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Of Moons, Birds & Monsters Lyrics
Why'd you cut holes in the face of the moon base?
Don't you know about the temperature change
In the cold black shadow?
Are you mad at your walls
Or hoping that an unknown force can repair things for you?
Pardon all the time that you've thrown into your pale grey garden?
If your ship will never come you gotta move along
Even a bird would want a taste of dirt from abyssal dark
The prick of a feather could make a kingdom burn and the bloodshed start
The falling apart
Made me a shadow in the shape of wonder
The waves of black
If she's going under I can hold my breath till the sky comes back
Or drown like a rat, rat, rat
He's a rat!
To catch a monster
We make a movie
Set the tempo
And cut and cut its brains out
It will inspire on the burning pyre
Half the distance
Half the motion
Communication
Is easy as the ocean
Don't you know about the temperature change
In the cold black shadow?
Are you mad at your walls
Or hoping that an unknown force can repair things for you?
Pardon all the time that you've thrown into your pale grey garden?
If your ship will never come you gotta move along
The prick of a feather could make a kingdom burn and the bloodshed start
The falling apart
Made me a shadow in the shape of wonder
The waves of black
If she's going under I can hold my breath till the sky comes back
Or drown like a rat, rat, rat
He's a rat!
We make a movie
Set the tempo
And cut and cut its brains out
It will inspire on the burning pyre
Half the distance
Half the motion
Communication
Is easy as the ocean
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I'll say what this song means to me...
This song is about getting so analytical in your own head, coming up with your own rules for how to interact with people, how to carry on just the right image, that you miss out on the things that are really important, all because you were working on your own "pale grey garden."
Also, as we're building our own gardens to show off to other people, we feel that something will come along to save us and turn all of our hard work around and reward us. This may be the ship that is being waited on. And when the ship doesn't come, you've gotta adapt, and let go of whatever you were waiting on, or you've got to take control of your life more.
you may get mad at your walls because they're the only ones that see the real you. They see everything: the loneliness, the boredom, the genuine love and concern....all the good and bad in you, and yet they have no comfort to offer, nothing to say.
Now, switching gears, I think the second verse is about a loss of identity in a coming world crisis.
"The prick of a feather could make a kingdom burn and bloodshed start." i see this as predicting that the world is approaching some kind of volatile instability, on the verge of revolution or complete chaos.
"The falling out made me a shadow in the shape of wonder." I feel this could refer to a complete existential crisis, where everything is stripped off of you into you barely exist but as a shadow. His extreme state of wonder and awe has turned him into a dumbfounded shadow. If that makes any sense.
If she's going under....I take this to mean him and the world he is in. If everything gets more chaotic, he's not always in control of the boat, but he'll ride it out.
I take the last bit about catching a monster to be some metaphor about art and the artist trying to capture beauty. The artist's struggle to capture monstrous beauty and dissect it into pieces.
And finally "communication is easy as the ocean." This is just a reminder of how easy and fluid communication can be when we let it flow in and out like the ocean.
But by far the best part of this song is the dreamy breakdown at the end of the song.
These are just random thoughts...my own connections. hope you enjoyed. I'd love some feedback.
I really agree with everything with sgr7447 said. It makes me think of all the people I know who spend so much time trying to make their myspace page make them out to be something that they aren't and trying to talk about themselves to paint a portrait of who they want to be rather than they actually are.
I really agree with everything with sgr7447 said. It makes me think of all the people I know who spend so much time trying to make their myspace page make them out to be something that they aren't and trying to talk about themselves to paint a portrait of who they want to be rather than they actually are.
I also thought of girls I'd dated who would talk on and on about themselves so much and lie about guys flirting with them and asking them out to make themselves appear really attractive.
I also thought of girls I'd dated who would talk on and on about themselves so much and lie about guys flirting with them and asking them out to make themselves appear really attractive.
All of that stuff rather than developing...
All of that stuff rather than developing an actual personality and meeting people.
Maybe it's also what that other guy said about it being in a shitty abusive relationship that is going nowhere.
Maybe it's about being in a shitty relationship, that is going nowhere and you keep waiting around for it to get better because you've spent so much time trying to keep it alive (all the time that you've thrown into your pale gray garden)
Maybe the pale gray garden is the shitty relationship that is withering away and dying but you keep tending to it, but anything will kill it and it's on the brink of chaos and falling apart. and the rest is about just perservering through all the shitty stuff in hopes that it'll repair itself as if my magic or divine intervention. I think I can hold my breath til the sky comes back or drown like a rat. I think is about perservering through the shitty relationship until the person returns to how they were when things were good, or maybe you will just drown by waste more time and drown like a rat in shitty emotion and depression. Maybe the waves of black is the depression or the feelings of complete anguish and sadness.
Even a bird would want a taste of dirt from abysall dark
I think it means, even somebody with complete freedom to do whatever they want would want to take their chances and give it up with somebody in hopes of it blossoming into love and a real relationship even if it means that you might have to take the chance of ending up with the worst feelings possible as a result of it not working out.
I think the last verses are about harvesting the inspiration you get from a relationship that is falling apart to make music/art.
I totally agree. To me, this song comes across very deep, and trying to address the condition of the vast majority of people. One part that spoke out to me.
I totally agree. To me, this song comes across very deep, and trying to address the condition of the vast majority of people. One part that spoke out to me.
To catch a monster We make a movie Set the tempo And cut and cut its brains out It will inspire on the burning pyre
To catch a monster We make a movie Set the tempo And cut and cut its brains out It will inspire on the burning pyre
My interpretation of this is that the monster represents what we fear in life, and in order to resolve our life's fears, we create things (art). "Set the tempo" is the creative process being controlled. The art ends up representing the killing of the...
