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.
I took a walk with an invisible friend
And on that walk, I gave my hand
O, to be a machine
O, to be wanted
To be useful
With this ring that I wear today
My whole world is your property
O, to be a machine
O, to be wanted
To be useful
I took a walk with an invisible friend
And on that walk, I gave my hand
And on that walk, I gave my hand
O, to be a machine
O, to be wanted
To be useful
With this ring that I wear today
My whole world is your property
O, to be a machine
O, to be wanted
To be useful
I took a walk with an invisible friend
And on that walk, I gave my hand
Lyrics submitted by ahab3, edited by notravelnate, YouAmStupid
Evil Bee Lyrics as written by Daniel Frederic Seim Brent Knopf
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
The invisible friend is the savior mentioned in the song before. The dichotomy between the two songs (calling him a traitor vs. friend) reflects the name of the album: Friend and Foe. The title reflects the whole album's message: a struggle with understanding life and understanding god.
A "machine" is: "any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks". Being a machine is a metaphor for submitting to the will of his savior and act on behalf of him. By being a machine or tool of his savior, he gains meaning ("to be wanted, to be useful")
This song seems almost meaningless, but I think menomena just has a knack for referencing themselves. When he says that he gave his hand, I think back to the song before this one on the album, "boyscout'n". That song seems to be about blind faith for the most part. He mentions lending his hand to destroy a helpless man. Could be a stretch, but maybe the invisible friend is the supposed "savior" from the song before. Now using the bee metaphor, he feels needed because he is another cog in the machine. It doesn't matter what he's told to do, because he's wanted by the others. Sounds like a cult to me. but who knows.
I think that
the "With this ring" line is wrong, I think it has something to do with marriage, "With this ring, be my to thee", that's wrong, but something like that.
I think this song has to do with the previous song as well, he previously says, "Should my soul survive this fall, then I pray if I pray at all," well he obviously lost his soul. So now he's a machine. And now he's wanted and and useful, exactly what he wanted to be in Boyscout'N. Almost as if maybe when he did that, he became God... "my whole world is your property."
the lines "oh to be machine, oh to be wanted, to be useful," are so poignant, mostly to me because i don't think menomena mean them sincerely. Throughout the entire song you have these synthetic noises in tight cadences but all this punctuated by those saxophone like back-fires and farts as if 'the machine' is much more fun when its breaking apart, malfunctioning, all told, when it is anything but useful.
All the members in the band are Christians. This song is about having an invisible relationship with Jesus. And accepting him as your Savior and the ruler of your life. Christians usually say that they are married to Christ and he is their bride (hence the ring).
im not so sure about that. I'm almost positive that two of them, justin harris and danny seim, were raised christian and went to christian high school together, but they're not really into it anymore. I don't know about brent knopf. For evidence, Danny wrote a list for Pitchfork of his favorite cassettes that he was allowed to listen to as a kid, and it's all christian rock, but he's making fun of it the whole time. here--> pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/10262-guest-list-menomena-my-favorite-cassettes-i-was-allowed-to-listen-to-age-7-15
im not so sure about that. I'm almost positive that two of them, justin harris and danny seim, were raised christian and went to christian high school together, but they're not really into it anymore. I don't know about brent knopf. For evidence, Danny wrote a list for Pitchfork of his favorite cassettes that he was allowed to listen to as a kid, and it's all christian rock, but he's making fun of it the whole time. here--> pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/10262-guest-list-menomena-my-favorite-cassettes-i-was-allowed-to-listen-to-age-7-15
I have talked to the all 3 of the boys personally and know that they are still Christians like I. There is a type of conservative Christian that some Christians don't like. Like Justin, Brent, and Danny, I make fun of this Christian all the time too(I am a Christian myself). The Christians they make fun of are the ones that are sticklers for the rules, only listen to Christian music, & basically have no fun and are pricks.
Thanks for the clarification. But im kinda iffy at least on this song, because if the "invisible friend" is in fact Jesus, then the "o, to be a machine" part would be seemingly saying that his followers are like machines.
well this song is probably related to Boyscoutn in some way,because as I stated in my idea of Boyscoutn, it seemed like it had something to do with Judas, and this song might be the after affects and how no one wants him anymore because he betrayed Christ.