I seem to have a different interpretation than most people so here's my two cents:
Don't do love, don't do friends
I'm only after success
Don't need a relationship
I'll never soften my grip
Don't want cash, don't want car
Want it fast, want it hard
Don't need money, don't need fame
I just want to make a change
I just wanna change[...]
Unlike many others I do not see this song as being about a misguided pursuit of success. I feel that Oh no! is about personal growth and mastery. The subject is eschewing romantic relationships or focusing their life around friendships so that they can pursue mastery. This makes sense in the context of many creative arts such as writing, singing, acting, performing, dancing, painting, etc. in which it is next to impossible to start a career without a high degree of proficiency. (Note that it's not that the subject doesn't have or want friends, just that it's not a priority.) The 2nd stanza further suggests the song is about personal growth and fulfillment by denying external rewards (fame, cars, money...) as motivating factors.
I know exactly what I want and who I want to be
I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine
I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy
Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no
The subject knows what they want (mastery and/or fulfillment) and who they want to be as a person but their life circumstances or lack of experience are preventing them from realizing their desire. The subject 'walk[s] and talk[s] like a machine' because they are in survival mode. They are stuck waiting, trying to reach a point where they can get one step closer to their goal. The self-fulfilling prophecy might refer to the subject believing they are destined for greatness, or at least telling other people they are, even if they don't believe it themselves, all while continuing to work toward that goal.
One track mind, one track heart
If I fail, I'll fall apart
Maybe it is all a test
'Cause I feel like I'm the worst
So I always act like I'm the best
The subject affirms (as suggested earlier in the song) that they are singularly focused on the pursuit of their goal. Their circumstances and barriers to their success feel like a test. Despite their best efforts, as with most creative endeavors, the subject experiences intense feelings of self-doubt and questions whether they are even capable of success while pushing forward and putting on a strong front.
If you are not very careful
Your possessions will possess you
TV taught me how to feel
Now real life has no appeal
It has no appeal[...]
Possessions require time and money. If you aren't careful possessions can easily become huge time and money sinks (movies, games, collections, luxury goods) and they can tie you to a place. Having fewer possessions makes it easier to move and travel. If you own a house or a lot of stuff it's very easy to let your desire to keep your possessions influence your decisions. All of which relates to opportunities or detract focus on pursuing the subject's goals. 'TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal' I take to mean that TV is either serving as a means of escapism or that witnessing others who had accomplished their goals has made the subject's life feel bland by comparison.
The final unique stanza presents a make or break mentality. Either the subject will succeed and feel as though they have been set free, or failure will crush their spirit since the subject has devoted so much of their life to pursuing their goal that it has become their identity. Failure would essentially = the death of their identity. The final repeating chorus line kind of reaffirms the subject's current situation at the time of the song, knowing where they want to go but not yet being able to reach it. The "oh no" part of the chorus could be a lament of the subject's current situation. Alternatively if the self-fulfilling prophecy is reversed so to speak, as in "I'm never going to make it" the repeating "Oh no" also makes sense.
@fatalerrer an exceptionally good interpretation. But I think that there's a mix of different meaning behind it. It's easy to see that if all of the interpretations written here were combined it would still make sense. It's a lot of things at the time time and that's exactly the reason why the song sounds so emotional and complicated.
A lot of songs and media in general are like that nowadays. Because they want to reach as big audience as possible. But a lot of them are just bad because of it. They feel very vague and cheap. But this song is...
@fatalerrer an exceptionally good interpretation. But I think that there's a mix of different meaning behind it. It's easy to see that if all of the interpretations written here were combined it would still make sense. It's a lot of things at the time time and that's exactly the reason why the song sounds so emotional and complicated.
A lot of songs and media in general are like that nowadays. Because they want to reach as big audience as possible. But a lot of them are just bad because of it. They feel very vague and cheap. But this song is different. It's the way it should be done. Or maybe I'm wrong and it's all about finding something to relate to and I happened to like this song because I can relate in some way.
