I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Meow, meow, meow.
Now, just like everbody, you've got troubles of your own,
But let me tell you, mister, of the sorrow I have known.
I had an old, gray cat that I couldn't bear to keep.
He spent the nights a-howlin' and he wouldn't let me sleep.
So I put him in a box and I tied it up quite well.
I had some fellas help me and I paid them not to tell.
They put it in a boxcar, the westbound 710.
The train pulled away and was never seen again.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
We took him to the harbor and we put him on a ship.
We bid him, "Bon voyage," for that oceanic trip.
The captain was obliging and glad to help us out.
They tied him to the anchor so that there could be no doubt.
Well, we heard the sad report of that mighty storm at sea
And, though it may sound heartless, I was happy as can be.
The paper said the ship went down beneath a heavy gale
And not a single soul was left to tell the awful tale.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
Then we gave him to a scientist destined for the moon.
The cat was used for ballast in an outer space balloon.
I guess you know what happened, that balloon is up there still
And early that next morning, guess what came across the hill.
Meow, that's right.
Now, everyone in town was sworn to shoot that cat on sight.
With that crazy cat around, you couldn't sleep at night.
We even formed a posse just to hunt that critter down.
You could hear the guns a-blazin' as we ran him out of town.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
Here's the moral to our story: When looking for a friend,
If you get an old, gray cat, he's yours until the end.
You'll never drag him off, no matter what you do.
Bear in mind this dreadful tale that we have told to you.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
Now, just like everbody, you've got troubles of your own,
But let me tell you, mister, of the sorrow I have known.
I had an old, gray cat that I couldn't bear to keep.
He spent the nights a-howlin' and he wouldn't let me sleep.
So I put him in a box and I tied it up quite well.
I had some fellas help me and I paid them not to tell.
They put it in a boxcar, the westbound 710.
The train pulled away and was never seen again.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
We took him to the harbor and we put him on a ship.
We bid him, "Bon voyage," for that oceanic trip.
The captain was obliging and glad to help us out.
They tied him to the anchor so that there could be no doubt.
Well, we heard the sad report of that mighty storm at sea
And, though it may sound heartless, I was happy as can be.
The paper said the ship went down beneath a heavy gale
And not a single soul was left to tell the awful tale.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
Then we gave him to a scientist destined for the moon.
The cat was used for ballast in an outer space balloon.
I guess you know what happened, that balloon is up there still
And early that next morning, guess what came across the hill.
Meow, that's right.
Now, everyone in town was sworn to shoot that cat on sight.
With that crazy cat around, you couldn't sleep at night.
We even formed a posse just to hunt that critter down.
You could hear the guns a-blazin' as we ran him out of town.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
Here's the moral to our story: When looking for a friend,
If you get an old, gray cat, he's yours until the end.
You'll never drag him off, no matter what you do.
Bear in mind this dreadful tale that we have told to you.
But the cat came back the very next day.
Yes, the cat came back and he wouldn't stay away.
Meow, kitty. Meow, so pretty.
Meow, such a pity, but the cat came back.
Lyrics submitted by SurfingHobo, edited by greg29
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Dreamwalker
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Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
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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.
Head > Heels
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Ed Sheeran
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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.
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This song was written by Randy Sparks, not Lalo Schifrin. Randy is mad as hell, so you had better get it right.