In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You're not pretty enough
You're not skinny enough
You're not healthy enough
You're not shaking at our touch
You're not lonely enough
You're not holy enough
You're not saying too much
About what you think we want
So shock me
So shock me
So shock me
Well you spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll close our eyes
We'll be dead by sunrise
You're not dreaming too much
You're not sleeping enough
You're not burning enough
Of your body to be loved
So shock me
So shock me
So shock me
Well you spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll close our eyes
We'll be dead by sunrise
You spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll close our eyes
We're so uptight
You spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll kill our time
We'll be dead by sunrise
You're not skinny enough
You're not healthy enough
You're not shaking at our touch
You're not lonely enough
You're not holy enough
You're not saying too much
About what you think we want
So shock me
So shock me
So shock me
Well you spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll close our eyes
We'll be dead by sunrise
You're not dreaming too much
You're not sleeping enough
You're not burning enough
Of your body to be loved
So shock me
So shock me
So shock me
Well you spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll close our eyes
We'll be dead by sunrise
You spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll close our eyes
We're so uptight
You spend the night
I'll take my life
We'll kill our time
We'll be dead by sunrise
Lyrics submitted by ghostmusic
Cosmopolitan Lyrics as written by James Galley David Jones
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
i just saw them do this last night. bloody fantastic. i don't really care what it means its just really good.
this is just the perfect teenage anthem... well it's my anthem atm! it's all about insecurities & wondering what the point in living is if all you do is worry about who you are. & the guitar is fab!! :) get ready for nine black alps to become legends. (i saw them live too!! so ner)
i really wanna hear this song. ive heard two by them so far and love them,
Yay! i really enjoy their music, especially this song.. i agree with em_fatale about "teenage anthem"-thingy. a very perfect way to put it!!
brilliant song, totally agree its a teen anthem i think it more of a teenage girl anthem beause were more insercure about we look, and wanting to be perfect
the whole album is made up of anthems sounds mature yet full of life and just flows. just love this album.
just a point indie rock roll you do realise its not just girls that have insecurities and im sick of people saying its a girls problem a friend of mine is very insecure about himself and it doesnt really help when hes told its a girls problem. its a problem for everyone that has severe insecurities dont discount people just because the dont always talk about it as freely
think there fairly good but the lyrics are but weak at times
Just a song about hating everyone perhaps? About hating everyone for not letting you fit in, not letting you be part of them?
and yeah, good point big_scary. I know plenty of insecure guys. No, they're not emo either.
This is a great song, and I think its about how some ppl spend there whole life trying to impress the next person and you can't win that one, so they've ruined everything good with the ppl who don't need to be impressed by them (real friends, fam, etc.) and the fact that no one can be fine with what they got.
Lol its about someone who's fed up of everyone trying to be the most shocking person, playing up their life stories for attention. It's like, you can't shock me, I don't care.