I seem to have a different interpretation than most people so here's my two cents:
Don't do love, don't do friends I'm only after success Don't need a relationship I'll never soften my grip
Don't want cash, don't want car Want it fast, want it hard Don't need money, don't need fame I just want to make a change I just wanna change[...]
Unlike many others I do not see this song as being about a misguided pursuit of success. I feel that Oh no! is about personal growth and mastery. The subject is eschewing romantic relationships or focusing their life around friendships so that they can pursue mastery. This makes sense in the context of many creative arts such as writing, singing, acting, performing, dancing, painting, etc. in which it is next to impossible to start a career without a high degree of proficiency. (Note that it's not that the subject doesn't have or want friends, just that it's not a priority.) The 2nd stanza further suggests the song is about personal growth and fulfillment by denying external rewards (fame, cars, money...) as motivating factors.
I know exactly what I want and who I want to be I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no
The subject knows what they want (mastery and/or fulfillment) and who they want to be as a person but their life circumstances or lack of experience are preventing them from realizing their desire. The subject 'walk[s] and talk[s] like a machine' because they are in survival mode. They are stuck waiting, trying to reach a point where they can get one step closer to their goal. The self-fulfilling prophecy might refer to the subject believing they are destined for greatness, or at least telling other people they are, even if they don't believe it themselves, all while continuing to work toward that goal.
One track mind, one track heart If I fail, I'll fall apart Maybe it is all a test 'Cause I feel like I'm the worst So I always act like I'm the best
The subject affirms (as suggested earlier in the song) that they are singularly focused on the pursuit of their goal. Their circumstances and barriers to their success feel like a test. Despite their best efforts, as with most creative endeavors, the subject experiences intense feelings of self-doubt and questions whether they are even capable of success while pushing forward and putting on a strong front.
If you are not very careful Your possessions will possess you TV taught me how to feel Now real life has no appeal It has no appeal[...]
Possessions require time and money. If you aren't careful possessions can easily become huge time and money sinks (movies, games, collections, luxury goods) and they can tie you to a place. Having fewer possessions makes it easier to move and travel. If you own a house or a lot of stuff it's very easy to let your desire to keep your possessions influence your decisions. All of which relates to opportunities or detract focus on pursuing the subject's goals. 'TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal' I take to mean that TV is either serving as a means of escapism or that witnessing others who had accomplished their goals has made the subject's life feel bland by comparison.
I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly, I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly I'm gonna fail, gonna die, die, die, die
The final unique stanza presents a make or break mentality. Either the subject will succeed and feel as though they have been set free, or failure will crush their spirit since the subject has devoted so much of their life to pursuing their goal that it has become their identity. Failure would essentially = the death of their identity. The final repeating chorus line kind of reaffirms the subject's current situation at the time of the song, knowing where they want to go but not yet being able to reach it. The "oh no" part of the chorus could be a lament of the subject's current situation. Alternatively if the self-fulfilling prophecy is reversed so to speak, as in "I'm never going to make it" the repeating "Oh no" also makes sense.
Thoughts?
@fatalerrer an exceptionally good interpretation. But I think that there's a mix of different meaning behind it. It's easy to see that if all of the interpretations written here were combined it would still make sense. It's a lot of things at the time time and that's exactly the reason why the song sounds so emotional and complicated. A lot of songs and media in general are like that nowadays. Because they want to reach as big audience as possible. But a lot of them are just bad because of it. They feel very vague and cheap. But this song is...
@fatalerrer an exceptionally good interpretation. But I think that there's a mix of different meaning behind it. It's easy to see that if all of the interpretations written here were combined it would still make sense. It's a lot of things at the time time and that's exactly the reason why the song sounds so emotional and complicated. A lot of songs and media in general are like that nowadays. Because they want to reach as big audience as possible. But a lot of them are just bad because of it. They feel very vague and cheap. But this song is different. It's the way it should be done. Or maybe I'm wrong and it's all about finding something to relate to and I happened to like this song because I can relate in some way.