In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything's alright
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven

Workin' on a livin', I'm workin' on a leavin'
I'm workin' on a leavin' the livin'
I love you more than everything
Loved it more than anything
Loved everything more than anything

Workin' on drinkin', I'm workin' on drivin'
I'm workin' on drivin' my dreams so
Workin' on a livin', I'm workin' on a leavin'
I'm workin' on a leavin' the livin'

In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything is fine

In heaven everything's alright
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything's alright
In heaven everything is fine
In heaven everything's alright
In heaven everything is fine
...



Lyrics submitted by PLANES, edited by jleider

Workin' on Leavin' the Livin' Lyrics as written by Isaac Brock Eric Judy

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Workin' on Leavin' the Livin' song meanings
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54 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    This is one of the first MM tunes I heard way back when, and I fell in love with them immediately. This is interesting because I was watching David Lynch's film "Eraserhead" today and there is this woman that sings a song that consists only of the words "in heaven everything is fine." Over and over and over. I thought "whoa," this is the kinda flick Issac would appear to dig, it's gotta be where he got those lyrics. And then I was reading the above post about the Pixies song "Lady In The Radiator," and the woman in "Eraserhead" who sings "in heaven everything is fine" actually lives in a radiator. So that has to solidify it.

    Star Slighton April 18, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    It's about waiting to die.

    bizarreon March 14, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I find this song in lyrics and sound to be very stellar and love to listen to it at night while driving or looking at the stars.

    I think that it is about a person who used to "love everything" in his life more than anything else but for some reason has just broke down. Now he is just workin' on leavin' the living by getting himself wasted and killing himself by probably drunk driving. The dream he is driving is to leave his life which is so much like hell, that even if isaac is athiest, there doesn't need to be an afterlife, just ending it all can be heaven for some people. He is using the word as an emotional place, not physical like religion, its art people, open your minds.

    Hinge27on February 07, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    "In Heaven, everything is fine." This is a line from Eraserhead, one the deformed girl sings to him in his dreams.

    I don't think he necessarily meant dying, heaven, or an afterlife. Eraserhead was about trying to find happiness in different ways, not about killing yourself. I think this song depicts that emotion, too. Trying to morph yourself or take different paths in order to feel that bit of bliss.

    Or I could take the easy way out and say it's about drugs.

    littletayurineon March 24, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    "Working on drinking, I'm working on driving"

    I don't think its the promise of never seeing an afterlife if you kill yourself that keeps Isaac from doing it. That's a very religious view. I think it's more that he doesn't have the ability to do it, and he can't let down those who really care for him. So instead, he hopes for accidental death to carry him on to the next part of this crazy existence. Like it has been said, this song is a cover, he chose to cover this song because I really do think he feels very real towards it. He has gone through deep depression, lots of drugs (searching and running from something, and eventually it just makes you feel so alone when you use drugs for those reasons) and this is just a very typical use of religious view to portray how he feels. Its just real, and I think a lot of us have been there, and wished for the same. There is a lot more out there after this little experience we call life is over. Its funny how the more you really understand the reality around you, and maybe deal with psychedelics, you gain a peace towards the idea of dying, and you are convinced that this is just a leg of the journey. I think Isaac believes it just as much as I do.

    SydBaresIton August 21, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    There's also this little thing called paying homage... which is possibly what he's doing.

    He's said before that he loves the pixies, so it wouldn't suprise me if that was the case.

    sirgarycolemanon August 23, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I had listened to the song before seeing Eraserhead, but when I saw the movie, and listened to the song directly after, it made a lot of sense. The movie deals with similar themes, and I sure hope that he is paying homage to thoe movie, rather than the Pixies song. In either case, it is a great song, and the movie Eraserhead is amazing. It is indeed disturbing, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to those searching for concrete answers. It is akin to a dream, and I love the dreamlike visuals in the film. This song is also fairly dreamlike.

    Hybrinationon April 28, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Hmmm...I think if you guys knew Isaac's songwriting a bit better this song would make more sense. Isaac is a known atheist, to me, this song is satirical. Usually, he isn't so blunt and that's an obvious give-a-way to sarcasm. It's saying, "I can't wait to die and go to heaven!" meaning, "YOu're stupid for thinking that heaven is waiting for you."

    My opinion.

    godisdeadon August 24, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Just had to mention that I was listening to my Elliott Smith + Modest Mouse + Ugly Casanova playlist on shuffle, and Workin' on Leavin' the Livin' fading into Cat Faces sounds eargasmic.

    El_Loboon February 09, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    My opinion....

    Isaac is singing about how he wants to die so he can figure out what is next.

    Isaac is an Atheist, but constantly he still sings about heaven, which i think is him saying he believes in an afterlife, maybe not a god, but an afterlife.

    The only thing that is keeping him from "leavin the livin" is the promise that if he commits suicide he won't go to "heaven" so he drinks and drives, and tries to die accidentally so he can die and go to his idea of "heaven"

    iamjacksforeskinon March 16, 2009   Link

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