Throw away the radio suitcase
That keeps you awake
Hide the telephone in case, you realize that sometimes you're not okay
You level off but its not all right now
You need to understand
There's nothing strange about this
You need to know your friends
I'll be waving my hand watching you drown
Watching you scream
Quiet or loud
Maybe you should sleep
Maybe you just need a friend
As clumsy as you've been
There's no one laughing
You will be safe in here
Throw away this very old shoelace that tripped you again
Try and shrug it off
It's only skin now
You need to understand
There's nothing fake about this
You need to let me in
I'm watching you



Lyrics submitted by bleary02

Track duration: 04:28

"Clumsy" as written by Maida/lanni

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Clumsy song meanings
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126 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Accidently hit submit.

    I think this song is about having a friend who is in a horrible place in their life. They are busy destroying their life or having it destroyed and Its about reaching out to someone in that situation. When you reach out to someone in this situation its hard for them to reach out from within and get the help they need. They know you wont fully understand and they feel so removed from help that the person help just stands by waving their hands. Just like with these lyrics.

    Also i have noticed as we grow up we notice people like this in our life and I think some of us all go through this feeling. Some react fine, others implode. For whatever reason some people are their worst enemies. How do you end up helping someone who wont realize your help or cant find the will to have you help? Its hard to watch and this person always wants that person to know that they are there and there is a safe place for them to come in from the storms of life.

    I know because I am one of those people. I feel like each year gone by i slip more an more away from the connections of reality and people. I have friends who are concerned with me and yet I cant bother to value my self or anything. I feel like a failure and i feel like i am drowning constantly. Nothing i do is good enough. So how can you help that? You cant.
    Flag ioudason November 26, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about having a friend who is in a horrible place in their life. They are busy destorying their life and Its about reaching out to someone. As we grow up we notice people like this in our life and I think some of us all go through. Some react fine, others imlode. For whatever reason they are their worst enemies. I know because I am one of those people. I feel like each year gone by i slip more an more away from the connections of reality and people. I have friends who are concerned yet I cant bother to value my self or anything.

    Throw away the radio, suitcase keeps you awake
    Hide the telephone, the telephone
    Telephone, in case you realize
    That some days, you're just not okay
    You'll level off, you'll level off, you'll level off

    And it's not alright now
    You need to understand
    There's nothing strange about this
    You need to know your friends
    You need to know that

    I'll be wavin' my hand
    Watching you drown
    Watching you scream
    Quiet or loud

    And maybe you should sleep
    And maybe you just need, a friend
    As clumsy as you've been
    There's no one laughing
    You will be safe in here
    You will be safe in here

    Throw away this very old shoelace
    It tripped you again
    Try and shrug it off, shrug it off, shrug it off

    It's only skin
    Now you need to understand
    There's nothing fake about this
    You need to let me in
    Watching you and

    I'll be waving my hand
    Watching you drown
    Watching you scream
    No one's around

    And maybe you should sleep
    And maybe you just need, a friend
    As clumsy as you've been
    There's no one laughing
    You will be safe in here
    You will be safe in

    I will be waving my hand
    Watching you drown
    Watching you scream
    Quiet or loud

    And maybe you should sleep
    And maybe you just need, a friend
    As clumsy as you've been
    There's no one laughing
    You will be safe in here
    You will be safe in here

    Well, you will be safe in here
    In here, in here
    In here, in here
    In here, in here


    Read more: OUR LADY PEACE - CLUMSY LYRICS
    Flag ioudason November 26, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's a beautiful song. I think the artist is directing the song to a friend who has hit a rough patch in life and doesn't know what to do. It may feel like they are drowning but the artist is letting them know he's there for them, no matter how bad it gets (watching you scream quiet or loud). He might not be able to jump in and save them but he's letting them know he'll stay with them. They don;t have to pretend everything is alright with him or put on a fake smile, they can just be real. Cuz sometimes when we're having a bad day the most important thing is a friend who will just sit beside us and listen.
    Flag laurenleon November 29, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about a victim of abuse. Throwing away the radio and suitcase refers to cutting yourself off from the rest of the world. "Hide the telephone...in case you realize that sometimes you're just not okay" means that the abuser ensures that you can't talk about even if you realize you should. "There's nothing strange about this" is to comfort the victim, saying that it isn't just them and that it happens to a lot of people. I think that "I'll be waving my hand, watching you drown" means that the victim is putting on a brave face and that people think they're happy when their not or think that they're waving when they're really drowning. Needing a friend is obvious and I think that needing a friend "as clumsy as you've been" means someone who's gone through the same thing and can understand; a lot of abuse victims blame their injuries on clumsiness. The very old shoelace perhaps refers to someone or something they've had for a long time that weighs them down, it tripped them again. Shrugging it off would mean that the victim ignores the problem and thinks it's okay. The "he hits me because he loves me" mentality. The victim is shrugging it off because, hey, it's only skin. It'll grow back.
    Flag EgocentricPlasticManon April 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I guess a song like this can easily be interrupted in many ways, first time I heard it with a name like clumsy, a glass being knocked over and drowning, I thought of alcohol abuse....
    Flag UncleChrison March 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is a reference to this poem:
    Stevie Smith - Not Waving But Drowning

    Nobody heard him, the dead man,
    But still he lay moaning:
    I was much further out than you thought
    And not waving but drowning.

    Poor chap, he always loved larking
    And now he's dead
    It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
    They said.

    Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
    (Still the dead one lay moaning)
    I was much too far out all my life
    And not waving but drowning.
    Flag leafonwateron February 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm a recovering heroin addict. Here goes:
    Throw away radio: pawn your shit

    Hide the telephone: people calling constantly to check on you

    You level off: basically just getting high to not go through withdrawal

    Maybe u should sleep: instead of nodding out while your standing up

    As clumsy as you've been: when you're on heroin you're clumsy cuz you're asleep

    Throw away this very old shoelace that tripped you again: we use shoelaces to tie off our arms/double meaning---when you're on heroin you constantly trip over stuff cuz you are not ever fully awake

    It's only skin now: the track marks and bruises

    That's my take. Not every damn song is drug related. But this is a day in the life of a heroin addict. I'd bet money on it. 
    Flag Sunny1976on October 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm a recovering heroin addict. Here goes:
    Throw away radio: pawn your shit

    Hide the telephone: people calling constantly to check on you

    You level off: basically just getting high to not go through withdrawal

    Maybe u should sleep: instead of nodding out while your standing up

    As clumsy as you've been: when you're on heroin you're clumsy cuz you're asleep

    Throw away this very old shoelace that tripped you again: we use shoelaces to tie off our arms/double meaning---when you're on heroin you constantly trip over stuff cuz you are not ever fully awake

    It's only skin now: the track marks and bruises

    That's my take. Not every damn song is drug related. But this is a day in the life of a heroin addict. I'd bet money on it. 
    Flag Sunny1976on October 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it's about someone who has been really hurt by someone or by some people...people who this person thought were good friends. The person was clumsy about who they were putting their trust in. And the song is being sung by someone who really truely cares for this person....there's nothing fake about this....but when he says I'll be waving my hand watching you drown....he is talking about the people who didn't care....people who are secretly jealous of their friends, who pretend like they care but actually love it when bad things happen to their "friend".
    Flag ThinkLargeon August 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I think this song is more from a friends perspective. your friend is trying to hide and has drawn away from his family and friends (throwing away the telephone and the radio). maybe your friends in trouble and you tried to reach out but he wont let you in. Your forced to wave your hand and listen to him scream and watch as he drowns into himself.
    Flag rory177on August 18, 2010   Link

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