Brian Eno – Needle In The Camel's Eye

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Those who know
They don't let it show
They just give you one long glance
And you'll go oh, oh, oh, oh.

Goes to show
How winds blow
The weather's fine
And I feel so, so, so, so, so.

Birds of Prey
With too much to say
Oh what could be my destiny
Another rainy day.

Why ask why
For by the by and by,
All mysteries are just more
Needles in the camel's eye

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Lyrics submitted by knate15

Track duration: 03:09

"Needles in the Camel's Eye" as written by Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Needle In The Camel's Eye song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I would like to point out to everyone including Eno that just because something is written quickly and/or doesn't have any meaning to the author, doesn't mean that it doesn't have meaning. From my experience, sometimes those actually have the most important message.
    Flag syncon April 04, 2013   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:Eno can say whatever he wants about his lyrics, this one seems pretty coherent:
    "Those who know" are like gods or creators (omniscient). They "hide" the purpose or the meaning of life and yet they throw you into life and expect you to put the pieces together and sort it out.
    So the biblical camel will not only have a hard time to get through the needle, he's actually being ****ed over by the powers that be. So nevermind solving the mysteries of the universe, do something else, dont "ask why", don't obey those capricious gods.
    The punk-ish / in-your-face / mocking tune goes along with this sort of easy atheism. It also fits in with Eno's taste for post-modernism and rejection of "big truths" (check out his published diary A Year... on that matter)
    I personnaly think this kind of philosophy is too simplistic, yet it's a great song with a clear message.
    Any thoughts?
    cheers
    Flagged EifLon March 11, 2011   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:the guitar bridge is sublime
    Flag twocenton September 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Well, Eno claims that he wrote this song in less time than it takes to sing it, and since most of the other lyrics on Here Come the Warm Jets were derived from him saying gibberish into a microphone, reversing it, and picking out the more intelligible phrases, I'd say this song doesn't mean a damn thing.
    Flag WildlifeAnalysison July 22, 2008   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:what would we do without our rockstars?!
    Flag GrungyBeatleon November 06, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The title plays off of the parable that it is harder for a rich man to cross through the gates of heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. The painful image of the needle in the eye of the camel is a witty revenge against this, and as Brian Eno is a meta-rocker, I think here he is poking fun at the limitations of conventional morality and humility in favor of a rock and roll lifestyle. Rockers aren't concerned with the why, and the mysteries of existence, just the by and by of fun and pleasure seeking.
    Flag thezpnon April 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:needles in the camel's eye is a goofy combination of the phrases 'needle in a haystack' and 'the straw that broke the camel's back' isnt it???
    Flag InYourMindon March 16, 2007   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:needles in the camel's eye is a goofy combination of the phrases 'needle in a haystack' and 'the straw that broke the camel's back' isnt it???
    Flag InYourMindon March 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:No idea what it means except maybe it's about doing and discovering the impossible. I didn't understand a word of what was being sung until I looked up the lyrics, but it's a totally wonderfully completely brilliant song :D
    Flag Evil Herbivoreon July 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The first song I heard by Eno, and probably favorite.
    Flag knate15on March 15, 2006   Link

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