Spiralling

You kids are TERRIBLE at writing about song meanings.

I'm sorry but you get ridiculous with this rating and reviewing stuff.

I came here for the MEANING, not to hear your opinions on the album. I'm sorry, but thats the NAME OF THE SITE.

Since you won't do your job, I will:

To me this song is about how out of control life and especially love gets.

It's a literal spiral (sometimes downards, but I'm pretty sure the upbeat tempo and lyrics aren't trying to imply that).

Rather, it sounds (and feels) like it's all one big party that you want to get wrapped up in.

The way the lyrics go ("I fashioned you from jewels and stones"..."gave you everything") it seems like its about someone completely and desperately in love with someone who keeps "slipping through (his) fingers".

And as sad and weird as it sounds, even though its really tragic and kinda stalkerish, you can TOTALLY relate, b/c that feeling of being in love/in lust with someone feels so good to get caught up in.

It's an awesome spiral and an awesome song =^)

I've always taken it as talking about someone's plans and dreams.

Things you want tend to haunt you after a while. You get obsessed, trying to achieve them, waiting for them. You see how anything, everything could fit into the dream. Of course, you start doubting yourself and it all goes downhill from there. You're in a negative spiral of doubt.

The next verse is about other people telling you your dreams are ridiculous, making you question them again. You tell them your dreams, in hopes of having an ally in achieving them. But when you reach out to them for validation, they tell you you should give it up.

The "Did you want to..." section is just a bunch of dreams, followed quickly by "I never saw the light," as in the light of day or the light of success. The dreams never came to fruition, even though you waited for a long time.

"When we fall in love we're just falling in love with ourselves." You fall in love with someone because they are a lot like you, generally. Another negative spiral, because then there's no getting better in life, just more of the same. (This part throws me off a bit too. I love this line, but I can't figure out how it works with the song!)

When I heard it the first time and thought it was too different, then after a few listens it really does ring true to their other stuff- the lyrics are good as usual, chorus is good. Still, my favourite Keane songs are never the ones released as singles.

As for what it's about...

The futility of ambition? The impossible task of acquiring the perfect life, perfect partner, or being the perfect person? "The light" is perhaps the appreciation that the simple things are important and most satisfying in life.

Making massive effort for empty things leaves you... empty.

I haven't ever been a real hardcore Keane fan and I'll probably get ripped up for liking this song, but there's something discordant about the sound that is really fun to listen to.

But the COOLEST part of the song is that the music actually goes with the lyrics - it spirals! The riff itself along with his voice is cyclical, and then the tension gets really high with the "Did you wanna be?" segment before it winds down at the end.

I just think that's awesome. It definitely has more depth than your average pop song, so don't trash it.

At least they're doing something different. This band has an evolution, like all great bands. I love the song. If you're looking for more piano ballads, get over it, they're not going to rewrite the same song over and over for your amusement.

Lyrics are great, insightful. Just because something has a beat and a dance vibe doesn't make it trash.

Well, I love the older Keane music, and I think this is amazing. Though I considered their music beautiful...I guess I was getting a little bored. I feel like they made a very brave move, just as Coldplay did with 'Viva La Vida.' It's their obligation, in my opinion, as artists to continue to grow together as musicians. That kind of growth includes brave steps such as this, and I think the song is edgy and fabulous.

That being said, I think these lyrics are pretty straightforward. Disillusionment with love.

Hi, I think this song is about someone who WAS living the life they had ambitions to live but all of a sudden, for whatever reason, or maybe because they simultaneously fell in love with someone they couldn't have, it all fell apart and now theyre looking in from the outside, saying 'did you wanna be an icon...' etc to the people who he used to be.

It's quite god-like isn't it? "I made you in the image of myself"

I don't care what the rest of you say - it's not typical Keane at all, but I love it!

lilmissdramatik,

i think that it means that they don't think that real love exists, we form relationships and feel like we love other people when in fact its a selfish act, indulging ourselves in other people's affections, loving them for appearing to love us. I don't agree with it but I reckon that that's what they are getting at - we are just selfish, narcissisctic animals :P

I think this song is about the vane dreams we try to reach but they never satisfy us, so we never really reach what we crave for.

It starts:

Im waiting for my moment to come...cause now I always see my dreams in everything