By the light of the LED display of the VCR recorder
You kiss my neck, I whisper in your ear: this is my downfall
As you squint and you grimace, we both know your heart's not in it

By the glow of a thousand fireflys in a travelodge en-suite
They think the future's bright as halogen, we know it's pretty bleak
And I am trying to be sexy, biting at the air that falls in front of me

Your telegrams are more and more less detailed by the day
And all the characters are strangers and the pubs have different names
I tell a joke, I'd like to meet them but they loathe me and I hate them back

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, fondness makes the absence longer
Length loses my interest, I'm a realist, I'm insatiable
Swapped counting days until I fly, with hours before your reply

You said he got his teeth fixed
I'm gonna break them
I've got a heart on fire
He said he's got his sights set
On getting to you
I've got fist on fire

And you feel terrified at the thought of being left behind
Of losing everybody, the necessity of dying
Oh we kid ourselves there's future in the fucking
But there is no fucking future
I'm just practising my accents, picking at old sutures

I taught myself the only way to vaguely get along in love
Is to like the other slightly less than you get in return
I keep feeling like I'm being undercut

Charlotte says it's more constructive than the one in Canada
When you got drunk, ate loads of crisps
And threw up by a football pitch
I know it is
And really that's what worries me
I feel like I should hurt

You said he's got his teeth fixed
I'm gonna break them
I've got a heart on fire
He said he's got his sights set
I'm getting to you
I've got fist on fire

I cannot emphasise enough that my body
Is a badly designed, poorly put together vessel
Harbouring these diminishing, so called vital organs
Hope my heart goes first
I hope my heart hoes first

We are beautiful
We are doomed


Lyrics submitted by shrodes, edited by Angelireland

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed Lyrics as written by Oliver Briggs Aleksandra Berditchevskaia

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

29 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    Song Meaning

    Here's Gareth talking about the song in an interview..

    TNG: Tell me more about the relationship, it really comes through over the course of “We are Beautiful…” Who is this person that makes you so miserable?

    GC: It was a relationship I never should have gotten into in the first place. I don’t want to be harsh, they’re a lovely person. I have no real hard feelings toward them despite what the record might suggest. They showed an interest in me, I was incredibly flattered. They were very attractive and intelligent and good fun. And then as a result, because I’m pretty emotionally retarded, I entered quickly and it got reasonably intense a lot quicker than any sensible human would let a relationship get. Then I went to America for two months and the way it went when I was away was barely worth existing.

    I’m just thinking about how honest I should be –I want to be honest in what I do–basically there was another person I should have gone out with, but if I had gone out with them would have been very serious. The girl I went out with, she should have been with another guy. I don’t know why we were together, when I discuss it it really does seem pathetic. But that’s the gist of it, the record was just me complaining about her. She’s a little younger than me, and despite her being really intelligent it shows at times. I have to reiterate she’s a lovely and nice person, but not a good girlfriend for me.

    TNG: Do you think she recognized herself in your songs? span>

    GC: Yeah, which is why I don’t understand why she hasn’t spoken to me about it. They they were written before we broke up, partly because I knew we had to break up. I knew that I was a pussy and I wouldn’t have the guts to do it. I knew that by writing these songs it would have to end before the record was released. It was just inevitable. If she has heard it she must appreciate that there’s no malicious intent.

    amyeldr3don May 19, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    one of the best songs on the album in my opinion.

    i love it when gareth screams "I HOPE MY HEART GOES FIRST!"

    kaufman75on September 12, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is about a homosexual relationship that happened between Gareth and Sparky Deathcap, "we are beautiful, we are doomed" - they know that their relationship is beautiful but it is doomed because they're both men. "We kid ourselves there's future in the fucking, but there is not fucking future" They kid themselves into thinking the relationship can continue while having sex, but they know deep down there's no future for them. "we both know your heart's not in it" - Sparky was really reluctant at first, I think he may have been straight when Gareth first made a move on him.

    "You said he got his teeth fixed" is an obvious reference to Sparky's song Berlin Syndrome

    That's just my interpretation of it anyway everyone interprets things differently but I'm pretty sure this is what the song's about.

    kens45on November 19, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm pretty certain it's "we kid ourselves there's future in the fucking", not "kill ourselves"

    tommaytoon September 13, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i love los campesinos! <3

    dinasoaron June 01, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    one of the best songs on the album in my opinion.

    i love it when gareth screams "I HOPE MY HEART GOES FIRST!"

    kaufman75on September 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "By the light of the LED display of the VCR recorder"

    "With the glow of a thousand fireflies In a travelodge en suite Don't think the future's bright as halogen We know it's pretty bleak And I'm trying to be sexy But I emit the air that falls in front of me."

    cherryadeon September 13, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Holy mother of god this stuff is really genius.

    PaperStreeton September 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    how did you get the new album, i thought it wasnt out untill next month?

    amazing song though :)

    stayyoungdieyoungon September 16, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I thought it was... "With the glow of a thousand fireflies In a travelodge en suite They think the future's bright as halogen We know it's pretty bleak" which was talking about them heading towards the light, and inevitably being burnt by it which i guess is an analogy for us might be wrong, but thats what i figured it was when i listened to the song

    Wiz_ldnon September 23, 2008   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!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.