Painted by Numbers

This is one of my favorite songs... I'm not quite sure what its about. Possibly lying? Or maybe things being set in stone? I have no clue.

The guy believes that he loves her, she knows she doesn't love him, but his attention is enough for her to get by. She's using him, he believes he loves her, but he really doesn't and she knows he is oblivious but she doesn't tell him...what a bitch.

I love this song - definitly my favourite by The Sounds. I agree with your analysis , but what exactly does 'painted by numbers' mean as a phrase?

I think this song is pretty self-explanatory. The phrase "painted by numbers" means to be judged as a number, not as a seperate person - being made into a stereotype. It's about how people look at someone and then automatically judge everything about them.

We'll be the same tomorrow 'Cause we all been painted by numbers We're dancin' as we borrow You said it was love I said I'd like you to be mine

I think that verse is talking about how the writer doesn't care because people will always judge like that so why get angry about it, and "dancing as we borrow" means that they're just fine being judged even as they change because they don't care what the judging ones think. I'm not sure what the last two lines of that verse mean, but that's my guess of the song.

by numbers: following a set of simple instructions identified by numbers (example: painting by numbers)

source: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

I love this song so much it's ridiculous.

i think that painted by numbers (like those things you get in a box where you paint pictures by van gogh bu numbers) means that even though wee different underneath it all were just the same ...the song is about people using each other they both need someone and they just useing each other out of convenience....and she cant denie that ther is something between them but its not enough and she isnt willing to continue the charade but he is he just puts a smile on his face ...and she is just singing a song of sorrow bacuase tomorrow it will be the same

'painted by numbers' refers to specific shades of a certain color according to numbers on the paint bottle

this song is about a chic's view point on her relationship with someone who claims thier in love but really hes in it alone. the lyric "we'll be the same tomorrow" is how they want to make the relationship mean more but it wont get any better because its the people that make a relationship. and the lyrics "cause we all been painted by numbers" goes with the theory that there is someone for everyone. that we all have our numbers and the person who has the same number is meant to be. thats my take on this song anyhow

It's a tune whatever it means.

I think there's a few ways of looking at it - most of which have already been covered.