If you break these moth wing feelings
Powdering dust on your fingers
Well now were not prayin' we're kneelin'

Hard enough just to say you believe them
Well how the heck did you think you could beat them
At the same time that your trying to be them

Hard enough just to say you don't need it
When they took it up while you were still eating
Well satellite, satellite skin

Just to know, just to say you don't realize it
Well everyone's willing to listen
Oh satellite, satellite skin

You can say what you want your forgiven
Well happy fucking congratulations.
Well everyone, everyone wins

Just like being my own solar system
Doing good things but they totally eclipse them
Oh whats the use, oh what the hell

If you break these moth wing feelings
Butterfly knives in the ceiling
Well everyone, everyone's waiting

Detachments gets praised and completed
You can say what you want and not mean it
Well no one really seems to be waiting

If you sweep up this mess I created
Nothings left to show I existed
Oh satellite, satellite skin

Asking for a question
Was it easier to say then was actually done?
Do you even believe them?
Do you even believe that there's a race to be won?

If you break these moth wing feelings
I have seen it all become satellite skin
Opening some eyes

A knack to know that it's their opinions
Get stacked in all those usual avoided spots
Just to tell you I could not have seen
Through to the gist of those unhappy,
Happy accidents.



Lyrics submitted by AimlessyEating, edited by sheionizes

Track duration: 03:59

"Satellite Skin" as written by Jeremiah Green Johnny Marr

Lyrics © CHRYSALIS MUSIC GROUP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Satellite Skin song meanings
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44 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I love the part when he sings "asking for a question"... i don't know, it hits at the perfect time
    Flag KP3591on April 24, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I disagree with the interpretations of this song as being about religion or drugs. This is a leftover song from the Good News for People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank albums. Those two albums were about the band's relationship with fans. Good News....for People who Love Bad News is for the fans who felt the band had sold out, lost their indie ways of Moon & Antarctica...or even before then. We Were Dead...continuing the story of the band having lost or killed their indie ways before the album had come out. I see this song in the same way, Isaac's reaction to fans turning on him and telling him they loved the band before they became popular.

    I listen to the songs off this album and those two previous albums with this message running throughout.
    Flag mancocapacon October 15, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:'satellite skin' is pretty abstract, and I think it depends on whether you go for the general meaning or the bleepy-bloopy metal ones flying round the earth. Here's my take:

    Human religion has developed countless gods. Gods are almost exclusively believed by most religions to exist in the sky, looking down on us. One of the current environmental concerns at the moment is a glut of artificial satellites stuck in orbit, clogging up the sky. I think this is Isaac saying, tongue in cheek, that if all the gods that humans claimed to exist actually did, then the earth would be looked down on by so many of these godly satellites that they would form a satellite skin around the Earth.

    Hmm, probably not what Isaac meant, but that's one of the best things about Modest Mouse. (P.s.: there is also a moth named the satellite moth. Again, probably unintended?)
    Flag DrBadCaton April 16, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment: I think alot of people try and read too much into MM. half of their songs it seems people think are about drugs. BUT when they do reference drugs its usually direct (see "the good times are killing me" Point is Brock isn't as abstract as alot of people think. I think alot of MM fans make things more than they are because they are somehow like better fans, or they know MM like nobody else for some reason??? Anyway this song is about peoples feelings, satellite skin = sensitive feelings. He references people saying things and people listening several times. Pretty sure he is talking about pop culture and the digital age and how everybody "hears" learns of everything people say and how some people live and die off of what other people say and certain people can say what they want and get away with it (everyones waiting) refers to famous or popular figures. He also says something about the feeling that you aren't significant "you can say what you want and not mean it, when nobody seems to be listening"
    Flag cja75on November 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I believe the Satellite Skin to be religion; something that makes him feel so alienated (hence, satellite) so much that it almost makes it feel like its his skin.

    Moth wing feelings would be the very powerful subjects that turns so quickly into an argument, lost friendship, hatred, and sometimes even wars.

    I'm pretty sure 'powdering dust on your fingures' is referring to gun powder.

