Lyrics for Brian Eno as interpreted by afternoontara

Brian Eno Lyrics
So tired
Soul searching
I followed the sounds to a cathredal
imagine my surprise to find that they were produce by Brian Eno

past the gates
quite stark
the roses trimmed and the windows dark
I see the walls through a limestone crack
not red not blue not yellow but black
and all the space left for you
if the sky was synthesized you'd probably know

he taught me many things
the wisdowm of o bleak stratagems
the prophet of a sapphire soul
presented through creative freedoms
and everything i say is true
cuz if i was telling lies it'd probably show

i can tell that he's kind of smiling
but what does he know?
we're always one step behind him, he's Brian Eno
Brian Eno

when I was stuck he'd make me memorize elaborate curses
tinctures and formulas to ditch the chori and flip the verses
my whole foundation came unglued
when i tried to humanize by ambient light
dipping swords in metaphors yeah but what does he know?
he's go the whole world behind him he's Brian Eno
Brian Eno!

he promised pretty worlds and all the silence I could dream of Brian peter George St John Le
Baptiste De La Salle Eno

well all alone by the oldest stone where the shade
trees grow the creature by the water feature with a
ghostly glow making sure that time's preserved
well we reap what we sow he's go the whole
world behind him he's Brian Eno etc. etc.



Add to Mixtape  (view all)




Other Popular Lyrics by MGMT
Song Comments
Kids 456
Time to Pretend 266
Electric Feel 189
Weekend Wars 149
The Handshake 109
Flash Delirium 105
The Youth 90
View All Lyrics


  • Lyric Tags
Earn points by tagging lyrics!


  • 19 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
destroyalltacos
03-21-2010

 Rated  0 
There's a few things wrong with this I think, but the main one I can say with certainty is that it would actually be "the wisdom of oblique stratagems" - look up "Oblique Strategies" on wikipedia and it'll make more sense - they are basically a series of cards with instructions meant to help you along if you get writers block while trying to compose a song.

Log in to reply
1 Reply  ·  Lyric Correction
MilkForWhales
03-22-2010

 Rated  +5 
Let it be known that I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG.

Log in to reply
2 Replies  ·  General Comment
A_Raging_Bull
03-22-2010

 Rated  0 
It also acts as a great follow up to epic nature of 'Siberian Breaks'. It has an inherently happy quality to it.

Log in to reply
1 Reply  ·  General Comment
undErneeth
03-31-2010

 Rated  0 
i think maybe they were inspired by Brian Eno's way of composing ambient music well not just ambient he did other types like glam rock etc

Log in to reply
General Comment
kerrigwen
04-05-2010

 Rated  +2 
This, to me, is the funnest song on Congratulations. I see a bunch of madmen having fun, bothering people, poking out from behind this thing or that with wild hair, and guys that have lost their marbles just having gleeful fun and no one else knows what they're laughing at, but their good mood is still infectious.

p.s. I think it was NME that had their recent MGMT cover story sub-titled, "Their Madcap Return!" - and 'madcap' totally made me think of this one song. =) If they make a video for this song - and they indicated that's the plan - it'd be perfect to have them both in the outfits they wore on that NME cover. Maybe with funny hats.

One step behind Brian Eno. <3

Log in to reply
General Comment
amaniw
04-05-2010

 Rated  +1 
QUOTE (Andrew): "It's kind of a vampire-punk-rock song about finding Brian Eno in like a cathedral in Transylvania. He's like a dark wizard."
I read too that at the end of the song he ran away from the cathedral into the forest.

It kinda makes sense if you read the lyrics after him saying that lol. Awesome song, awesome lyrics

Log in to reply
General Comment
Yeahbrandon
04-11-2010

 Rated  0 
Who the he'll is Brian Eno?! I don't get this song at all.

Log in to reply
4 Replies  ·  General Comment
modernr0ck
04-22-2010

 Rated  0 
Brian Eno pioneered ambient music and helped MGMT with this album so they made a song about him. This is a pretty literal song, there are some parts I dont understand but coming here and checking the lyrics has helped.

Log in to reply
Song Meaning
CravenImages
05-02-2010

 Rated  +1 
What this song means to me is that I have found a new band that I can listen to with my teenage and 20-something friends and not be biting my tongue the whole time, worried that an honest appraisal or, God forbid, a petulant facial expression might slip out between my strained foot tapping and insincere smiling.

I do so very much love the youth of today, and with all the crap they have to put up with in the hellscape of a world we people over 40 have created or allowed to be created while we stood by and did nothing, I don't want to begrudge them a moment of joy with what passes for talent in the music industry these days.

