Modest Mouse – Exit Does Not Exist

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Does not exist, take an exit
I hear voices insinuating
Feeds me lyrics to this song that I am saying
Sunlight 7:20 PM, early September
Standing looking at a photograph
That you do not remember being taken
You look out of breath, and me like I am faking
As a matter of fact, I don't recall this photo being taken
You don't even actually exist so I just started shaking
Does not exist, take an exit

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Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Track duration: 04:58


Exit Does Not Exist song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:You guys are all wrong. It's obviously Isaac on meth. Doing meth causes hallucinations of people and even memories that never actually took place. "I hear voices insinuating" Once again meth causes the user to hear voices as if they were in the room.

    The song is describing how his drug addiction is affecting his ability as an artist. The whole song screams meth addict after 4 days of not sleeping. "Sunlight 7:20 pm." Most meth addicts don't go out or are even aware of the day.
    Flag Coquet89on August 17, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:The song is about tripping on diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl. Is it really that difficult of a concept to grasp?
    Flag Gandhoon May 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I always heard it as him looking at a photograph of himself and a loved one who died (= does not exist). take an exit is him trying to will his brain away from it even though he's shaking.
    Flag unishmaltzon April 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Storm&stress is right. spot on.
    Flag betsapp91on June 30, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I feel like he's talking about someone who's dead now.
    Flag ExoM7on June 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I really think that this song is about insanity, particularly paranoid schizophrenia or severe bipolar disorder. I don't think it's about Brock; it's a person who's life is in shambles because they can't keep a grip on reality. Perhaps he's been trying to fix things up and was succeeding but then he finds a photograph with one of his hallucinations in it. It not only reminds him that he's troubled but it terrifies him more because an imaginary person should not be in a real photograph. He found something real and now his hallucinations are mucking that up. He tried to get a way but the exit doesn't exist because his problems are inherent in his existence.
    Flag alexknowzeroon May 24, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I like the lyrics, to be honest. It could be the drugs.
    Flag jemmaCon May 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Just dropped by to say that this song, and probably the whole album even (And for certain Dramamine of course) was influenced by Dramamine. I've taken Dramamine qu

    'Does not exist, take an exit'

    Even in this line I notice you don't hear him say the first word, and a lot of them times the first time I start a sentence after a while of not talking while on it, the first word usually doesn't come out very well, due to respiratory depression while on it.

    'I hear voices insinuating
    Feeds me lyrics to this song that I am saying'

    Yuup, you hear voices almost every time.

    'Sunlight 7:20 PM, early September
    Standing looking at a photograph
    That you do not remember being taken'

    Memory loss is a lot of what the feel of Dramamine is, including not remembering what you are doing, or really just not remembering a whole bunch of stuff.

    'You look out of breath, and me like I am faking'
    Like I said, respiratory depression, it is hard to breath on it.

    'As a matter of fact, I don't recall this photo being taken'

    Again, forgetfulness and repetition from the memory loss.


    'You don't even actually exist so I just started shaking'

    Sometimes as well you WILL see people, or just any assortment of things, while on it. And, for whatever reason, it also calls you to shake (it may be related to blood pressure haha iunno).


    Does not exist, take an exit

    Song name :P.

    Just my take on it.
    Flag MMDramaon November 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about realizing from looking at a picture of himself drunk that he is not real. An "exit does not exist", because he doesn't believe in an afterlife, which means that once you die there is nothing. He then realizes that if there is nothing when you are dead how can there be anything when you are alive, which is why he says "you don't even actually exist". The notion of being self aware or having a sense of "I" or "me" is just an illusion brought on by complex chemical and physical reactions in the brain in order to fill your role in the ecosystem.
    Flag a4abon May 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:*guess


    bahaha
    Flag brockknowsbeston March 11, 2009   Link

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