Some said the local lake had been enchanted
Others said it must have been the weather
The neighbors were trying to keep it quiet
But I swear that I could hear the laughter
So they jokingly nicknamed it the porridge
Cause overnight that lake had turned as thick as butter
But the local kids would still go swimming, drinking
Saying that to them it doesn't matter

If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you fool

The genius next door was busing tables
Wiping clean the ketchup bottle labels
Getting high and mumbling German fables
Didn't care as long as he was able
To strip his clothes off by the dumpsters
At night while everyone was sleeping
And to wade midway into that porridge
Just him and the secret he was keeping

If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you foolish child

In the morning the film crews start arriving
With donuts, coffee and reporters
The kids were waking up hungover
The neighbors were starting up their cars
The garbageman were emptying the dumpsters
Atheists were praying full of sarcasm
And the genius next door was sleeping
Dreaming that the antidote is orgasm

If you just hold in your breath til you come back up in full
Hold in your breath til you thought it through, you foolish child!


Lyrics submitted by lemonjuice

Genius Next Door Lyrics as written by Regina Spektor

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Genius Next Door song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

86 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm not quiet sure about this thing, maybe a kid who is brilliant and no one sees it: Maybe his father is like "that's for what you've done you foolish boy" and drown him, and his secret is actually his geuineusity (sorry about my spelling P: Im lazy) and maybe it's like what've been said before - a geniues who is alone and can't make the best of himself, maybe he's some kind of trying to be too perfect and the things he's doing in the night is to punish himself for not making something with himself or doing a little mistakes. Yeah I know it's pointless to tell you all of these options but I have another tehory that actually connects but I yet connected everything completely: I think it might have a connection to the holocost - as you know Regina is jew so it actually makes kind of sense + it connects to the German storys. It's like I'm not quiet sure but I guess the kid is german and lives near the gettho or something and so he sees all the children die in the lake by the Germans, and he's like hiding and doing some jobs nearby and keeps the secret when the people come to see as hitler hidden the holocost form the wold. maybe the kid is jew that tricks the germans and like a guineus that work in some stupid jobs and everybody laugths at him when he tells everybody gonna get killed.

    So it doesn't metter which theory we talk about there's one thing in common: In the end he tries to kill himself with a secret .

    fresh123on January 14, 2013   Link

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!