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.
Your mind's a machine
It's deadly and dull
It's never been still and its will
Has never been free
Lightly tapping
A high-pitched drum
As your spine starts to shine
You shiver at your soul
A fist so clear and climbing
Punches a hole
In the sky
So you can see
For yourself
If you don't believe me
There's so much less
To this than you think
It's almost gone
The night is dissolving
In a cup God lifts
To toast the lightning
Lightly tapping
It's high-pitched and it hums
Your spine starts to shine
And you shiver at your soul
A fist so clear and climbing
Punches a hole
In the sky
So you can see
For yourself
If you don't believe me
There's so much less
To this than you think
It's deadly and dull
It's never been still and its will
Has never been free
Lightly tapping
A high-pitched drum
As your spine starts to shine
You shiver at your soul
A fist so clear and climbing
Punches a hole
In the sky
So you can see
For yourself
If you don't believe me
There's so much less
To this than you think
It's almost gone
The night is dissolving
In a cup God lifts
To toast the lightning
Lightly tapping
It's high-pitched and it hums
Your spine starts to shine
And you shiver at your soul
A fist so clear and climbing
Punches a hole
In the sky
So you can see
For yourself
If you don't believe me
There's so much less
To this than you think
Lyrics submitted by eastcidskl
Less Than You Think Lyrics as written by Jeffrey Scot Tweedy Glenn Kotche
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The narrator would like to punch a hole in the sky so you can see for yourself that there isn't anything there. There is no heaven...it's just life here on earth and that's it. There's isn't much more to it. "There's so much less to this than you think"
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Great post! You said almost everything I was going to say. Right on! There was one thing I interpreted differently, though. <br /> <br /> "Your spine starts to shine<br /> And you shiver at your soul<br /> A fist so clear and climbing<br /> Punches a hole<br /> In the sky <br /> So you can see <br /> For yourself <br /> If you don't believe me"<br /> <br /> I think the "spine starts to shine and you shiver at your soul" line is the dawning of a realization that there's likely no god. The "fist so clear and climbing" is that realization, and to me, I think the "fist" is reason. When you take the time to apply reason to the notion of a god, I think the whole idea crumbles or "punches a hole in the sky". Then the line "so you can see for yourself if you don't believe me" means that we all possess the ability to reason things out, so you don't have to take someone else's word for it. To me, he's saying just think about it for yourself if you don't believe.<br /> <br /> I didn't realize that the drone at the end was supposed to be a migraine, but I like that. The first time I listened to it, it gave me a little bit of a headache. I don't know about Jeff's spiritual views, but from all of his music that I've heard, he sounds at least skeptical, if not an atheist. Maybe experiencing such pain made him question the existence of a god.<br /> <br /> Having said all of that, what I love about this song (and all of Wilco's music, really) is how it can be interpreted in such personal ways. After reading about the migraines, I think this song is much more narrow in focus than debating the existence of god, but I hear a lot of atheistic themes in his music. I admit this could be because I'm an atheist and my spirituality is very important to me, so I'm hearing it through the filter of my own meaning. But either way, I love that I can read what he meant a song to be about, but then take away my own personal meaning, too. My Morning Jacket is another great band that does this really well.