Nihilists with good imaginations I am satisfied hiding in our friend's apartment Only leaving once a day to buy some groceries Daylight, I'm so absent minded, nighttime meeting new anxieties So am I erasing myself? Hope I'm not erasing myself I guess it would be nice to give my heart to a God But which one, which one do I choose? All the churches filled with losers, psycho or confused I just want to hold the divine in mine And forget, all of the beauty's wasted Let's fall back to earth and do something pleasant, say it We fell back to earth like gravity's bitches, bitches Physics makes us all its bitches I guess it would be nice to help in your escape From patterns your parents designed All the party people dancing for the indie star But he's the worst faker by far in the set I forget, all of the beauty's wasted I guess it would be nice Show me that things can be nice I guess it would be nice Show me that things can be nice You've got my back in the city You've got my back 'cause I don't want to panic You've got my back in the city You've got my back 'cause I don't want to panic



Lyrics submitted by delial

Track duration: 03:25

"Gronlandic Edit" as written by Kevin Barnes

Lyrics © BUG MUSIC

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Gronlandic Edit song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment:"the surrealists were just nihilists with great imaginations"

    this is very important, because it seems to indicate that he's struggling in his artistic endeavors to find some sort of value/quality/beauty.
    Flag AntiGravityTapeson April 23, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Don't know what is better, the viddy or the tune!
    Flag DUFFMANSAYSYESon September 13, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:This is definitely my favorite oM song. This is a good critique of religion and other social institutions of our time.

    Daylight, I'm so absent minded
    Nighttime meeting new anxieties
    ~~Reference to doing psychedelics (shrooms/LSD).

    So am I erasing myself?
    Hope I'm not erasing myself
    ~~Reference to "ego death." (a common effect of psychedelics)

    I guess it would be nice to give my heart to a god
    But which one, which one do I choose?
    All the churches fill with losers, psycho or confused
    I just want to hold the divine in mind
    And forget all of the beauty's wasted
    ~~Reference to the entheogenic aspect of psychedelics (feelings of god or the divine/infinite).

    Let's fall back to earth and do something pleasant
    We fell back to earth like gravity's bitches
    (Physics makes us all its bitches)
    ~~The author was high, now he must come back to reality.

    I guess it would be nice to help in your escape
    From patterns your parents designed
    ~~Reference to the social influence of psychedelics. They make people look past social conventions that "your parents designed."

    All the party people dancing for the indie star
    But he's the worst faker by far
    But in the set, I forget all of the beauty's wasted
    ~~Suggestion of being happy/blissful on stage just as much as when he is on psychedelics.
    Flag janeaparis1on February 22, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i definetly think this song is about him being lost in himself.

    " I guess it would be nice to help in your escape
    From patterns your parents designed
    All the party people dancing for the indie star
    But he's the worst faker by far "

    it's as if he's saying it would be nice to help the kiddies rebel from their parents, but their all looking up to the " worst faker by far ".
    Flag olivewingson July 31, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:All the songs on Hissing Fauna require like, at least 50 listens. So much going on in each one.

    Isn't that a capella song part a Beach Boys melody? Or the Who? I can't place it and it's driving me nuts.
    Flag ExoM7on December 07, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Memory:There is an deep analysis/review I read on Pitchfork which lead me believe this song was about a period in Barnes's life when suffering from a deep depression.
    Drowning in thoughts of over-analysation - which usually accompanies depression as one attempts to rationalise the meaning of their existance when they are irrationally unhappy.
    Interesting a few mentioned antidepressants because around this time Barnes's was
    medicated for his depression and wrote another song about it - "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse."
    Flag kimbobjoneson October 16, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:"Grønland" is both the Norwegian name for Greenland, and the name of a neighborhood in Oslo. I believe he's referring to the latter.
    Flag Cineon October 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:my favorite song on hissing fauna. then its probably heimsdalegate like a promethean curse.
    Physics makes us all its bitches!
    Flag sooperooperdooperon August 04, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I think that this song is about what happens when you fall into depression: you try to get away from everything and everyone and become isolated. The song hints at developing a kind of social anxiety from this isolation.

    "(The surrealists were just)
    Nihilists with good imaginations"

    Great way to start off the song. AWESOME quote. Basically, a nihilist is someone that thinks that values don't exist, but, rather, are falsely invented. Surrealism is an art movement and philosophy, usually associated with the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur. Basically, he's saying that the surrealists are smart enough to be nihilists, just that they have good imaginations.

    "I am satisfied
    Hiding in our friend's apartment
    Only leaving once a day
    To buy some groceries"

    I think that this part is self-explanatory. The character (who could possibly be or be a personification of Kevin Barnes) rarely leaves his home unless necessity calls for it. He's content with doing that and isn't very interested in leaving. This could be a faux contentment, however, as he's probably really depressed but, in terms of keeping his mood stable, he's content with not leaving home that often.

    "Daylight, I'm so absent minded
    Nighttime meeting new anxieties
    So am I erasing myself?
    Hope I'm not erasing myself"

    I think that here he's talking about his sleeping schedule being messed up. During the daytime, he's asleep or (in the off chance that he's awake) he's really "absent-minded". Because of his isolation, he's developing all these phobias, or anxieties. He questions whether or not he's erasing himself because of his lack of contact with the outside world. Will anyone remember him if he keeps going at this rate?

    "I guess it would be nice to give my heart to a god
    But which one, which one do I choose?
    All the churches fill with losers, psycho or confused
    I just want to hold the divine in mind
    And forget all of the beauty's wasted"

    This part may be about a revelation he had as he was depressed. He may have realized that religion is bullshit. He says that he'd give his heart to a God, but has no idea which one he would choose. Everyone who attends the churches he sees as losers who are either crazy or just confused. He expresses his desires to think of a God-like figure, and not forget the beauty that has gone into religion.

    "Let's fall back to earth and do something pleasant
    We fell back to earth like gravity's bitches
    (Physics makes us all its bitches)"

    I think that this portion is talking about trying to make a return to life as it used to be, returning to the outside world, reconnecting with old friends, doing something good instead of sitting alone cooped up in the aforementioned friend's house. However, he "fell back to earth", which I interpret as this backfiring on him. This could mean that his newfound anxieties or phobias may have reared their ugly heads and forced him to return to isolation, or it could mean that he just simply is not in the mood for social interaction. I think this is a major theme of the album, actually.

    "I guess it would be nice to help in your escape
    From patterns your parents designed"

    I see this line as talking to someone, possibly a friend, saying that he wants to help them escape the ideas that parents ingrain into children's minds from birth. Topics like religion, ways to properly act, anything can be interpreted in this.

    "All the party people dancing for the indie star
    But he's the worst faker by far
    But in the set, I forget all of the beauty's wasted"

    This is DEFINITELY about Kevin Barnes. This may be referring to him looking all happy as he's playing, but really he's depressed.

    "I guess it would be nice
    Show me that things can be nice
    I guess it would be nice
    Show me that things can be nice"

    At this point in the song, the character has placed his trust in a friend to "show" him the outside world and, I guess you could say, help him get back into the groove of things.

    "You've got my back in the city
    You've got my back, because I don't want to panic
    You've got my back in the city
    You've got my back, because I don't want to panic"

    Still talking to the friend, here he says that the friend has his "back" in social environments. He doesn't want to panic as he was earlier, so he's placing his trust in his friend to help him out. And that's what friends are for. :)
    Flag octaviusgprimeon July 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:pwnt
    Flag TommyTerroron July 10, 2009   Link

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