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 withdrew from the street and all humanlike zones
I'd had it, I'd had it, I was mush to the bones
I covered the windows, I was taking no calls
Then I thought for a month inside the alien walls
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
But I can recall it all
I was, I was at a loss
What can I do now?
I called up a girl I'd known for so many years
I'd seen her in shock, I'd seen the last of her tears
I admired her style from her toes to her brain
She accepted my plan and so she caught the next train
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
(They don't tell you so)
But I can recall it all
I remember
Back again
Welcome home
We would secretly smile inside our surgical masks
But we were serious too, we accomplished our ask
The schedule was followed, a daughter was born
And so the mother departed, I was left with her form
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
But I can recall it all
This is where it counts
Her education's begun, I'm intent on success
Her breathtaking beauty it brings out my best
I once knew true love, she won't know another
Life is renewed, my little girl is my lover
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
(They don't tell you so)
But I can recall it all
I'd had it, I'd had it, I was mush to the bones
I covered the windows, I was taking no calls
Then I thought for a month inside the alien walls
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
But I can recall it all
I was, I was at a loss
What can I do now?
I called up a girl I'd known for so many years
I'd seen her in shock, I'd seen the last of her tears
I admired her style from her toes to her brain
She accepted my plan and so she caught the next train
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
(They don't tell you so)
But I can recall it all
I remember
Back again
Welcome home
We would secretly smile inside our surgical masks
But we were serious too, we accomplished our ask
The schedule was followed, a daughter was born
And so the mother departed, I was left with her form
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
But I can recall it all
This is where it counts
Her education's begun, I'm intent on success
Her breathtaking beauty it brings out my best
I once knew true love, she won't know another
Life is renewed, my little girl is my lover
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
They don't tell you so
Now I know, oh
(They don't tell you so)
But I can recall it all
Lyrics submitted by bovYneTooTh
The Plan Lyrics as written by Richard Hell
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
hmmmmm? ;-}...
i can't believe no one has posted their interpretation of this song yet. i really love this song, it's probably my favorite from richard hell. to me this song is about a dude who falls in love with his own daughter and sodomizes her after the mother leaves them. and basically when he says "now i know, they don't tell you so" he is saying that all fathers are in love and want to sodomize their own daughters but "they don't tell you so".
am i crazy?
@thaees Sodomize? C'mon! Where do you get that from?! It sounds like a brief journey about Richard getting clean from drugs, deciding to have a child and discovering a love he'd never encountered in life before. That which is one for his daughter. "Lover" is metaphorical not lyrical. At least most would hope.
@thaees Yeah, I don't see where the "sodomize" notion comes from. Having said that, the song is clearly a creepy incest fantasy - "she won't know another" points at a Josef Fritzl type scenario. I guess you can also read it as a metaphor, but for giving up on the world and taking refuge in self-absorption rather than for anything positive.
Drug withdrawal and recovery. Recovery is "the plan" ("she accepted my plan and so she caught the next train")
"I was mush to the bones", he knows what he did to himself and the effects of the drugs
"I covered the windows, I was taking no calls", depression and paranoia, maybe being sensitive to light instead of paranoia.
"Then I thought for a month inside the alien walls", I don't know if I have to take this literally but Richard puts real images on his lyrics to create a metaphor, so I guess this could mean two different things. "Alien walls" because when you're off your drugs the world looks different again and familiar things look strange. I had this symptom of uncomfortable unfamiliarity after being off amphetamine. "Alien walls" could also indicate walls covered with drawings or colourful letters made while trippin balls or something. But I prefer my first interpretation.
"Now I know, they don't tell you so", they tell you that drugs will help you, drugs are better than sex, drugs make you so happy... but they don't tell you side effects. And now he knows side effects.
The daughter here is not metaphorical, he's talking about his experience, probably.
The plan was to create a life, he had serious intentions and then the mother left. The reason here is not explained, because probably is not important now. He's talking about quitting drugs and that's all.
If you listen to the other song of the album, "New Pleasure", he's clearly not talking about a new drug he tried. I think he already tried what he had to try those years... the new pleasure is love and sex, and the meaning returns here ("but we assume sublime poses"... sex).
"I once knew true love, she won't know another" doesn't mean that he is jealous of his daughter. It means, he knew true love and he hopes she will find that TYPE of TRUE love for a person and not another love, the love for the drugs.
"My little girl is my lover"... if this was a scary incest he wouldn't say "I once knew true love" because it would be a contradiction. It means that the daughter replaced completely all he did with drugs, she's the real lover.