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”
Run boy run
Run boy run
Run boy run
Run boy run
Here she comes
Here she comes
She's coming for you
So run boy run
Run boy run
Here she comes
Here she comes
She's coming for you
These are tears of joy not woe
Cause woe-betide I open wide and let inside the flow
These are cries of pain, rejoice
They are heartfelt and coarse
Can you not tell from the pain
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
In these, the times of unhealthy regret,
It's the last cigarette and all the lonely days ahead
These the times of you wish you would
When all the bridges have been burned
And she slowly turns
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy face
So run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run
So run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run
Run boy run
Run boy run
Run boy run
Here she comes
Here she comes
She's coming for you
So run boy run
Run boy run
Here she comes
Here she comes
She's coming for you
These are tears of joy not woe
Cause woe-betide I open wide and let inside the flow
These are cries of pain, rejoice
They are heartfelt and coarse
Can you not tell from the pain
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
In these, the times of unhealthy regret,
It's the last cigarette and all the lonely days ahead
These the times of you wish you would
When all the bridges have been burned
And she slowly turns
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
So run boy run boy run boy run
She's coming for you
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy faces alone
Happy face
So run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run
So run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run boy run
Lyrics submitted by tiredhorses, edited by ElleDriver
Happy Faces Lyrics as written by Hugo White Felix White
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
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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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Isn't it "happy faces allowed"? Hmmm...
that's what i hear too.
great song.
The lyric is "happy face is allowed"
It's obviously not "happy faces alone" twat
alone is a completely different sound
"Happy face is allowed" ftw it's written in the booklet the comes in the album
i thought it was "These are cries of happy, rejoice" not "pain"
I think its
'cause these are tears of joy, not woe 'cause woe-betide I open wide and let inside the fire These are cries of happy rejoice They are heartfelt of course Can you not tell... from my voice!?!?
AND OF COURSE
"HAPPY FACES ALLOWED"
"and all the lonely days in there" kinda sketchy last phrase
The version is clearly from one of those awful lyric sites that uses voices recognition to determine the lyrics of a song.
well, not really. If its what the booklet says, by the band who wrote the song, made the words, sang them, recorded them, then sold a lyrical breakdown...you can see my point...your gonna get angry...
Actually, sometimes the words in the booklet are different from what they're singing, suppose some singers like to change the words, i don't know why but anyway, it's cearly ALLOWED.
It's not... 'These are tears of joy not woe 'cause woe-betide I open wide and let inside the flow These are cries of pain, rejoice They are heartfelt and coarse Can you not tell from the pain' It's... 'These are tears of joy not woe. ‘cos woe betide I open wide and let inside the fly. These are cries of happy rejoice. They are heartfelt of course, can you not tell from my voice.' and rather than 'wish you would' it is 'wish you would'. It isn't difficult to find this out, just look in the album booklet or on the official website. I really do not understand how 'pain' sounds like 'voice' though LOL xox and Instead of... 'Lonely days ahead' It is 'Long days in there'
In my personal interpretation, this song is very profound and multifaceted, it delves deep into the essence of human existence, encapsulating a great philosophy towards Death and life.
For me, "Her" represents Death.
The recurring "Run boy, run" is an encouragement to live, engage in the journey of life and trust the mortal instinct to avoid Death and suicide, however liberating they could seem in some moments. The urgency and repetition with which Orlando sings these verses emphasizes the importance of embracing each moment we have with vigor and purpose.
This zest for life is not in contradiction to the acceptance of Death. The phrase "Happy Faces allowed" suggests that while we should live life to the fullest ("run"), we are free to welcome the end with a sense of peace and happiness when it arrives. It means that we should value both life and its inevitable conclusion.
The verse “'Cos these are tears of joy not woe" suggests that the emotions experienced towards Death, can be complex and not merely sorrowful. The tears shed are not just for the sadness of parting with life but also for the joy and richness of the experiences lived. Furthermore in this verse we can feel Orlando's fear to understand and accept these emotions: "woe betide I open wide and let inside the flow (fly?)". What happens if the protagonist fully accepts his mortality to the point where it doesn't make sense to run anymore? He's afraid to discover it and doesn't want to delve into these emotions, but rather just express them through tears.
In the second verse there's a palpable sense of introspection and contemplation, reflecting on the moments in life where one is faced with regret or a sense of ending, such as the last cigarette symbolizing a final moment. The mention of "lonely days ahead" refers to how Death is a solitary experience, a path each of us will traverse alone. However, within this apparent melancholy, there is a sense of acceptance.
In essence, "Happy Faces" for me is not just a song about Death or life, it's a song about the continuum of existence. It portrays them as parts of a singular, harmonious journey. The song, therefore, becomes a celebration of the beauty and joy of life as well as the peace and liberty found in its conclusion, embodying a mature and holistic view of our journey through life.