". He is saying that when his girlfriend said that, that the word friend was as hurtful and insulting as four letter word (aka a swear). Also when he says: "end is the only part of the word, that i heard" he is saying how being friends is unimportant to him, because their relationship has ended. He also hopes that she will change her mind and stop wanting to only be friends and get back together. ("that the words you'll soon be saying might betray the way you feel about me.") Definately one of Cake's best songs, both lyrically and musically.
Disagree with one part. Think the four letter word is "Love". He's saying that when she says "we're just friends" he hears "I love you, don't give up". I think it's about being trapped in that situation where he's driven for a woman mostly because she has hurt his ego. He's just wants her to fix it, and he hears and sees what he wants to instead of what she is portraying. I basically agree with you except the curse part...
Okay I read some of these comments, a lot of them are wrong. This one is totally obvious.
It's a break-up song. And she's giving him the old "but I still want to be friends" line. That's why it's like a swear word to him. I don't know why women can't figure that one out, but it's like adding insult to injury. I can't think of how to dumb down "end is the only part I heard" any more. To him it's just ending, he doesn't exactly see it as gaining a friend.
The other verse is completely obvious too. He's basically saying "I wish you would tell me you love me anyway, even if you don't" ... like he would rather be lied to than have to face the truth.
Anyway. To those who had other ideas... the music gives it away.
It's about a guy who likes a girl, more then likely he loves her. She doesn't feel the same way, she sees their relationship as strictly platonic. Thus him saying "end is the only part of the word that i heard" because she's decided that that's all they'll ever be and he knows he can't just be her friend, it's too hard. "Friend is a four letter word" means she's put a negative stigma on this word that should be positive, but it's not enough for him, and so she's made their friendship tainted in his eyes. Like a consolation prize.
"I'm really only praying that the words you'll soon be saying might betray the way you feel about me." - means that he's just aching for her to say she feels something more for him then friendship. He desperately wants her to change her mind.
I had to listen to this song a few times. And then BAM it all became so clear to me. It's an amazing song. Gotta love cake.
I've always thought that if you spelled it F-R-I-END it makes sense, END being the fourth letter. "end is the only part of the word that I heard". Someone he's pursuing telling him let's just be friends, or one person in a reltionship saying we're better off friends than a couple. that's just how I've always thought it to be.
hey from me comming to you sheep is a five letter word
you're all wrong. if you think about what 4 letter words could come out of friend, clearly the answer is FRED. he's singing this song to his friend fred.
I had a hard time figuring out what this song was about. So i cheated a little and checked thier site when they were still offering Q&A. Its been a few years so i forgot the EXACT word they used, but there is a word to classify vulgar words (provided that they are four letters) not sure what it is, but to the speaker, "friend" is a vulgar FOUR LETTER WORD. This made alot of sense to me.
God Bless CAKE ;)
was the word cunt?
like most cake song, this is best understood visually:
two people sitting at a table, eyeing eachother with all the discomfort of a shared secrets. someone's travel bags sit in a corner, carefully packed, and contributing to the mobid mood.
"i only want to be friends"