Shout Lyrics
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
You shouldn't have to sell your soul
In black and white
They really, really ought to know
Those one track minds
That took you for a working boy
Kiss them goodbye
You shouldn't have to jump for joy
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
And in return you gave them hell
As cold as ice
I hope we live to tell the tale
I hope we live to tell the tale
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
If I could change your mind
I'd really love to break your heart
I'd really love to break your heart
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
Not that these interpretations haven't been fun to read, but when it comes to the bands actual interpretation & motivation for this song - you're all wrong.
A lot of people think that 'Shout' is just another song about primal scream theory, continuing the themes of the first album. It is actually more concerned with political protest. It came out in 1984 when a lot of people were still worried about the aftermath of The Cold War and it was basically an encouragement to protest.
–Roland Orzabal
It concerns protest inasmuch as it encourages people not to do things without actually questioning them. People act without thinking because that's just the way things go in society. So it's a general song, about the way the public accepts any old grief which is thrown at them.
–Curt SmithI agree, this is pretty much a general song. Orzabal did say he wrote this as a protest song and for him he found it therapeutic to sing "these are the things I could do without". It could be a lot of things but it's a general song basically to protest of things that seem to pose a danger to quality of life and it just so happen that at that time "nuclear weapons" definitely were one of the things people could do without. In the present time, the list of things people could do without would probably be longer...
I agree, this is pretty much a general song. Orzabal did say he wrote this as a protest song and for him he found it therapeutic to sing "these are the things I could do without". It could be a lot of things but it's a general song basically to protest of things that seem to pose a danger to quality of life and it just so happen that at that time "nuclear weapons" definitely were one of the things people could do without. In the present time, the list of things people could do without would probably be longer as ironically there are more b.s. today.
@quietwar I would like to add that the meaning of a SONG (!!!) could AND SHOULD be helped to be interpreted BY THE MUSIC; it eases to avoid to be misguided by the often shortness of the lyrics. And here, the protest, the rebellion against stereotypes ('We are the good ones, the red-skinned then bad ones!" "Anyone disagrees is a communist, communists are devils, devils exist like god does [!!!], we have to eliminate devils and not believers!".... doesn't ISIS guys state the same? ;-) ) and 'proper, polite, respectful behaviour' towards elders, authorities, angry pastors, puritans, believers, inhuman judges and...
@quietwar I would like to add that the meaning of a SONG (!!!) could AND SHOULD be helped to be interpreted BY THE MUSIC; it eases to avoid to be misguided by the often shortness of the lyrics. And here, the protest, the rebellion against stereotypes ('We are the good ones, the red-skinned then bad ones!" "Anyone disagrees is a communist, communists are devils, devils exist like god does [!!!], we have to eliminate devils and not believers!".... doesn't ISIS guys state the same? ;-) ) and 'proper, polite, respectful behaviour' towards elders, authorities, angry pastors, puritans, believers, inhuman judges and laws made to impose the control. A 'self control' that resamble a 'self castration!
Actually I think MadShanghai is mostly right - this song is about a primal scream therapy encounter. Basically, during primal scream therapy, one lets go of every impluse and emotion with every thought. If you feel angry about something, frustrated, then you act it out instead of just talking about it. The idea is that if we let go of our repressed emotions which civilization places upon us (a Freudian idea that is also adapted by many other psychological trains of thought) then we can move on from these childish fears and wants that are holding us back and realize our true adult selves. This song talks about letting go of our childhood problems in shouts of anger, letting it all out.
Like most fad therapies, most experts think this is another bunk idea. Tears for Fears talked a lot about repression and subconscious desires in their songs, even on "Call Me Mellow" on their new album. Since a lot of people think this is just wussie-hippie-in-touch-with-feelings stuff, they think Tears For Fears are a bunch of wussies too. I also believe that most counterculture ideals are well-intentioned but often wrong about many things, and Tears for Fears kind of represents the psychological aspect of the counterculture. Well, actually their music is pretty good despite the fact that their lyrics are annoying sometimes, and if you just take the lyrics for their camp value in the parts that annoy you then it's not so bad anyway.
It's a song illustrating the way people keep all their feelings bottled up and act like everything's okay and how they don't agree with that, hence the lyrics "Shout, shout. Let it all out. These are the things I can do without." and the end of the song, "I'd really love to break your heart." shows how when someone actually finds another person in to confide in they just let them down. That's what the song means to me, and if I can derive a meaning like that from a few simple quotes, imagine all the other meanings people can think of then it's hardly a song written by "a bunch of wussies" but if you want to view everything thing in a simplistic manner like that then that's your problem.
Just so you know uchihasasuke, you can find the lyrics from the official album and IT IS working boy not working whore.
to me, this song is about coming out to your parents and the world.
"If i could change your mind i'd really love to break your heart"
that part--i think--means that the person hurting him--he cared for them before, but now they just hurt him and they hate him and the feeling's perfectly mutual. so he'd like to change their mind, have them love him again, so that he could break their heart like they did to him.
"these are things i could do without"
that part is so beautiful, i don't really understadn it, but i think he's saying, all the things he'll lose the in the process of "shouting", saying what he thinks, speaking his mind, are all things he can do without; after all, if someone was really important to him, they'd love him enough not to turn their back on him.
"in violent times you shouldn't have to sell your soul"
maybe an abusive parent? viloent times, but he shouldn't have to be someone he's not because of it.
"in black.... ought to know"
in simple terms, they should know how you feel, or at least try to understand.
"those one...working boy"
thoose simple minded people who think gay kids all become rent boys, cuz 'society' won't accept them or something.
