Mmm buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh-duh-dah
Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh-duh-dah

We're all goin', we're all goin'

Well, the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out
The room lit up and we ran about
Well, this is what I really call a party now
Packed up our cars, moved to the next town

Well, the lampshades's on fire when the lights go out
This is what I really call a party now
Well, fear makes us really, really run around
This one's done so where to now?

Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all
Well you all know what I'm talking' about
Shaved off my eyebrows when I fall to the ground
So I can't look surprised right now

Pack up again, head to the next place
Where we'll make the same mistakes
Burn it up, or just chop it down
Ah, this one's done so where to now?

Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh-duh-dah
Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh-duh-dah

We're all goin', we're all goin'

Well, the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out
This is what I really call a party now
Well, fear makes us really, really run around
Ah, this one's done so where to now?


Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all
Well, you all know what I'm talkin' about
The room lights up, well, we're still dancing around
We're havin' fun, havin' some for now

Pack up again, head to the next place
Where we'll make the same mistakes
Open one up and let it fall to the ground
Pile out the door when it all runs out

Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh-duh-dah
Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh-duh-dah

We're all goin', we're all goin'

We have spines in our bones
We'll eat your food, we'll throw stones

Oh, this is how it's always gone
And this is how it's goin' to go

Well, we're the human race
We're goin' to party out of this place
And then move on

Tough love

We'll kill you off and then make a clone
Yeah, we got spines, yeah, we have bones
This is how it's always gone
And this is how it's goin' to go

As our feelings are getting hurt
Ah, we want you to do the work
Our ass looks great inside these jeans
Well, we all just don't wanna' clean

Oh, this is how it's always been
And this is how it's goin' to be
So, you just move on

The air's on fire so we're movin' on
Better find another one 'cause this one's done
Waitin' for the magic when the scientists glow
To push, push, push, push, pull us up

Spend some time to float in outer space
Find another planet, make the same mistakes
Our mind's all shattered when we climb aboard
Hopin' for the scientists to find another door


Lyrics submitted by Treservation, edited by griff13836, VaguelyObscure, A Modest Anarchist, LeftoverMemory, aringo11, mcbugg

Lampshades on Fire Lyrics as written by Isaac Brock Eric Judy

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Lampshades on Fire song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

24 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +8
    General Comment

    I don't know if anyone else is getting the same vibe, but the new Modest Mouse album feels like it's going to have a "human party leading to self-destruction theme." With the world on the brink of destroying itself and WW3 looming, Isaac has hit a stage in his career where he's finally made it in terms of mainstream success and financial well being. This reflects in his lyrics quite a bit, "money" in Poison The Well, and in this one talking about humans will keep going to the next big thing.

    I think in a lot of ways he's using these lyrics to simultaneously describe how the band has reached this success, and now everything is a big pointless party, so what else is there to write about? That's the vibe I get, he's spat all life lyrical themes already, so what else is there to say other then, time to party and destroy ourselves, similar to "the good times are killing me" and what humanity is doing to itself right now.

    The circular theme is still quite prevalent in the lyrics, although in a less complex way from past albums, now he's bascially saying "Well I did this, did that, no what? Oh wait there's no point but whatever Bah Bah badadadaa." The reference to "floating in outer space" is interesting because if that's the actual line I think that he's referring to the band's contemplative experiences during Moon & Antarctica, and now he's at a stage where it's time to move onto the next big thing, pointless partying and eventual self-destruction.

    Then again I could be overanlayzing, but that's the vibe I get from the first two songs for the new album. It's like a rambling party of optimistic pessimism. If it has a party theme, props to MM for keeping it original and always doing something different.

    equivocalxon February 14, 2012   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    This song is quite clearly about the ecological damage the human race is doing. We go and overdevelop, set up cities, and are completely caught up raping our natural resources to serve ourselves. It's as though we're busy partying while in the process of wrecking everything. We continually expand, move from place to place doing the same thing over and over again. There's even been talk of having to possibly find ways to settle Mars or other planets once we wreck our own.

    toomanytreeson April 13, 2012   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    Brilliant song. It has been stated already by you fine folks, but this song clearly has a theme of "Humans are a virus on Earth". And when scientists find another planet for us, we'll destroy it as well.

    doschon December 27, 2014   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Isaac always seems to change the lines when he's live so don't be surprised when some of this is off. I think the "?'s" are keep it wild and make it hurt... but its pretty hard to make out. Also I heard that Big Boi is producing the Album and some rap might be on it.

