Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
In a dream that I cant seem to shake she is standing alone.
By the fence I see tears in her eyes,
why she cries, I just dont know.
What a mess that I make of my days.
Then theres you, you're a mess to be made.
The dream starts to fade away..
So youre leaving for months at a time,
I'll help you out the door.
Once your gone I'll just stare out the window.
Please could you please come back home.
What a mess that I make of my days,
trying to save myself, save myself.
Then theres you, your a mess to be made.
a canvas only paint could change.
And a voice on the other end of the phone,
says, "why dont you write a song about it."
Well here it goes.
I was raised on something that you'll never know.
Id' hate this place if it werent for the waves,
if it werent for the fact that you love it. Where they measure a man on the money he spends,
well my love is not a bank statement.
What a mess that i make of my days,
trying to save myself, save myself.
Then theres you, you're a mess to be made,
a mess to be made, a mess to be made,
and the dream starts to fade away.
By the fence I see tears in her eyes,
why she cries, I just dont know.
What a mess that I make of my days.
Then theres you, you're a mess to be made.
The dream starts to fade away..
So youre leaving for months at a time,
I'll help you out the door.
Once your gone I'll just stare out the window.
Please could you please come back home.
What a mess that I make of my days,
trying to save myself, save myself.
Then theres you, your a mess to be made.
a canvas only paint could change.
And a voice on the other end of the phone,
says, "why dont you write a song about it."
Well here it goes.
I was raised on something that you'll never know.
Id' hate this place if it werent for the waves,
if it werent for the fact that you love it. Where they measure a man on the money he spends,
well my love is not a bank statement.
What a mess that i make of my days,
trying to save myself, save myself.
Then theres you, you're a mess to be made,
a mess to be made, a mess to be made,
and the dream starts to fade away.
Lyrics submitted by jessay
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Amazing
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Zombie
Cranberries, The
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
isn't it "well my life is not a bank statement"? i dunno maybe i'm just smokin. but this is a great song either way!
i think its "my heart..." but i always felt this song is about a couple who has little feudes while they are together, and need to be apart(so your leaving for months at a time, i'll help you out the door) but when they have to be apart they miss eachother very much (once your gone i just stare out the window, please wont you please come back home), and their relationship is kindof a mess, but its holding together so far. actually i guess its written from one persons point of view so maybe only one of them is doing the pining (check spelling) but either way thats what it means to me. i like the fact that its in 3/4 time too...their arent enough songs like that today...lots of 6/8 but no 3/4 really.
i think its "my heart..." but i always felt this song is about a couple who has little feudes while they are together, and need to be apart(so your leaving for months at a time, i'll help you out the door) but when they have to be apart they miss eachother very much (once your gone i just stare out the window, please wont you please come back home), and their relationship is kindof a mess, but its holding together so far. actually i guess its written from one persons point of view so maybe only one of them is doing the pining (check spelling) but either way thats what it means to me. i like the fact that its in 3/4 time too...their arent enough songs like that today...lots of 6/8 but no 3/4 really.
It's about an ex who liked the place where they were living, where you are judged by what you own & how much he hates it but whill stay there for her sake. the part about being on the phone & "go and write a song about it" was written about the phone call Nate had with her & one of her friends in the background screamed that to him.
"so you're leavin for months at a time"
i love the format. gorgeous lyrics and songs.
"you're a mess to be made"
ughh
I'm not sure if this is what is meant, but "a mess to be made" could refer to the mistakes the person has not made yet...and he obviously has made a mess of his days, and doesn't want to screw up her life like he's screwed up his. She leaves because he has trouble really connecting in the relationship when he's so afraid he'll hurt her (and thus in his dream, she's all alone with tears in her eyes), and she can't take it. So he helps her out the door, he knows he's not a good thing in her life, but when she gone he just thinks about her and wants her back. No one else really sees him as a screw-up like he sees himself, since he's doing fine financially. But he knows that his life is so much more than numbers on paper.
the part that says "Id' hate this place if it werent for the waves, if it werent for the fact that you love it. Where they measure a man on the money he spends, well my love is not a bank statement."
is about his girlfriend and california. he hates california.
more specifically, about san diego. i just moved to san diego and put this song on a mix for my boyfriend, why does the format always describe my life so perfectly? i love this song.
This is one of my favorite songs by the Format.
First of all, I always hear the start of the second verse as "So you're leaving, four months at a time," which to me means that the girl he's singing to is a student who goes away for entire semesters.
"I'll help you out the door," goes along with this because he knows she has to go, but can't let her go. "Once you're gone I'll just stare out the window, please could you please come back home?"
It reminds me a lot of my relationship. My girlfriend and I go to separate schools in different towns, and watching her leave to go back to school is one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do.
"In a dream that I can't seem to shake she is, she is standing alone," is his insecurity. He's terrified their relationship is going to end because of the distance, and all he can see is them each ending up alone.
"What a mess that I make of my days, trying to save myself, save myself. Then theres you, your a mess to be made." I see this as his admission that he's having trouble dealing with the separation. His life is crumbling because all he can think of is the pain, and he sees her as having a high chance of leaving him, or finding someone else, giving her a reason to leave him: "A mess to be made."
Anyway, this song is to me the story of my initial fears before my girlfriend and I began the 'long distance' stage of our relationship. Insecurity and unfamiliar distance are both very frightening and uncomfortable aspects to add to a relationship, no matter how much you love someone.
Hope someone got something out of this (my first) contribution to this site.
Cheers.
I don't think it's really about four months at a time but I love your interpretation all the more, I am very much in the same exact situation as you and I wish she could just come back home, I play this song on repeat constantly thinking about her and the whole "Insecurity and unfamiliar distance are both very frightening and uncomfortable aspects to add to a relationship, no matter how much you love someone. " is just spot on, go SteveRahey!