How do, how do you do?
My name is you

Flies, they all gather around me and you too
You can't see anything well

You ask me what size it is, not what I sell
The flies, they all gather around me and you too
I don't want you to be alone down there
To be alone down there, to be alone

The Devil's apprentice he gave me some credit
He fed me a line and I'll probably regret it
I don't want you to be alone down there
To be alone down there, to be alone
Ah.

I don't want you to be alone down there
To be alone down there, to be alone



Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Track duration: 02:22

"Alone Down There" as written by Isaac Brock, Eric Judy, Jeremiah Green

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Alone Down There song meanings
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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I feel like this song is about somebody's inner struggle and conversations with themselves. The eerie atmosphere and way Isaac sings at the beginning, to me, seem like someone hearing voices or talking to themselves. I view it as a person's relationship between their mind and body. Sometimes our minds feel so detached it's like we're watching ourselves from outside our body. As the "flies gather" around this person-suggesting he is dying or being slowly broken- the mind is helpless to watch as the body decays and dies. Our bodies are always slowly getting older and wearing away, and there is nothing we can do to intervene. The mind pities the body and wishes it had the capabilities to help out, saying "I don't want you to be alone down there". Some people are so desperate to stop this process that they wish they could make a pact with the devil for eternal life or something of the sort.

    I may be looking a little deep in to this, but that's my two cents.
    Flag FishHead56on November 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"you ask me what size it is, not what I sell" - To me, this is not necessarily metaphor, but could be an attempt to communicate imagery. Picture a street vender selling watches from a trenchcoat. static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/… Then picture a trenchcoat flasher. media-files.gather.com/images/d380/d33/d746/d224/d96/f3/…

    The line = A suspicious guy wearing a trenchcoat is approached by a woman who asks "how big is it?" as opposed to "do you have any good deals."
    Flag neftalinerudaon March 07, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i read that the whole album Moon & Antartica was written after a schizophrenic man they met on tour and the first thing he said to them was, "Hello, My name is Isaac Brock" which is where I would think the first line of this song comes from. i also read, that the man sent them letters never leaving an address so they could write back. they had to change some of the things he said a little bit so they wouldn't get into trouble with copyright. the letters he sent were just ramblings of different things like questioning his existence and so on. that's why the album has such a dark sound.
    Flag duhitsdeedson February 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think this song is about suicide due to:

    "my name is you"
    soulmates. he's saying that they are both the same person.

    "you can't see anything well"
    the other person is dead.

    "the flies they all gather around me and you too"
    the other person is dead. and the singer feels he is dead too, because he equates himself with the deceased person.

    "devils apprentice game me some credit. fed me a line.. probs regret it"
    i see this as representative of the protagonist recognising the option of suicide. the "line" is basically his thought process pitching him the option of suicide to achieve his goal of re-establishing his equilibrium with the deceased. "credit" may be that he feels he sold his soul to the devil (possibly in relation to the relationship with the deceased), and so he now owes himself to hell anyway.

    "i don't want you to be alone down there"
    if you've read everything else i wrote, i think this one is self explanatory :) but i will note that he says "down there" not "up there". and he has referred to the devil specifically already.

    so yeah, pretty sure it's about reuniting/reunifying with his partner, in hell or at least in death.
    Flag robotfoodon January 06, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:Surely (as has already been said by a few people) this is about a deal with the devil?

    More specifically, I think it's a retelling of the Faust myth: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…

    from wikipedia:
    Faust is bored and disappointed. He decides to call on the Devil for further knowledge and magic powers with which to indulge all the pleasure and knowledge of the world. In response, the Devil's representative, Mephistopheles, appears. He makes a bargain with Faust: Mephistopheles will serve Faust with his magic powers for a term of years, but at the end of the term, the devil will claim Faust's soul and Faust will be eternally damned.
    During the term of the bargain, Faust makes use of Mephistopheles in various ways. In many versions of the story, particularly Goethe's drama, Mephistopheles helps him to seduce a beautiful and innocent girl, usually named Gretchen, whose life is ultimately destroyed.
    Flag luciatwothreefouron November 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:annie516's interpretation that this is Isaac Brock singing about his dick made my day.

    And if Isaac Brock actually happened to read it I bet he'd come out and say "Dude, you should write my songs for me."
    Flag Sehnsuchton July 05, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:"How do you do, my name is you" really kind of is a pretty lame lyric.

    I take it as someone who's trying to urge someone out of a horrible situation - Depression or something. Kind of like they're trying to save someone, but not quite, because the 'savior' is as bad off as the 'saved'.

    Also might be about changing your worldview to match that of those around you, what with the references to the devil - There was an interview with Isaac that mentioned he was interested in the whole idea of Satan tempting people into thinking he's God (therefore making God the devil).

    Instrumentally it's pretty awesome - Doesn't really sound that much like Modest Mouse.
    Flag Atno000on June 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've always thought it was about someone following someone else into hell or something. "The Devil's apprentice... fed me a line and I'll probly regret it; but I dont' want you to be alone down there..."
    Just my two cents.
    Flag lunchboxturtleon October 20, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the meaning of this song is that, when you are becomeing a christain (idk what there religious views are but still) and you know that you won't remeber people u loved if they went to hell, but you feel bad on this earth about maybe the people u love who might not be christains. and they are saying "I don't want you to be alone in hell." and since you don't want that u might get pulled away from God cause you don't want them to be alone, and the devil pulls you away. and when you get into hell u'll regret, and thats why they say "i'll probably regret it"

    maybe thats what it means and thats what is kinda meaning to me, this is my favorite Modest Mouse song.
    Flag AND369on September 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ok, this song is MY FAVORITE MODEST MOUSE SONG!!
    Flag AND369on September 30, 2010   Link

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