@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Good arms versus bad arms will win hands down down
They are built to hold and fit, look how far they go around
You don't need these now that you've found another pair
And the difference is astounding, i should expect
Except leave the rest at arm's length
Keep your naked flesh under your favorite dress
And leave the rest at arm's length
When they reach out, don't touch them, don't touch them
I decided this decision some six months ago
So i'll stick to my guns, but from now on it's war
I am armed with the past and the will and a brick
I might not want you back, but i want to kill him
And leave the rest at arm's length
Keep your naked flesh under your favorite dress
And leave the rest at arm's length
When they reach out, don't touch them, don't touch them
And leave the rest at arm's length
Don't brush with him, he might have diseases
And leave the rest at arm's length
Steer clear of the grasp, girl -- run, run, away
And leave the rest at arm's length
Just roll over boy and don't make me do this
And leave the rest at arm's length
I am armed to the teeth and i'm heavy set
And leave the rest at arm's length
I'm not ready to see you this happy
And leave the rest at arm's length
I'm still in love with you, can't admit it yet
They are built to hold and fit, look how far they go around
You don't need these now that you've found another pair
And the difference is astounding, i should expect
Except leave the rest at arm's length
Keep your naked flesh under your favorite dress
And leave the rest at arm's length
When they reach out, don't touch them, don't touch them
I decided this decision some six months ago
So i'll stick to my guns, but from now on it's war
I am armed with the past and the will and a brick
I might not want you back, but i want to kill him
And leave the rest at arm's length
Keep your naked flesh under your favorite dress
And leave the rest at arm's length
When they reach out, don't touch them, don't touch them
And leave the rest at arm's length
Don't brush with him, he might have diseases
And leave the rest at arm's length
Steer clear of the grasp, girl -- run, run, away
And leave the rest at arm's length
Just roll over boy and don't make me do this
And leave the rest at arm's length
I am armed to the teeth and i'm heavy set
And leave the rest at arm's length
I'm not ready to see you this happy
And leave the rest at arm's length
I'm still in love with you, can't admit it yet
Lyrics submitted by calvins_hobbies, edited by smallwonderrobot, brisingr47
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings

Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees

No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.

Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.

Somewhere Only We Know
Keane
Keane
Per the FAQ on Keane's website, Keane's drummer Richard Hughes, stated the following:
"We've been asked whether "Somewhere Only We Know" is about a specific place, and Tim has been saying that, for him, or us as individuals, it might be about a geographical space, or a feeling; it can mean something individual to each person, and they can interpret it to a memory of theirs... It's perhaps more of a theme rather than a specific message... Feelings that may be universal, without necessarily being totally specific to us, or a place, or a time..."
With the nostalgic sentiment and the overall tone of the song, I think Keane is attempting to express a Portuguese term known as 'saudade', which does not have a direct English translation but roughly means "that which we remember because it is gone."

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.
found out his ex has a new bf still has feelings for her imagines her in other dudes arms imagines smashing dude and taking girl back
I agree with what everyone else has said. Maybe it's just me but I LOVE how he uses the word arms in three different contexts:
"you don't need these now that you've found another pair"- his physical arms, she doesn't need to be held by him anymore because she has someone new
"leave the rest at arm's length"- distance
"I am armed with the past, and the will, and a brick"- these are his weapons
This is one of my favorite songs ever! Amazing band!
Remarkable.
Thank you! :D <br /> <br /> I just noticed something else clever..."so i'll stick to my guns, but from now on it's war"- guns- another term for arms, and also he'll hold to his convictions. I don't know if Scott does this intentionally, but either way I find it genius!
This is a great song and there are some great comments already, but I thought I'd toss in my two cents. I think Good Arms vs. Bad Arms refers in part to his two natures, the side of him that wants his ex-love back (back in his arms' embrace), and the side that wants to grab the guy she's with and beat him senseless. And so the song is about wrestling with those two opposite emotions, the little good angel on one shoulder and the little devil on the other. These hands can give love or they can give pain, and he don't know which one he wants more.
The repeating "arms" motif recurs again when he expresses the need to keep both of them "at arm's length," or far enough way that something becomes not immediately reachable. He doesn't want to get to close. For his ex, it's because he remembers her flesh too clearly, because seeing her brings up too many painful memories. He still wants her and he can't have her. He wants to touch her but he cannot. And the reason he has to keep her man away is because he's afraid he might "kill" the guy, or at least beat him senseless.
The middle of the song swells with rage. The arms are now munitions. War is declared. The path of anger seems the clearer one. He doesn't know if he wants her back, but he does know that he hates him. Is that the solution then?
The final act is the confrontation. The first time he actually has to walk up to the two of them and smile. Can he keep his cool or is something going to give? It's a flash of images. Him beating the guy, telling him to roll over and not fight back. Him looking at his ex, seeing her happy and hating it. Realizing that he still loves her. All the while still keeping everything at arms length. He hasn't given in yet. He's still keeping his cool. But he's right there on the edge, about to snap.
And then the song ends, and we still don't know which half of his nature won out. Did he confess his love? Start a brawl? Just turn and walk away? That's the mystery.
Great explanation, thanks for that. The complexity of Scott's lyrics always amazes me, such a great song writer.
I'd also like to add my thoughts on this one. It's obviously about a guy who is still recovering from a breakup, but I interpret the lyrics to mean that while he still loves her and wants nobody else to have her, he has decided not to be with her anymore because he is too proud to do so after whatever happened to cause them to break up.
Maybe she cheated, or mistreated him in other ways and his sense of self esteem will not let that person back into his life - no matter how strong his feelings are, I would say that the trust is gone - he hates it, but he can't change it.
He's stuck between a rock and a hard place. He doesn't want her back for what she's done but he also wishes that things were different and they were still together. Maybe he can forgive but can't forget. He still sees her as his girlfriend, and the new man in her life is stepping on his 'territory.'
He can't win, and the only way he can get over it is to keep everything at arms length. He still wants to kill him though, right in front of his ex - but I don't think he intends to go through with it - I take the song as one of those letters that are never sent. He wants her to know his thoughts, he wants HIM to know too, but instead he's keeping his distance and living in silent anguish, the only comfort being his fantasy about beating her boyfriend to death with a brick.
i think it's about a guy and girl that have broken up and he's not ready for her to have someone else or for her to be happy at all without him because he's not over her and still wants to be with her.
"Keep your naked flesh under your favourite dress."
"standing" = "astounding" i think, but otherwise looks good :)
I'm pretty sure its "keep your naked flesh", awesome song anyways.
also, its "dont brush him", theres no "with" in it.
also, its "dont brush him", theres no "with" in it.