Lyric discussion by dannyda1187 

People are reading into the lyrics superficially. Yes its about growing up but thats only part of it. You really need to watch the music video: youtube.com/watch.

The song is actually about bad parenting, esp in the case of a custody battle/divorce and the effects on a childs life and growing up with it. I wouldnt be surprised if members of mgmt had divorced parents. Why? If you read the opening quote by Mark Twain "He who fights with monsters care lest he thereby become a monster" is a reference to bad parents as "monsters" that will eventually reflect unto their children. In the music video we see a careless, narcissistic mother. Notice the father figure is absent and she is living in a very nice house (devorce settlement). In every image society is seen as a monster, because in growing up with your closest family figure as a monster even regular people are now seen as the same. The car seat instead of something comforting is depicted as a cage. "control yourself take only what you need from it" is in references to controlling yourself and not fighting over the child and tearing them apart in the settlement. "A family of trees wanted, to be haunted", in trying to keep the child and have grandchildren, future generations of that family are scarred because the child is scarred in the fighting over him. The child is seen more like an object of possesion just like her phone and devorce-settlement-bought-car. Towards the end is a trip scene...probably a reference to divorce children driven to drugs, in the end the child is seen running to mgmt, a male father figure, or savior who ends up turning into a monster just the same and the child falls into abyss.

its also a recurring theme in MGMT songs, in time to pretend he talks of marrying models having children and then getting divorced. In the music video for kids the mother is a hot model archtype. Coincidence? i think not.

also i forgot to mention notice in the music video the woman's wedding rings are now on her right hand. The first stanza is in reference to parents being selfish: parents in the custody battle only see the things the child can provide for them not thinking of the consequences...

@dannyda1187 the quote is actually from Nietzsche. not sure why they misquoted it in the video. Mark twain was a contemporary of Nietzsche, so he may have repeated it in one of his works at one point. I think its more likely they misquoted for a reason, however. What that reason may be, though, i have no idea

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