Won't you look up at the skyline?
At the mortar, block, and glass
And check out the reflections in my eyes
You see they always used to be there
Even when this was all was grass
And I sang and danced about a high-rise

And you were laughing at my helmet hat
Laughing at my torch

Well, go ahead, you can laugh all you want
I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I trust it like the ground (ground)
And that's why my philosophy (my phil')
It keeps me walking when I'm falling down ('osophy)

I see that there is evil
And I know that there is good
Now the in-betweens, I never understood
Would you look at me? I'm crazy
But I get the job done
Yeah, I'm crazy but I get the job done

And I say, go ahead, you can laugh all you want
But I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I trust it like the ground (ground)
And that's why my philosophy (my phil')
It keeps me walking when I'm falling down ('osophy)

I pushed you 'cause I loved you guys
I didn't realize
You weren't having fun
And I dragged you up the stairs
And I told you to fly
You were flapping your arms
You started to cry, you were too high
No, too high

You may take this all for granted
You take the mortar, block, and glass
And you forget the speech that moved the stone
But it's really not that you can't see
The forest from the trees
You never been out in the woods alone

So you can laugh all you want to
But I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I love you, you're my friend (friend)
But you got no philosophy (my phil')
And now it's time for the song to end ('osophy)

(Count that bitch off, somebody)
(You count it off)
(Scream it) (we're Swervedriver, where's the party?

(One, two, thee four)


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Philosophy Lyrics as written by Ben Folds

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Philosophy song meanings
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48 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    Cna't believe no one gets this one., It's about freedom (our nations's philosophy) as inspired by the statue of liberty (eyes, helmut hat, torch, etc.) and how some people don't fully get it / respect it all.

    larry520on September 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Sadly, this song is inspirational to me. It's really one of those songs that can make you happy, no matter what kind of mood you're in. Great!

    XkannenXon December 09, 2001   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Haha.. I love this song too. It's so.... confident. Ben's piano playing is so awesome. (I'm envious! hehe) There is this one part in the song that sounds a lot like a part from Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue... It's during the instrumental part at the very end of the song.

    anna118kon March 13, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    lol. In the cover pamphlet thing in the "Naked Baby Photos" album, Ben writes in there, that it's a song about his penis, if you want it to be.. . I doubt it too though. I think he was just joking.... in the music (Keyboard Signature Licks) book, the guy Todd Lowry explains it's about the construction/architecht person yada yada.. what you would typically think.

    anna118kon April 12, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The lyrics of this song make me think of the character Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. It fits almost too perfectly to be coincidence.

    Fish-chanon May 17, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this verse:

    I pushed you cause I loved you guys I didn't realize That you weren't having fun And I dragged you up the stairs And I told you to fly You were flapping your arms Then you started to cry, you were too high

    doesn't go with what i thought the song meant -- someone who does what he wants even though people are laughing at him. can anyone connect it for me?

    emmychloeon May 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think that part is just describing how he's trying to get his friends to take chances and have their own philosophies, but they are too used to conforming with the crowd...hence the line " You just never been out in the woods alone" Does that make sense? just my opinion

    Rosesion May 29, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ohh okay, now i get it. thanks, rosesi

    emmychloeon May 31, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I heard it was about his penis too, and if you look at it, it really works, but I bet he was just joking because the first verse doesn't seem to work, unless i am looking at it the wrong way...

    ChampionshipVinylon July 24, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    well all i want to say is that the version of this on 'ben folds live' is glorious where he adds 'misirlou' for like ever at the end. totally worth buying the cd if only for that!

    coughatwhoeveron October 14, 2002   Link

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