I'm a melancholy man, that's what I am,
All the world surrounds me, and my feet are on the ground.
I'm a very lonely man, doing what I can,
All the world astounds me and I think I understand
That we're going to keep growing, wait and see.

When all the stars are falling down
Into the sea and on the ground,
And angry voices carry on the wind,
A beam of light will fill your head
And you'll remember what's been said
By all the good men this world's ever known.
Another man is what you'll see,
Who looks like you and looks like me,
And yet somehow he will not feel the same,
His life caught up in misery, he doesn't think like you and me,
'Cause he can't see what you and I can see.



Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery

Track duration: 05:45

"Melancholy Man" as written by Mike Pinder

Lyrics © BUG MUSIC

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Melancholy Man song meanings
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15 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think it is about the end of the world. The line about "when all the stars are falling down/ into the sea and on the ground" sounds like a reference to the book of Revelation
    Flag Gimodonon April 13, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:ersonal Favorite
    Food for thought...
    "A beam of light will fill your head" (enlightenment)
    "And you'll remember whats been said by all the good men this worlds ever known" (egregore)
    "cause he can't see what you and i can see." (ORDO AB CHAO)
    what you and i can see or are seeing, is described in the next track balance.

    This entire album is filled with the worlds most weighty themes :)
    Flag Windfieldon January 29, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The song is about someone who thinks that they have the world figured out, like a philosopher, and has based their thought after everything that they have observed in their life. However, he can't see what you and I can see. Love is the answer. The philosopher forgets Love, that's why he is melancholy. His feet are of the ground, he thinks that he is realistic, but he is really being pessimistic.
    Flag Reaper2ron June 07, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Well, I believe that Melancholy Man is actually Pinder himself. THe song has kind of a pacifist feeling to it in my opinion and refers to events at the time, such as the Cold War.

    "That we're going to keep growing, wait and see."
    Hopefully mankind will learn peace and end war, or they will develop new weapons.

    "When all the stars are falling down
    Into the sea and on the ground, "
    Stars = bombs. It's talking about a plane dropping a payload of bombs on innocent targets.

    "And angry voices carry on the wind,"
    When all negotiations fail...

    "A beam of light will fill your head"
    You'll see the flash of a nuclear explosion.

    "And you'll remember what's been said"
    By all the good men this world's ever known. "
    Possibly a reference to Oppenheimer's quotes after reading *Hindu* (In Search of the Lost Chord? Om is a sacred text in Hindu) verses.

    "Another man is what you'll see,
    Who looks like you and looks like me,
    And yet somehow he will not feel the same,
    His life caught up in misery, he doesn't think like you and me, "
    The victims of Hiroshima/Nagasaki who won't ever recover.

    "'Cause he can't see what you and I can see. "
    Because of what man did to him, he has became angry and bitter.
    Flag LolBananaPhoneon May 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:so sad.... reminds me of when I was depressed and when I was slowly realizing there was something wrong with me.


    "I'm a very lonely man, doing what I can, "
    I never really had any real friends when I was depressed, and I struggled throught life, not being able to see the positive aspects of things at all, always seeing the negative, always punishing myself & beating myself down, becoming so emotionally dead that I only felt pain and sorrow, and emptiness.
    Following lines also describe this
    "Another man is what you'll see,
    Who looks like you and looks like me,
    And yet somehow he will not feel the same,
    His life caught up in misery, he doesn't think like you and me,
    'Cause he can't see what you and I can see. "
    Being depressed, I also wondered what made other people so different, so happy? What did they have that I didn't? I figured I was just meant to be this way, that in the game of life there were winners and losers, and I had lost somehow.


    At least, there is hope (just like when one realises what he's feeling is depression, and he might be able to get healthier somehow) :
    "That we're going to keep growing, wait and see. "

    "When all the stars are falling down
    Into the sea and on the ground,
    And angry voices carry on the wind,"
    When everything goes wrong...

    "A beam of light will fill your head
    And you'll remember what's been said
    By all the good men this world's ever known. "
    ...There's still some hope
    Flag AldinTheMadon September 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I first heard a raw recording of this song...and the message was sent home for me. There is something is the raw sound that packs more of a punch. I think this song is about a person on the verge of a suicidal meltdown due to existential reasons, and likely due to personal reasons. I think this is one of mankind's best heartfelt expressions of depression and angst and it is well done. Find the live recording of this song, It will raise the hairs on your neck and arms.

    It's that good.
    Flag OpinionHeadon June 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Change "Another man is what ... you and I can see." into

    Another man is what you'll see,
    Who looks like you and looks like me,
    And yet somehow he will not feel the same:
    His life caught up in misery. He doesn't think like you and me,
    'Cause he can see what you and I can't see.
    Flag koantumon May 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I dont know where you all get off just because the song was made in the age when Drugs were sung about does'nt mean every song is about drugs come on seriously. Try too look past acid and Weed. you know Maybe it is just a good song with ALOT more meaning then Shooting ones self up with drugs
    Flag Felleron March 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i believe that this song starts off fairly straightforward by explaining the characer of the narrator. In my opinion the whole when all the stars are falling down part is tellin us that he dies then the beam of light is like his life flashing before his eyes and he describes watching himself when he was alive and didnt know all the things he knows now

    its an odd interpretation but its my personal opinion so whatever
    Flagged farrellon January 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:A very underrated song of theirs.
    I've always felt the lyrics can be as deep or as face-value as the listener prefers.

    "He can't see, what you and I can see" could mean several things. Perhaps the M-Man can't see the importance of the things everyone else sees. Perhaps he is in fact melancholy because he doesn't see hope or opportunity as others do.

    Perhaps he sees on a different level than the rest of us: He sees face value as we look deeper, or the other way around perhaps.
    Flag Major Valoron August 17, 2006   Link

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