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.
Her name is Yoshimi
She's a black belt in karate
Working for the city
She has to discipline her body
'Cause she knows that it's demanding
To defeat those evil machines
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Those evil-natured robots
They're programmed to destroy us
She's gotta be strong to fight them
So she's taking lots of vitamins
'Cause she knows that it'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi
'Cause she knows that it'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat
Yoshimi
She's a black belt in karate
Working for the city
She has to discipline her body
'Cause she knows that it's demanding
To defeat those evil machines
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Those evil-natured robots
They're programmed to destroy us
She's gotta be strong to fight them
So she's taking lots of vitamins
'Cause she knows that it'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi
'Cause she knows that it'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them
Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi they don't believe me
But you won't let those robots eat
Yoshimi
Lyrics submitted by SpaceManSpiff
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 Lyrics as written by Michael Ivins Dave Fridmann
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song's about breast cancer... The pink robots are a metaphor for the ribbons and she has to tackle each cell and harsh moment one by one. Not matter what happens, she should be positive and not stress on life. Such a gorgeous song. =)
Who cares what he's really writing about.
All you die hard fans can rest assured you know the truth.
But I think this website promotes personal response/ meaning through actuality AND subjective internalization.
I don't even listen to the Flaming Lips but the first time I heard this song it brought me to tears - sometimes music just has the words you need/ want to hear.
I don't care if this 'she' is 'really battling robots' because all I know is that there was me in a car battling Maryland.
Who's Marylin? And did you win?
To me, this song is about depression. It reminds me of two depressed people who have ot one time or another consoleed eachother. The speaker in the song is trying to tell Yoshimi, whoever that might represent, to keep fighting the depression, that she will win eventually. He's also telling her that she has helped him in the past to get through the sorrow, ("you wouldn't let those robots eat me") , and that if she can keep the "robots"/depression from destroying him, she can do the same for herself. She souldn't give up. He's saying that she has to be strong, but she can defeat the robots in the end.
First of all may I note that this song is somehow incredibly powerful.. Look at all the emotions and stories attached to it. A lot of people have listened to this song and have let it become a part of their reality. This song, though it has some lyrics that create quite a bit of ambiguity as to the motivations behind it, has given each of us a reference point to a certain important part of each of our lives... I just think that's pretty awe-inspiring!!<br /> <br /> I had a similar notion to that of the depression idea.. I imagined that the pink robots = bad feelings, the city = the family, me = younger brother and vitamins maybe = anti-depressant pills? <br /> Essentially the older sister is left to protect a broken down family from the scourge of depression. Her little brother is telling the story and he believes in her despite his fear of giving in to the ruinous feelings that would destroy him if he gave in. The problem is that Yoshimi is the most afflicted of the family but she is the only one the little brother can depend on. So the younger sibling creates this fantasy that the plague afflicting his sister are evil pink robots. The boy is also under the assumption that the robots can attack anyone, which is why his hero, his sister, is protecting the city. The narrator believes in his older sibling so much that he knows she will protect him from these robots. He realizes that the "vitamins" she takes are in relation to the robots and so assumes that they will help her defeat them.
OK so here's what I think, not that it matters, but oh well.
The song's about and independent woman's battle with PMS....yeah, I said it. Think about it, it all makes sense. The PINK (suggests feminine) robots are the PMS, and she has to defeat her own PMS by disciplining her body and taking vitamins [midol], for the narrator and everyone's sakes. Because, 'It'd be tragic if those evil robots win'. Everyone knows what women are like when those evil robots win!! Haha, but no seriously, it's not fun....
@Boonerang It sounds plausible, but when you look at the lyrics with cancer in mind, this interpretation loses strength.
I think it's about love. I mean, I know that's hella generic, but the lyrics are so weird that all I can get is he likes this Yoshimi chick a lot. It almost reminds me of being a little kid, and maybe Yoshimi is a story you made up about your mom. I don't know. You put something better out there!
Omg! Its about a girl diagnosed with cancer lol
yea I guess I can see that. Pink Robots are the cancer and Yoshimi is like the cancer drug!
I've got a live recording of them performing this song for a private show, and beforehand, Wayne talks about the song. Since I'm supposed to be working on a project, I'll summarize what he says, since its a long story. When they record songs in the studio, they are doing things really fast and just laying down a lot of tracks, and the part two actually came first. They were recording it with a girl named Yoshimi (she's the screaming girl), from a Japenese band The Boredoms. They were giving it a bunch of "silly joke titles", and Wayne just came up with Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, since she screams a lot and "it sounds like this horrible machine is either trying to kill her or have sex with her or something like that". The Lips had also been working on a "melancholy melody" they hadn't really gotten very far on yet, for about a year. The line "Yoshimi, they don't believe me" popped up from Wayne from the title, and he started coming up with this whole story that didn't have much to do with Part Two. He says that the Yoshimi in the song isn't related to the real one at all, her name was just excellent for rhyming. He goes on to say how the track version has a very uplifting feel to it, that she will undoubtedly win the battle, and they then play a version of the song where she probably won't win. Its really awesome.
I just noticed that
But you won't let those Robots eat me Yoshimi They don't believe me
is a haiku. This is probably a coincidence though.
As far as I'm concerned this may well be just be a random little nonsense ditty about Yoshimi P-We of Boredoms (she's the girl in the video eating fruit), but the fact that there are so many differing interpretations is wonderful. Is it about love, drugs, politics, cancer, nature... who knows? Well, Wayne of course. But even if there's nothing to the lyrics beyond being a fantasy story about one of his mates, the fact that it touches so many different people on so many different levels is a weird kind of heartwarming.
I've been listening to this song since I was a kid but only started to really listen to the lyrics and interpret the meaning a few years ago... Like most songs it has multiple meanings, each one for each person but I used to imagine Yoshimi was battling schizophrenia, hallucinating that she had to fight these pink robots to save someone she loved while taking anti-psychotics ('vitamins') to help her... Still one of my favourite songs of all time and makes me cry sometimes...
whatever it means im sure its great, lol, all i know is the actual song rules. w00t (^_^)