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’ve been running circles like a mad man
all the gerbils chirping in their cages
after hours at the pet supply store
jealous of the shapes that I’ve been making
and i’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
All the tanks alive with dancing goldfish
snakes and lizards diving in their food dish
all the crickets safe within their egg crates
ignorant of their last hour
and I’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
in the aisles the bunny’s doing backflips
birds are bragging, puffing up their plumage
al the hamsters chewing on their wood chips
alley cats all meowing at the moon
and I’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
and I’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
isn’t it a pity life is short
isn’t it a shame we’re all just animals
isn’t it unfortunate that I was born uncertain of that feeling
that you give me won’t you give it to me more
in the future when the ozone layer
gives into the weight of procreation
and all the spaces that our bodies take up
have returned to something weightless
And I’ll be wrong to be wondering
I’ll be wrong
I’ll be wrong to to wondering
I’ll be wrong
all the gerbils chirping in their cages
after hours at the pet supply store
jealous of the shapes that I’ve been making
and i’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
All the tanks alive with dancing goldfish
snakes and lizards diving in their food dish
all the crickets safe within their egg crates
ignorant of their last hour
and I’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
in the aisles the bunny’s doing backflips
birds are bragging, puffing up their plumage
al the hamsters chewing on their wood chips
alley cats all meowing at the moon
and I’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
and I’m wrong to be wondering
and I’m wrong
isn’t it a pity life is short
isn’t it a shame we’re all just animals
isn’t it unfortunate that I was born uncertain of that feeling
that you give me won’t you give it to me more
in the future when the ozone layer
gives into the weight of procreation
and all the spaces that our bodies take up
have returned to something weightless
And I’ll be wrong to be wondering
I’ll be wrong
I’ll be wrong to to wondering
I’ll be wrong
Lyrics submitted by chocolatesmartie
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
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.