A Little Better

This song is about how trials can bring you feelings of a higher quality than the ones you've had before. Compare to the song "Finer Feelings" by Spoon. "you dont' have to be grown to go" he learned at a young age to feel deeper things than he had before. Corey Austin once said "If you want to give a man a muse, stab him with a knife and twist." and it holds true for many artists. He says that he's had pain in him, but it's given him a sense of purpose-- he's going to do big things (which is probably what he's doing singing) and says "The circumstances put soul in me... I've got a heart made of gold in me" Overall, he realizes that he needed to go through the fire in order to refine himself. He feels better about his trials, because he realizes they had a purpose. After all the world has done, he's come out alive, and he's optimistic about it.

Not only best song on the CD, this is the best Gnarls Barkley song period.

This whole album is about a descent into madness and this is the last song. Think about the hit song, "Crazy." This is the aftermath (or maybe the prequel). There seem to be a lot of drug references (Run) and suicide references (surprise, would be killer) throughout the album-- loneliness and turning to drugs. This song seems to be the last moments before death. Making peace with everyone, saying goodbyes (Thank you mom and dad, for hurting me so bad, but you're the best I ever had). Its a little better because there's an escape, ending life and going back to the lowely dirt and the sun.

Or it could be about drugs again. Getting high one more time (What would be on your mind if you knew you was dying? I would wanna just feel this one more time). Also "refuse to die in vein" not "vain."

Or it could just be a happy ending. After all the loneliness, everything is a just little better, one step at a time. But that makes no sense with the rest of the album. No song transitions into happiness. "Neighbor" the song before this, is about trying to make a new friend but they never came back, so the loneliness returns. There's not a happy ending to this tale.

So basically, I think it's about dying, about looking back on the pain in life and knowing that it can't hurt you anymore. Have mercy.

i think its abt not a happy, but a better ending, even though alot of the stuff is sad a crazy, their is alway an element of optimisim somewhere..the better ending, well i ont know wat it is, maybe a realization of everything that has happened in life a seein how everything comes full circle...or one of susietenors' theories

xerosoft said is very well, i believe the song means the same.

I agree mostly with everyone has already said. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best song on the album, and it probably moves me the most as well. This almost sounds like a final farewell of a dying man. There doesn't appear to be regret in this song, but rather resilience and content. even during the hard times of his life, he is thankful because they made him stronger. Incredible song!

i think cee-lo is trying to get across the point that we go thru life hating and avoiding the 'bad' stuff, then in essence coming back to thank it when it brings about something 'good' or..better. i think hes trying to show the absurdity and insanity of REALIZING this simple truth and yet remaining to be angered or otherwise emotionally disturbed when "negative" events transpire in our lives. furthermore , i dont think this song is just recognizing this aspect of humanity, i think he prods us and himself onwards to show that their is another way to experience life in which we dont just have to go through pain to get to the good; i think him, like alot of other great spiritual minds, is telling us that we can become aware of this process and in effect, escape the personal tragedies that we all think are just facts of life. it's obvious to me this song isn't merely just about going through pain and feeling better that you made it, it sheds wisdom on the situation and gives an alternative when it says-- "everything's fine, take your time, what would be on your mind, if you knew you were dying, I would wanna just feel this one more time". then he ends the song with THANKING his mom and dad who hurt him so bad, because he recognizes that the pain they inflicted on him brought him to the awareness that good and bad are inseperable....good neither being good nor bad , and bad neither being bad nor good, merely just a judgement in our own minds. Gracias Senior Barkley.....

stop making simple things in life so complex. its about the loss of his parents... THE END