Everyone is trying to get to the bar.
The name of the bar, the bar is called Heaven.
The band in Heaven plays my favorite song.
They play it once again, they play it all night long.

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.
Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

There is a party, everyone is there.
Everyone will leave at exactly the same time.
Its hard to imagine that nothing at all
Could be so exciting, and so much fun.

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.
Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

When this kiss is over it will start again.
It will not be any different, it will be exactly the same.
It's hard to imagine that nothing at all
Could be so exciting, could be so much fun.

Heaven is a place where nothing every happens.
Heaven is a place where nothing every happens.



Lyrics submitted by punchyk, edited by IllToast2That

Track duration: 04:01

"Heaven" as written by David/harrison Byrne

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Heaven song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:I agree with lmoso on February 14, 2011.
    In particular it reminds me of the idea of the Omega Point as described by Frank Tipler (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…).

    A wonderful dissection of a concept that has diverted humankind's attention from the problems of here and now for millennia, reinforced by powers with a vested interest in the status quo, and is still hampering progress on a large scale.
    Flag BabaRienon November 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:'There is a party, everyone is there. Everyone will leave at exactly the same time.' This line is (to me) quite obviously about losing people - either through death or being left - because if we all left at the same time there would not be any suffering the pain of those losses.
    Flag tallbrighton July 15, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:I took it to mean and end to monotomy.
    This kiss, this party. They are wonderful, and when they finish, they start right again, and NOTHING CHANGES. No monotomoy, no familiarity, no tiredness or boredom. Still as amazing as the first time.

    Of course, the song itself does sound dysphoric. I feel like I ought to cry. The words are happy (by my understanding of them) but the melodies are sad.
    Flagged carl0son February 18, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:It's not 'happens" it is "hurts", or at least that how I hear it.

    Then the song makes sense
    Flag Dhyansargamon April 20, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Everyone is trying to get to the bar."

    That has two meanings. You have the bar to which you go for a drink, or the bar that you have to reach or pass for success. Think of a high jump or a bar exam.

    I have always thought of this as a very romantic song. When you first start dating someone, every meeting has to have some kind of event tied to it: a movie, dinner, or a show. I remember telling my new girlfriend at the time that I looked forward to doing the boring things with her, where you do not have to dress up, buy tickets, and show off. Times where you can just stay home and watch TV or play cards, and just enjoy each other's company. "Its hard to imagine that nothing at all could be so exciting, could be so much fun." It's like Heaven.




    Flag HuskieJonon March 16, 2011   Link
  • +4
    General Comment:This song is pure sarcasm like a lot of Talking Heads songs. He is making fun of the common idea of Heaven. A place where you live forever and do your favorite things all day long, every day, for eternity. The sarcasm makes us question whether living forever would actually be a reward or if living forever would be torture. David suggests it would be torture or pure boredom and that the promises of Heaven are flawed in the first place. He is telling us that Heaven is an illusion we have created to try and add meaning to our lives but true meaning comes from having a finite existence. If I had to give this song a subtitle it would be "Eternal life isn't quite what it's cracked up to be." (Still sarcastic because he doesn't believe in eternal life in the first place.)
    Flag lmosoon February 14, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I always liked that he compared Heaven to a bar and to a party. Whenever I go to a wild and crazy party or pub, I notice how we all get shit faced and not actually produce anything but joy -or sadness and emptiness. It reminds me of partying and socializing too much and not finding any deeper purpose in life, if there is one; which can leave a person feeling joy in nothing, or not finding joy in anything, or both.
    Flag mbdingoson December 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I didn't fully 'get' this song until I found out that 'Utopia' is (ancient) Greek for 'No place'
    Flag sonnyjdon October 10, 2010   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:I'm pretty sure this is a drug song. He is referring to this place which is full of dreamy bliss. But nothing happens. Its the same kiss over and over again. Its the same bar with the same song. He almost sounds like he doesn't really believe he's in heaven. I've put this together as like a "fake" heaven, like being under the influence of opiates. Everything is dreamy and blissful but nothing really happens.
    Flag fugitiveinkbloton August 13, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment:I agree with Billcot. We have this idea of Heaven being a place where everything is always perfect and fun and great, and so of course everyone wants to go there. But if you were actually at such a place, would it really match up to the hype?

    The joy we find in life doesn't just come from getting the things that we want all the time, it's about overcoming obstacles, and being surprised by new and interesting (and sometimes unpleasant) things. Stripping all the excitement away might be nice for a while, but let's not forget that Heaven is supposed to be for eternity. It's nice when the band plays your favorite song, but what if they played only that song all night long. What if everyone went to the party every night all at the same time, had a good time and then all left at the same time and there was never any drama? What if when your kiss was over it just started again and was exactly the same again and again for all time? I think after a while pretty much anyone would become bored out of their minds. It's hard to imagine how nothing at all could be this much fun.
    Flag nerkboton April 12, 2010   Link

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