Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Little black submarines
Operator, please
Put me back on the line
Told my girl I'd be back
Operator, please
This is wreckin' my mind
Oh, can it be?
The voices calling me
They get lost and out of time
I should've seen it glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
Pick you up, let you down
When I wanna go
To a place I can hide
You know me, I had plans
But they just disappeared
To the back of my mind
Oh, can it be?
The voices calling me
They get lost and out of time
I should've seen it glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
Treasure maps, fallen trees
Operator, please
Call me back when it's time
Stolen friends and disease
Operator, please
Patch me back to my mind
Oh, can it be?
The voices calling me
They get lost and out of time
I should've seen it glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
Operator, please
Put me back on the line
Told my girl I'd be back
Operator, please
This is wreckin' my mind
Oh, can it be?
The voices calling me
They get lost and out of time
I should've seen it glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
Pick you up, let you down
When I wanna go
To a place I can hide
You know me, I had plans
But they just disappeared
To the back of my mind
Oh, can it be?
The voices calling me
They get lost and out of time
I should've seen it glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
Treasure maps, fallen trees
Operator, please
Call me back when it's time
Stolen friends and disease
Operator, please
Patch me back to my mind
Oh, can it be?
The voices calling me
They get lost and out of time
I should've seen it glow
But everybody knows
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
That a broken heart is blind
Lyrics submitted by skatterbraind
Little Black Submarines Lyrics as written by Daniel Quine Auerbach Brian Joseph Burton
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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.
Actually, while those are cool ideas, it is about depression. Little black submarines being dark thoughts that drag you under the sea of depression. I've lived this, so I know it. He told his girl he'd be back, but his mind is being wrecked by the dark thoughts, even though he wishes to be reconnected with reality and happiness and do right by her. Later it says "you know me, I had plans, but they just disappeared, to the back of my mind." Obviously because he had darker thoughts on his mind, such as stolen friends, and disease (most likely cancer took friends of his.) I could go deeper and do a blow by blow but I think you get my drift. Oh I will say though you were right about the "I should have seen it glow, but everybody knows, that a broken heart is blind" part. He should have seen the warning signs, but didn't because he was so deep in his depression. Also I think the overall gist of the song is that he let his girl down and lost her, much to his own dismay, because of this horrible depression he couldn't break. Sorry for being so redundant. Hope this helped some to understand, because I think he put it very artfully, much as I have myself in the past.
You could've left out the "much as I have myself in the past" from your synopsis. It makes you sound arrogant. Up until that point you sounded very bright and kind, but that last line is off. I do that too, though. Anyway, I like what you wrote. You should dig deeper. I'd read it. Unless you don't have the time. Otherwise, never give up an opportunity to dig as deep as you can: it's amazing what you find and what you can create. Maybe you already know this, though.
Instant classic.
I think the operator metaphor is about feeling disconnected with who you want to be with. The titke, little black submarines, is about how he feels in his head like he's inside a submarine and can't get out of inside of it. He hides there sometimes when things get tough and disconnects himself from reality.
I believe that this song illustrates the want to find love again, but is lost in his past love(his heartbreak) that he can't get back to the reality that there is love right in front of him.
like seeing the glow(new love), but his broken heart blinds him
@beanskimo has always been this to me yet i dont know why it reminds me of something but def reflects a time that will never leave me sadly and changed me forever....
I think this song is about a man who is either in some kind of coma or drug over dose drying to get back to his love and family again. ... Just hear me out.
Little black submarines Operator please -- I believe this is an analogy for god Put me back on the line -- consciousness Told my girl I’d be back -- Love Operator please -- God This is wreckin my mind Oh can it be The voices calling me -- Friends or family They get lost And out of time -- He can't really sense them or how to get where the voices are coming from I should’ve seen it glow -- What he was looking for But everybody knows That a broken heart is blind That a broken heart is blind Pick you up, let you down When I wanna go To a place I can hide --- This and the above are the drugs or whatever happened to get him into this state -- You know me, I had plans But they just disappeared To the back of my mind -- He had given up when this OD or accident happened Oh can it be The voices calling me -- Friend or family They get lost And out of time -- He can't really sense them or how to get where the voices are coming from I should’ve seen a glow -- What he's looking for But everybody knows That a broken heart is blind That a broken heart is blind Treasure maps fallen trees -- His mind Operator please -- God Call me back when it’s time -- Accepting his fate Stolen friends and disease -- Accepting his fate Operator please -- God Patch me back to my mind -- Make him conscious Oh can it be The voices calling me -- Friends and family They get lost And out of time -- He can't really sense them or how to get where the voices are coming from I should’ve seen a glow -- What he was looking for But everybody knows That a broken heart is blind That a broken heart is blind That a broken heart is blind
Sounds to me like it's just about being disconnected from yourself and the rest of the world... depression and negative emotions.. can't hear your friends and loved ones calling for you because your mind is on autopilot... themes of addiction and denial and out of control behavior covering up the pain of a broken heart which could range anywhere from romantic love to just disillusionment with life... anything more specific than that is conjecture. Great song..
"Little Black Submarines"
Little black submarines (perhaps some sort of delusion) Operator please (This could be talking about God, the "Operator" who tells you where to go.) Put me back on the line ("Give me some sense of direction -- I'm drifting.") Told my girl I'd be back (I really can't speak on girlfriends... I skip this line) Operator please This is wreckin' my mind ("I'm going crazy.")