    I think the rest is either fairly obvious or already listed in a comment.
    Flag Apcryphaon August 05, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It reminds me of some sort of intervention and how this person he knows takes attention and leaves him with nothing but bad feelings. Am I the only one who gets this feeling from this song?
    Flag jemmaCon May 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I'm pretty sure that when Isaac says:
    "Hard enough just to say you don't need it when they
    Took it up while you were still eating"

    It really says:
    "Hard enough just to say you don't need it when they
    Serve it up oh you will still eat it"

    I don't even remotely hear the word 'took'
    Flag Ningen505on November 15, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i believe this song is like so many other modest mouse songs, and about his thoughts about the ridiculous concept of "god"


    Just like being in my own solar system
    Doing good things but then totally eclipse them
    Oh what the use, oh what the hell

    hes putting himself in the position of god, and saying that his creation of mankind was a "good" thing and were supposed to do his biddings but hes going to destroy the earth anyway so whats the use.

    my thoughts anyway,
    Flag aelingon September 24, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think this song sounds really similar to trailer trash, same kind of melody.
    Flag polythenepamon September 20, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:For those who care to read this interpretation:

    If you break these moth wing feelings
    Powdering dust on your fingers

    This talks about the "fragile" feelings
    For those who have never done it: when you touch a moths wings it sort of breaks down and your fingers get full of dust.

    We know we're not praying we're kneeling
    Hard enough just to say you believe them

    The singer is expressing perhaps the level of commitment they might have already reached... not just hoping for somthing to happen.
    Singer is having trouble thinking that the other person believes the outside influences

    "Well how the heck did you think you could beat them
    At the same time that you're trying to be them"

    How could the other person think that she could continue unaffected by the outside influences if it continues in contact with them?

    Hard enough just to say you don't need it when they
    Took it up while you were still eating
    Well satellite, satellite skin

    The other person knows it wants its relationship but is pushed to saying it doesn't.
    The other participant of the relationship didn't protect its interests
    The "satellite skin" is the how broken up the singer is after what was done

    Just enough just to say you don't mean it
    Well, when everybody's willing to listen
    Oh satellite, satellite skin

    The other person saying that they don't really feel the same for the other person
    This is what others want to listen
    This hurts the singer, sucumbing to peer pressure in such a way

    You can say what you want you're forgiven
    Well happy fucking congratulations

    The singer still loves the other person regardless of what is said, its kind of hard to get mad for long with someone you like.
    Singer is frustrated with this advantage the other person has

    Well everyone, everyone wins
    Just like being in my own solar system

    Sarcastic. Singer doesn't
    Being left alone

    Doing good things but then totally eclipse them
    Oh what's the use, oh what the hell
    (Lost before we had a cause, had a cause)

    Others don't let the singers partner see the good in him
    despair
    Remembering when there was a reason for their feelings

    If you break these moth wing feelings
    Butterfly knives in the ceiling

    If you break this delicate feelings...
    somthing that wasn't supposed to happen (???)

    Well everyone, everyone's waiting
    Detachments get praised and completed

    Sarcastic. The pressure the other person is feeling or has felt
    You, the detachment, will get support

    You can say what you want and not mean it
    When no one really seems to be waiting

    You can always lie, no one will really know. This includes yourself
    But there is no real pressure

    If you sweep up this mess I've created
    Nothing's left to show I existed
    Except satellite, satellite skin

    If you erase my effect on you
    It will be as if i never existed
    except the bits and pieses after you've broken me up

    Asking for a question
    Was it easier said than was actually done?
    Do you even believe that
    Do you even believe that there's a race to be won?

    Did it really satisfy you to cave in??
    Do you really think this is a competition?

    If you break these moth wing feelings
    I have seen it all because satellite skin
    Over innocent eyes

    If you go through with this
    i have seen it all
    because i haven't done anything wrong

    I'd like to know these morbid opinions
    Get stacked in all those usual avoided spots

    I would like to know what they say
    and how you let them build up

    Just to tell you how I could not have seen
    Through to the gist of those unhappy
    Happy accidents

    to point out that i wouldn't have fallen for those things
    and ignored all those experiences we lived through toghether
    Flag Tury77on September 10, 2009   Link

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