"kiss them goodbye"
you shouldn't have to put up with that crap.
"they gave...to tell the tale"
i think this is from parents' point of view, or at least quoteing it, like they're always saying, "I GAVE BIRHT TO YOU" and like, "YOU OWE ME EVERYTHING" sort of arguement. ad in return they're gving them hell, making them decide what to do with you.
that's my take.
They wrote this masterpiece in response to something John Lennon said.
Is laying in a room screaming at the top of your lungs really considered a wuss move? I always thought of primal therapy as being more of a man's-man, macho type of psychotherapy. Got problems? Why talk? Scream about them until you feel better! That said I think there's a bit more to this song than that, but not a whole lot more. I don't think Tears For Fears songs necessarily reward deep analysis or deconstruction; they usually just have one line that sums up the whole song (often the title) and a couple verses that elaborate on the theme. That's not a bad thing, though: that's why they're so timeless and great. The drums on this song are f-ing massive.
This song reminds me of my brother who is in prison. Not the chorus parts. -'In violent times' stanza makes me think of how some people may sell their own life for fame and fortune. And how the law is black and white. And is not meant for any interpretations. How sometimes, no matter how many 'one track minds' (honest workers) you meet, a lot of convicts kiss them goodbye because they are stuck in their old ways. --Next non chorus stanza makes me think of an inmate's parents when they are incarcerated. Sometimes, inmates begin to antagonize their parents. Cold as ice. --- Next non chorus stanza makes me think that an inmates parents believe them when they come out and say they've changed but that ends up not being true. This is obviously my lone personal stance on the song's lyrics. Not THE interpretation. I like to think of the lyrics this way simply because it reminds me of my idiot brother.
@joel693253 This is beyond what I could have conjured myself. But I absolutely love how this song speaks a story for you that is so personal. Thank you for taking the time to tap it out here. I think TFF is really good at acknowledging the suffering humans endure. I don’t understand how some ppl here have dismissed their lyrics as annoying, or anything trivial. I think their lyrics are artful in that they give a clue to the true meaning, but leave room for interpretation. One of the rare qualities of TFF, that a lot of ppl don’t recognize...
@joel693253 This is beyond what I could have conjured myself. But I absolutely love how this song speaks a story for you that is so personal. Thank you for taking the time to tap it out here. I think TFF is really good at acknowledging the suffering humans endure. I don’t understand how some ppl here have dismissed their lyrics as annoying, or anything trivial. I think their lyrics are artful in that they give a clue to the true meaning, but leave room for interpretation. One of the rare qualities of TFF, that a lot of ppl don’t recognize is the authenticity of this music. I feel their personal essence is in everything they write, which is easily over shadowed by their charting songs. What I mean is, there is a rare authenticity in the writing. The Hurting is a masterpiece, and I’m happy to have experienced it in real time, before they blew up. I’ve been revisiting these albums, and for me they really stand up without being ‘annoying’ in any way, (despite having a serious 80’s sound). For a moment, having TheHurting album was a secret handshake.. and maybe still is to some degree. I hope your brother is thriving and finding his place in the world.
This song is about a dad fucking screaming in his sons face then beating the shit out of him.
Getting fed up and disillusioned with life. Wanting to express your anger and frustration in the most liberating, universal way: throwing a temper tantrum.
;)
I actually love this song and stand by my interpretation. Not the temper tantrum bit, that was just me being silly, but the general idea yeah.
I haven't had time to read all the other interpretations and think about them, and I may not get to that soon. I like yours, though, from a personal view. For me, it's a way to purge out all the anger and violence we all have the seeds of in us. That way, you won't act on them. Get it all out - These are the things I can do without. Repressing emotion isn't good at all. In some kinds of meditation it's called "purifying". I only know a couple of their songs,...
I haven't had time to read all the other interpretations and think about them, and I may not get to that soon. I like yours, though, from a personal view. For me, it's a way to purge out all the anger and violence we all have the seeds of in us. That way, you won't act on them. Get it all out - These are the things I can do without. Repressing emotion isn't good at all. In some kinds of meditation it's called "purifying". I only know a couple of their songs, but I really like them. Joni Mitchell (who's music I really love) said she really liked Tears of Fears I once read. A LOT of her music expresses tremendous anger, and outrage. It's been too intense for me and took me a long time before I could process it, but it really helped. Good examples are "Ethiopia", and that whole "Turbulent Indigo" recording. I really do care about the larger issues and have always been involved in constructive things. But everything starts with the personal side of it. So, I'll read the others when I have time, but I like yours a lot.
I don't use this site enough. I guess you can't edit replies. Sorry about the bad prose in my reply. I often go out and walk and run - anything to burn off this intensity I have inside me. And going to a place where you can sing along with songs like this (where you won't disturb others) is sometimes incredibly helpful. To me, selling my soul is to be a person who Plots and manipulates, and will use the anger someone else expresses against them - this happens frequently in a context such as litigation,...
I don't use this site enough. I guess you can't edit replies. Sorry about the bad prose in my reply. I often go out and walk and run - anything to burn off this intensity I have inside me. And going to a place where you can sing along with songs like this (where you won't disturb others) is sometimes incredibly helpful. To me, selling my soul is to be a person who Plots and manipulates, and will use the anger someone else expresses against them - this happens frequently in a context such as litigation, or employment. Anger isn't acceptable, but it's much more genuine.. In general, I trust people who are emotional a lot more than people who are quiet and "conventional". I'm genuinely frustrated I can't write more clearly and don't have patience with that now.