My interpretation of this is that the monster represents what we fear in life, and in order to resolve our life's fears, we create things (art). "Set the tempo" is the creative process being controlled. The art ends up representing the killing of the monster, so it's not just catching the monster. I think it's trying to show this as the wrong way to create. The next line, "it will inspire on the burning pyre" is saying that this art is not art that truly inspires, and the only worth it has is to be burned and rejected.
So yeah. People create things but in the completely wrong way, and as art it has no worth. Just look at the movies that come out these days. Silly romantic comedies about woman never beeing able to find the right man, and in a spectacular fashion, she finally finds the right one. And you know how slf-pitying single women eat it up these movies... but they're contrite and made for making money, they're not meant to create something beautiful.
And along with the communication and letting it flow... maybe that's art, an attempt at communicating something special and true about life like our common fears to other people. Not using art as a way of trying to destroy the monster, which is not meaningful because it's destructive.
I hope it makes some sense! sometimes I'm a bit too philosophical.
A beautiful and spot-on interpretation by sgr7447. I think the following lines directly relate to one of the points they made:
A beautiful and spot-on interpretation by sgr7447. I think the following lines directly relate to one of the points they made:
"If your ship will never come, you gotta move along"
"If your ship will never come, you gotta move along"
"If she's going under I can hold my breath till the sky comes back, or drown like a rat"
"If she's going under I can hold my breath till the sky comes back, or drown like a rat"
I believe that the interpretation of both lines is very similar. You wait for something grand to come along and pluck you from an unfavourable situation. And whether it's "your ship" or "the sky", spending precious time waiting for something to happen is a waste of...
I believe that the interpretation of both lines is very similar. You wait for something grand to come along and pluck you from an unfavourable situation. And whether it's "your ship" or "the sky", spending precious time waiting for something to happen is a waste of life itself. You either "move along", adapt and take control of your own life without relying on some higher power (religious connotation?), or drown like a rat.
i agree with you too..especially with the interpretation of "the walls" :))
i agree with you too..especially with the interpretation of "the walls" :))
nice one man !! keep it up
nice one man !! keep it up
nice one man !! keep it up
nice one man !! keep it up
If the ship will never come you gotta move along
I was posting a lyric correction... THE instead of YOUR like it says in the lyrics. So before you go jumping to conclusions and posting your opinion about something I don't even care about, read carefully.
I was posting a lyric correction... THE instead of YOUR like it says in the lyrics. So before you go jumping to conclusions and posting your opinion about something I don't even care about, read carefully.
i think it means...how much are you willing to make things change in your life? you decide your own destiny. take control cuz its all in your hands. be the director of your own life.
I think that this song is trying to say that you have to take resposibility for your actions...good or bad and that even the smallest mistake can cause the worst chain of events. "The prick of a feather could make a kingdom burn and the bloodshed start." But im not sure thats just my "guess."
I think that this song is trying to say that you have to take resposibility for your actions...good or bad and that even the smallest mistake can cause the worst chain of events. "The prick of a feather could make a kingdom burn and the bloodshed start." But im not sure thats just my "guess."
Hoorah! Another MGMT masterpiece!
love me some MGMT
love me some MGMT
this song is an instruction manual on how to change the world.
this song is an instruction manual on how to change the world.
they see the world is going to shit and nobody doing anything about it because everyone feels that they can do nothing about it and the government not doing anything either.
they see the world is going to shit and nobody doing anything about it because everyone feels that they can do nothing about it and the government not doing anything either.
so they give the instructions
so they give the instructions
!.information will chanbe the world "a prick of a feather could make a kindom burn"
!.information will chanbe the world "a prick of a feather could make a kindom burn"
start="2">
so he shows how to catch a monster(globalization,globalwarming,etc) and that is to make a movie and tear that monster to shreads in it.
start="2">
so he shows how to catch a monster(globalization,globalwarming,etc) and that is to make a movie and tear that monster to shreads in it.
that will inspire "the burning pyre" and with "communication"(the...
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that will inspire "the burning pyre" and with "communication"(the internet)it will spread like wild fire.
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one of the best songs. i agree with most of you. I have another suggestion. I think it's about people who have neglected to take care of this beautiful, wonderful place that we were given. Also its like one is hiding in the shadows and knows its wrong, but they think some miracle is going to spwan out of the sky and fix global warming and clean the pollution. Though the Earth is still a unbelievably pretty place, the pale garden may symbolize the mess thats been made. When we should, like the indians, instead of take take take, use use use, we should give more than anything. That is because we were given this place, so we should make things even better and give back. there is no other way to fix things. So we have to move along in a more positive way. Because even a bird is used to the way we are and has adapted to the way we are. So its only making things worse. the person is like " i've been wondering when its goin to stop. if we could just wake up and learn to communicate with one another (which communication is easy and not rocket science) around the world and we could establish change and can pic mother earth back up. But if we dont then its our loss and anyways y would we selfishly risk the consequences and ruin such a lovely place.
Agreed... you have the best suggestion so far.
Agreed... you have the best suggestion so far.
Communication. It's easy as the ocean.
It is about moons, birds, and monsters
Good thinking yo
Good thinking yo
Wow. One of thee best songs i've ever heard from MGMT!
I think it means You should let yourself be the director of your own life movie, and when something in your life goes wrong...just move on and get the good out of the rest of your life!
This song really really reminds me of House of Leaves, the book. Does anyone else get this vibe...
it's like the butterfly effect thing; the feather which can make blah blah blah etc. Awesome song.
Good catch.
Good catch.