Oh can it be The voices calling me (Someone who isolates themselves from others may think he hears "voices" or may actually be more sensitive than others, and so really DOES hear voices. Maybe this person is hypersensitive to others' emotions. Or, this could be the push and pull of our own good and evil intentions and choices.) They get lost And out of time (After all of that, things just get messed up and I lose track of time = depression, definitely.) I should've seen it glow But everybody knows That a broken heart is blind (You really can't trust yourself when you're in love. Sometimes it's more like obsession than love. Love is complex, so you can't trust yourself to make the right choice if you are that overwhelmed. Sometimes you gotta just wait it out 'til you get better... if you get better.) That a broken heart is blind
Pick you up, let you down (Ups and downs in life, some kind of tumultuous happening, either mental or part of his environment) When I wanna go To a place I can hide (He is now very reclusive -- he's in pain) You know me, I had plans But they just disappeared (Kind of like saying, "Fuck it." I lost the girl, why care about the future. Now that she's gone, who cares about the future?)
To the back of my mind (I'm more focused on my situation than on my plans for the future.) Oh can it be The voices calling me They get lost And out of time I should've seen a glow But everybody knows That a broken heart is blind That a broken heart is blind
Treasure maps, fallen trees (Childhood thoughts or ambitions, and then shattered dreams as one grows up, or perhaps personal failures and fumbles... the good and the bad.) Operator please Call me back when it's time (Ok, God, let me know when you need me to move on. Otherwise, I'm just going to wallow in my self-destructive pattern of thought and action.) Stolen friends and disease (Friends betrayed him, and he's lost dear ones to disease: physical, mental, spiritual... people change.) Operator please Patch me back to my mind (Make me sane again.)
Oh can it be The voices calling me They get lost And out of time I should've seen a glow But everybody knows That a broken heart is blind That a broken heart is blind That a broken heart is blind
Hi, I want to help you to treat your wounds. <br /> <br /> This girl, she saw your sorrow, but she doesn't know how to make you feel right. Her situation isn't way better than yours. <br /> <br /> You shouldn't forget about your ambitions and all of the rest, when someone cares about an other, he or she wishes him or her the best. <br /> <br /> She might very sorry about what your going throw. Verry sorry because she understands, she is living just the same.<br /> <br /> She is maybe also way more sensitive than the others (she might barely live with this kind of feelings, she might be depressed as well - she might live in a sort of hell, waiting for God to release her) and I think that she felt your love, but your situation looks very complex as much than her's and she really don't know anymore how to do, she's afraid to do him wrong at anytime. But this scream that you just push will make her understand that you need here attentive behavior back (maybe she tries to be by his side in her own way, maybe different than in the past). <br /> <br /> I think that what both of you are living is a difficult and complex situation to live with and that both of you share a love (or an obsession - I share your point of view about love) and a situation, with the same way of seeing things. She also told herself to fuck everything around her (and she won't listen to the other advices, even though there's a few - who would believe her story?). She's desperately waiting. <br /> <br /> But she heard you and her love is still true.
MOVE ON, you can't afford this. Live your life peacefully, be happy with your dear ones. I'm pretty sure you don't even know her. If it's easier for you hate her, judge her, or whatever. But don't feel any guilt. She just can't stand to hurt someone that much. MOVE ON with no fear. You'll be much happier without her.
First time I heard this song, I wondered to myself, "I can't believe I'm listening to a song so amazing in 2011." Instant classic nonetheless.
I think the operator metaphor is about feeling disconnected with who you want to be with. The titke, little black submarines, is about how he feels in his head like he's inside a submarine and can't get out of inside of it. He hides there sometimes when things get tough and disconnects himself from reality.
to take it a step further, Jim Croce (a MILLION years ago) "Operator" is what this song hearkens to me. The "little black submarine" is like an old school pay phone or even older school home phone, when you had to have an operator assist making the call. Even fast forwarding to "The Wall" with Bob Geldof trying to re-connect with a lost love. To me, the phone is the "little black submarine" the operator is the navigator. Just an opinion. It fits with the disconnection. You can be on this black phone in a public place and still be completely isolated from the world when you are cut off from yourself and the one you want.
Y'all missed something good. Those operators were real live human beings, and usually very friendly females. Nowadays we get automated messages and what seems like a million buttons to push before we get where we want to get (in a company, for example). Jim Croce's music touched people due to its connection with human emotions. This particular song is excellent, although I never would have come up with everyone's interpretion of it.
Yeah, the basic gist of the song is being unfortunately disconnected from the world or just a group of people, I think we've all felt like an outcast in our lives so this song really can relate to a lot of people, including me.
The first part reminds me a little of Dust in the Wind and the second part reminds me of Mary Jane's Last Dance. Not knocking the Black Keys or El Camino, but a lot of the album sounds ripped from the 70s/80s. Then again, what would the kids today know about those decades other than disco/hairmetal so it's new to them.
Anyway, it's a good song, I think that little black submarines are a metaphor for the things in life that get us off track and can ultimately destroy us. Things that we either don't see coming or lying in wait beneath the surface(ie: submarine can mean to sink from under the surface).
The last sentence of your first paragraph makes you sound like a cranky old man. It was actually the kids walking around with Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, and Dead Kennedys shirts that bothered me the most in high school. They were entirely too pretentious. I think anyone with a brain knows that very little in music today is going to be unique or original, but that's not really the point; the point of making music today is to make something that is unique and personal to the musician. If it comes from an authentic place to the musician, it just might resonate with an audience. And I don't think The Black Keys have ever claimed that their music is not a blend of various genres/bands/time periods in music. A lot of early Black Keys is very bluesy, but a lot of classic rock artists took cues from traditional blues artists. Everybody is going to sound like everybody else.