    DJIrishBrownson June 22, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    First Impressions Isaac seems to be talking about mans capacity for apathetic destruction. Love the song I cant really discern what he says in those final lyrics either.

    johnnyblueyeon July 13, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Think of the earth as a lamp. As humans we could easily turn on the light of the lamp. I think the light of the lamp resembles renewable energy. Instead of just turning the lamp on for light we just burn the lamp shade (lamp shaded on fire) which doesnt burn for very long like fossil fuels. The lamp shade is seen as the ozone. After using fossil fuels for a long time the ozone is gone and nature is ruined.

    DNP24on April 21, 2015   Link
  • +1
    Memory

    Just in case the lyrics don't get changed for some reason, Under here are the real lyrics: I had submitted the lyrics above with the mmm-dah stuff and i tried but just still couldn't get the words completely correct until i ordered the cd and read the lyrics:

    We're all going. We're all going up.

    Well the lampshade’s on fire and the lights go out, the room lit up and we ran about. Well this is what I'd really call a party now. Packed up our cars moved to the next town.

    Well the lampshade’s on fire and the lights go out; this is what I'd really call a party now. Well fear makes us really really run around. This one’s done so where to now.

    Our eyes light up we have no shame at all, well you all know what I’m talking about. Shave off my eyebrows let 'em fall to the ground, so I can’t look surprised right now.

    Pack up again head to the next place, where we'll make the same mistakes. Burn it up or just chop it down this one's done, so where to now.

    Well the lampshade's on fire and the lights go out, this is what I'd really call a party now. Well fear makes us really really run around, this one's done so where to now?


    Our eyes light up we have no shame at all, well you all know what I'm talking about. The room lights up but we're still dancing around. We're having fun having some fun now.

    Pack up again head to the next place, where we'll make the same mistakes. Open one up and let it fall to the ground. Pile out the door when it all runs out.

    We're all going. We're all going up.

    We have spines and other bones, we'll eat your food, we'll throw some stones.
 Well this is how it's always gone and this is how it's gonna go.

    Well we're the human race, we're gonna party out this place, and then move on.

    TOUGH LUCK

    we'll kill you off and then make a clone. YEAH WE GOT SPINES AND WE HAVE BONES!!! This is how it's always gone and this is how it's gonna to go.

    Our soft feelings are getting hurt. Oh we want you to do the work. Our ass looks great inside these jeans. We want just our water clean.

    This is how it's always been and this is how it's gonna be. So you just move on.

    The air’s on fire so we’re moving on. Better find another one cuz this one’s done. Waiting for the magic of the scientist's glove to PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH pull us up.

    Spend some time floating out in space, find another planet make the same mistakes. Our minds all shatter when we climb on board hoping for the scientists to find another door.

    A Modest Anarchiston April 29, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    There's only the live recording from Sasquatch Music Festival right now, so some of the lyrics are pretty hard to make out. I think what I do have is pretty accurate, but definitely open to other suggestions until the official song/lyrics drop.

    Treservationon June 01, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    hell yeah!i saw this song on the setlist that they put up on facebook and wasnt really sure what i was..i had looked it up and stuff but couldnt find anything.were you at the show?is the song off their new album?

    prellbergporch51on June 05, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Big boi said that there wasn't going to be rap on the album. He's just helping with production, an they were using his studio. Its only going to be a few songs, i think three is the number. and who knows what songs will actually make it to the cd. either way im excited to hear them, and he said that they were "funky". i doubt he'll do vocals, especially because nothign has been released saying he was guest appearing on the album. Production accounts for a lot of different things, and even though producers have some control over creativity or the sound, its very rare a producer actually plays on the record.

    I really dig the song they played after the interview where isaac shows off his house

    veryhoudinion October 11, 2011   Link

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

Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
American Town
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.