Where are we?
What the hell is going on?
The dust has only
Just begun to fall
Crop circles in the carpet
Sinking feeling

Spin me round again
And rub my eyes
This can't be happening
When busy streets a mess with people
Would stop to hold their heads heavy

Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines
All those years
They were here first

Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before
The takeover
The sweeping insensitivity
Of this
Still life

Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines
All those years
They were here first

Whatcha say? Mmm
That you only meant well, well of course you did
Whatcha say? Mmm This it's all for the best, of course it is
Whatcha say? Mmm That it's just what we need, and you decided this?
Whatcha say? Mmm What did you say?

Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs
Speak no feeling no I don't believe you
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs (paper word cut outs)
Speak no feeling no I don't believe you (I don't believe you)
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs
Speak no feeling no I don't believe you
You don't care a bit. You don't...
You don't care a bit. No
You don't care a bit. No
You don't care a bit. No
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit
You don't care a bit. No
You don't care a bit. No
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.


Lyrics submitted by Lil_Heartagram

Hide And Seek (Imogen Heap Cover) song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation

    This song to me represents a child being abused; also the loss of innocence. There are a lot of references to symbolic childlike items such as trains and sewing machines. There is also reference to a home and pictures on walls and furniture that is now gone.. this could represent the end of a home, one torn apart by the event. The blood and tears is an obvious and chilling reference to the act that occurred. Parents often say things like they only meant well, and that its all for the best in situations of child abuse.

    xeviousixon February 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think this song is about a child who is experiencing the divorce of her parents and this is why:

    Where are we? What the hell is going on?

    [this is coming from a young child who is confused, because they don't understand what is happening]

    The dust has only Just begun to fall

    [it happened so suddenly, the falling dust resembles the aftermath that the divorce has caused; the impact created it's damage and now it's still a fresh wound]

    Crop circles in the carpet

    [the crop circles are marks left by furniture, so either 1) a parent literally left and took the furniture with them and now there is missing furniture in the house reminding the child of something missing, or 2) it's just figuratively relating how when a chair is in one spot for a long time and then moves, it will leave a mark in the carpet; so the chair is a parent that left or the relationship of her parents that has left her life, but not without leaving a mark.]

    Sinking feeling

    [this obviously makes her feel sad]

    Spin me round again And rub my eyes This can't be happening

    [in disbelief that this is happening to her]

    When busy streets a mess with people Would stop to hold their heads heavy

    [hmmm...... i think she sees the busy world is just the same and despite this tragedy in her life, they continue in life unfazed, but if they felt the way that she does they would all be holding their heads heavy]

    Hide and seek

    [hide and seek is a fun children's game, referring to her happy life before all of this happened, but now it takes on a new meaning... she wants to hide from this. unlike when her parents were together, nobody looks for her. they didn't even notice that she was gone.]

    Trains and sewing machines

    [trains=travel, she wants to get away, as far as she can from this situation that is too big for her young years to deal with, sewing machines=things made, somebody once explained it to me this way and it was really convincing but i'm not gonna be able to say it write, but here i go: in things made; her parents made a relationship, then a marriage, then a family and her family was together, seemingly unbreakable. it took a lot of time and effort to make this happy family and this one decision is going to tear it apart, and she's trying to think of a way to sew it back together]

    All those years They were here first

    [all she had known were happy times, those times were here first, (in a child's mind when kids are fighting over a toy you think who had it first, okay so they should get it cause they had it first)]

    Oily marks appear on walls Where pleasure moments hung before

    [oily marks are missing picture frames (which leave marks on the wall if they are there long enough) and pleasure moments are pictures of the happy family in their better times]

    The takeover The sweeping insensitivity Of this Still life

    [the unfairness isn't fair and it's taking over her entire life]

    Hide and seek Trains and sewing machines *blood and tears They were here first

    [as before(*i made a correction in the lyrics: blood and tears is just referring to the pain that this has caused]

    Whatcha say? Mmm That you only meant well, well of course you did Whatcha say? Mmm This it's all for the best, of course it is Whatcha say? Mmm That it's just what we need, and you decided this? Whatcha say? Mmm What did you say?

    [her parents have told her that it's for the best, they've had the best intentions in deciding this and they think it's what they need, but she's questioning them saying is it really for the best and what "we" need because it sounds like you're doing this for yourself and (still in disbelief) how can you say these things?]

    Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth

    [her parents have put her in the middle of their fighting, using her to settle their divorce in terms of money and custody]

    Mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs

    [all of this is going on in the middle of sweet talks from her parents, they are trying to be sweet and explain it to her, but no matter what she can't believe or understand it]

    Speak no feeling no I don't believe you

    [she can see right through their lies: lies like they've tried to work it out, that this is for the best, etc.; and in their "sweet talks" she can see through their fake routine of acting like it's civil but she can hear their fights and see their hostility towards each other]

    You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.

    [self-explanatory: she believes that they don't care at all and they don't see what they are losing]

    Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth Mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs (paper word cut outs) Speak no feeling no I don't believe you (I don't believe you) You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth Mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs Speak no feeling no I don't believe you You don't care a bit. You don't... You don't care a bit. No

    [just a repeat]

    I've heard some people interpret it as a separation from the woman's perspective and that makes sense to me as well, and it still kind of goes along the lines of my interpretation. I like seeing it as a little girl's perspective of her parents divorce because it brings a lot of meaning to me personally. I sort of threw in some assumptions like the little girl is trying to run away and nobody is looking for her when she hides because it hits closer to home for me. But I'd like to hear what anybody thinks of my interpretation.

    lunartravlon January 07, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I believe that this song is about Indian tribes when the Americans began settling on their home land. People began constructing buildings all around them. America has rapidly been taken over with technology. They didn't know what was going on and just wanted to be left alone. They were here first. What do you say when everything is taken from you, and they think it's for better?

    Just my thoughts...

    Bnew20on January 30, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I always thought it said "before they take over, the sweeping insensitivty... abyss, still alive. I see this as really good portrail of the female aspect of pain experienced on this planet. it isnt easy being famous

    spidasenseon March 26, 2013   Link

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