MGMT, on the other hand, makes the unbridled mockery that I would perpetrate against so many of today's pop-punk and whine-rock bands so very very justifiable.

With this song alone, MGMT has shown what can be done when a group of insightful, lucid, yet mildly mentally unstable young people come together to make a joyful noise unto the world.

Brian Eno was a legend even when I was a kid, and his legend will grow, amplify and reverberate even more as time goes on. His resonance in the annals of musical history will echo through the chambers of time.

I agree with every positive comment I have read so far about this song, especially those of "modernRock" that this is a quite literal song (perhaps a pun, since it could mean both that it expresses musical literacy as well as lyrics that mean exactly what they say on the surface) and, perhaps ironically, "Yeahbrandon" who quite innocently admits that he doesn't know who Brian Eno is. Aside from what we know on a historical level, what do we REALLY KNOW about this genius? The question Brandon asks is more profound than he might know. His question will undoubtedly continue to be asked for many decades, if not centuries, to come. MGMT does a great service to today's youth by raising the question with this tribute to this great man.

Also, I think I have a huge man crush on Andrew VanWyngarden. He's half my age, but I want him to feed me milk from a bottle and sing me to sleep in his arms. OMFG, did I just say that?!?

Log in to reply
3 Replies  ·  My Opinion
lxyt
05-18-2010

 Rated  -1 
haha in the first verse i heard "imagine my surprise to find that they were for douchebag Brian Eno" glad i was wrong.

Log in to reply
1 Reply  ·  General Comment
silversunlove
05-29-2010

 Rated  0 
cool cool, yes?

Log in to reply
General Comment
AndrewScottYoung
05-30-2010

 Rated  0 
"So tired
Soul searching"

love how the first lines makes reference to Siberian Breaks

doesn't it say "you could see him plant a forest, 'cause I don't know" at some point near the end of the song?

Log in to reply
My Interpretation
SeanJohn
06-19-2010

 Rated  +4 
I think this song might be about Brian Eno.

Log in to reply
General Comment
provethatIexist
07-11-2010

 Rated  +1 
nahhhhh, definitely not about Brian Eno.

Log in to reply
General Comment
DrakelikesNachos
09-15-2010

 Rated  0 
I love this whole song but 3:30 on!

It's like a manic breakdown. I love it.

Log in to reply
General Comment
ruanaidh
10-24-2010

 Rated  0 
"So tired
Soul searching
I followed the sounds to a cathedral
imagine my surprise to find that they were produce by Brian Eno"

goes ('followed sounds') expecting to find deeper meaning, reasoning, substance, etc., etc., ('soul searching') in religion ('cathedral'), instead realises that it's found in music ('Brian Eno'). I love these lyrics. shows how you can find all the important things and meaning to life through listening music, not just in church.

Log in to reply
General Comment
obedgloria
11-08-2010

 Rated  0 
ok well it has literal meaning and also figurative meaning.....first off its because brian eno is a big influence hes been around since the 70's and stuff and hes been producing for bands like U2 and Coldplay and release alot seriously alot of fu--ing albums solo and he is a musical genious...he probably did produce the beats for brian eno and maybe more of the album i wouldnt be surprised but anyways yeah i think they were explaining or trying to explain the music theory he made and all about his philosophy or somthing like that because it has alot of lyrics that just seem literal like "when I was stuck he'd make me memorize elaborate curses
tinctures and formulas to ditch the chori and flip the verses
my whole foundation came unglued
when i tried to humanize by ambient light
dipping swords in metaphors yeah but what does he know?
he's go the whole world behind him he's Brian Eno
Brian Eno!" hence the sentence "when i tried to humanize by ambient light
dipping swords in metaphors yeah but what does he know?" well that has alot to do with his music theory so yea

Log in to reply
My Interpretation
lulabepop
06-15-2011

 Rated  0 
I've always considered this as a humorous song. Like "Lalala I was just walking in the forest then I heard sounds and they lead me to a cathedral and guess what. they were produced by Brian Eno! Haha, after all, what can be more common for sounds you hear in the forest?" Dunno, i always laughed at this part.
It also shows in a funny way how Eno is such a great reference, and no matter you're always, well, one step behind them.
Anyway really cool song.

Log in to reply
General Comment
AnotherSamie
01-22-2012

 Rated  0 
Is this about joining a cult?
Love it anyway<3

Log in to reply
General Comment




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.







Your Ad Here