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"
How do I get closer to you
When you keep it all on mute
How will I know the right way to love you
Usually the Queen of figurin' out
Breaking down a man is no work out
But I have no clue
How to get through to you
I wanna hit you just to see if you cry
I keep knockin' on wood, hopin' there's a real boy inside
But you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
I wish I could just turn you on
Put a battery in and make you talk
Even pull a string for you to say anything
But with you there is no guarantee
Only expired warranty
A bunch of broken parts
And I can't seem to find your heart
I'm such a fool
I'm such a fool
I'm such a fool
This one's outta my hands
I can't put you back together again
Cause you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
You're just a, a toy
Could you ever be a real, real boy
And understand
But you're not a man
If the past is the problem
Our future can solve them baby
I could bring you life if you let me inside baby
It'll hurt but in the end you'll be a man
Cause you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
You're just a, a toy
Could you ever be a real, real boy
And understand
But you're not a man
Cause you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
When you keep it all on mute
How will I know the right way to love you
Usually the Queen of figurin' out
Breaking down a man is no work out
But I have no clue
How to get through to you
I wanna hit you just to see if you cry
I keep knockin' on wood, hopin' there's a real boy inside
But you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
I wish I could just turn you on
Put a battery in and make you talk
Even pull a string for you to say anything
But with you there is no guarantee
Only expired warranty
A bunch of broken parts
And I can't seem to find your heart
I'm such a fool
I'm such a fool
I'm such a fool
This one's outta my hands
I can't put you back together again
Cause you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
You're just a, a toy
Could you ever be a real, real boy
And understand
But you're not a man
If the past is the problem
Our future can solve them baby
I could bring you life if you let me inside baby
It'll hurt but in the end you'll be a man
Cause you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
You're just a, a toy
Could you ever be a real, real boy
And understand
But you're not a man
Cause you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel that my love is real
But you're not a man
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More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
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/
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.
you kinda missed the bridge:
if the past is the problem our future could solve em, baby i could bring you to life if you let me inside, baby it'll hurt but in the end you'll be a man
and then comes the chorus one more time