- Crazy
- Gnarls Barkley
-
I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo in so much space
And when you're out there, without care
Yeah I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly
And I hope that you are having the time of your life
But think twice
That's my only advice
Come on now, who do you
Who do you, who do you
Who do you think you are?
Ha ha ha, bless your soul
You really think you're in control?
Well
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
I think you're crazy
Just like me
My heroes had the heart
To lose their lives out on a limb
And all I remember, is thinking
I wanna be like them
Mmhmm ever since I was little
Ever since I was little it looked like fun
And it's no coincidence I've come
And I can die when I'm done
But maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you're crazy
Maybe we're crazy
Probably ooh hmm -
Written by Gian Pero Reverberi Brian Joseph Burton
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
- 184 Comments
I think this song is saying that it often takes being in a dark emotional place to really begin to understand who you are as a person/who we are as people. It's a critique of the majority who go through life seemingly happy and "in control" but who don't really question or analyse themselves or what is going on around them and instead conform to what they perceive to be normal while assuming that people who are deeper are "crazy". In the last verse it it is suggested that the people to be admired are the ones who aren't afraid to step away from the norm and the choruses that pose the question; "does my deeper understanding/view of myself and what's going on make me crazy or is it actually just everyone else?!"
It's a phase that he's talking about, a post-adolescent phase in which one would think obssesively, contemplating and deducivly reasoning about the world, this reality, to find an answer or reason. Not many people can relate.
People like this are underestimated. They are thought of as that typical stereotype who thinks they understand everything about the world without having experienced any of it.
But for those who can produce any material meaning or
reason for an event through deduction have an ability to understand without experiencing, an abiliyt most don't have and most can't understand.
"But it wasn’t because I didn’t know enough
I just knew too much"
These people distance themselves from others around them because of societies lack of an ability to understand this phase, for the most part at least.
You therefore distance yourself from the world and from society, giving this feeling
"Yeah I was out of touch"
WIth this obssession in thought and deducive reasoning comes your abscense of mind, where, to the world, you seem out of it, you seem crazy, but for you, it's all in your head. You're thinking consistently and with an obssessive passion in order to understand what few ever could.
You begin to develop a loss of care for the world.
It's all typical, it's all been done before and it's all typical, all the same. You lose interest and care, and iwth this loss of interest comes the loss of attention to your world. You therefore distance yourself from the world and from society, giving this feeling
"Yeah I was out of touch"
"And when you’re out there, without care"
It's driven by curiousity.
But, really, once you've thought enough, you must think about all the others that have gone about that same train of thought. Who are you to think yo'ure some genius to understand the universe? You begin to learn about the other people that are alike to you, that there are intellectuals out there that can relate to you at least partly. You're not quite that smart, to really understand everything. It's not that easy.
"Who do you, who do you,
Who do you think you are?
Ha Ha Ha, Bless your soul
You really think you’re in control? "
The "place" is your own serene bliss of thought, where you have the freedom to think and express you're intellect, you're curiosity and individualizing, characterizing mind. It's the only place you can be free.
To sum this song up in two words:
mental maturity.
To most it's that phase of youth where curiosity drives a naiive mind to wonder about a world around him that is initially so obtuse.
Some take it too far.
Perhaps it's not naiive.
People need the ability to quesiton and defy social customs to find a truth or break a mold.
Just look at the words......we're all crazy, we're NOT in control.
To the life I wanna live
...This lyric is wrong. The proper lyric is
"My heroes had the heart
To lose their lives out on a limb".
According to Gnarls Barkley themselves (Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green), this song, just like many others on St. Elsewhere, has a loose thread of mental instability in the meaning. I'm not sure exactly what it means, but it's definitely a better meaning than your average "I love you" pop song.
1)having "it".
2)Losing "it".
3)Coming to terms with the fact that there is no "it".
Most people never make it past the middle/late stage #1
Many, (me included) are stuck in late stage #2 and aware of #3 and either cannot or do not have the courage wrap their brain fully around stage #3 and implament it in any kind of functional lifestyle.
People that can make it to stage 3 and still preform, i.e stay upright and keep taking nourishment are far and few between and the experience (in my belief) will either make or break them complete.
My heroes are at the heart
To the life I wanna live
And all I remember, is thinking
I wanna be like them
Mmhmm
Ever since I was little,
Ever since I was little it looked like fun
And as no coincidence I’ve come
And I can die when I’m done
So many people look at celebrities and other personalities and idolize them without ever developing their own ideas/personality. Why is America obsessed with celebrity and people we don't know. It's all kinda weird if you think about it.
Maybe I’m crazy
Maybe you’re crazy
Maybe we’re crazy
Probably
Well think twice...that’s my only advice' - love that line. I think it's about how we can all get a little 'crazy' now and again, do stupid things and to be honest, there's no such thing as being normal anyway. There's obviously something more to it...but I just can't figure it out as yet!