Cuckoo!

Ten silver spoons coming after me,
One life with one dream on repeat,
I'll escape if I try hard enough,
Till, King of the Jungle calls my bluff,

Oh Lord, (Oh Lord)
I have been told, (I have been told)
I must take the unforsaken road (Forsaken road)

There's a fork in the road,
I'll do as as I am told,
Well, I don't know,(Don't know don't know don't know don't know)
Who...I want to be.

Cuckoo!

You say Y-E-S to everything,
Will that guarantee you a win?
Do you think you will be good enough,
To love others and to be loved?

Oh Lord, (Oh Lord)
Now I can see, (Now I can see)
The cutlery will keep on chasing me, (Forsaken road)

There's a fork in the road,
I'll do as as I am told,
Well, I don't know, (Don't know, don't know, don't know, don't know)
Who...I want to be.

We are the spoons, they're telling me
We scooped our way into your dreams,
To knock the knives out bloody cold,
And lead you down the unforsaken road.

There's a fork in the road,
I'll do as as I am told,
Well, I don't know, (Don't know, don't know, don't know, don't know)
Who...I want to be


Lyrics submitted by jenesaispasmostly, edited by armadillozenit

Mowgli's Road Lyrics as written by Marina Diamandis Liam Howe

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Mowgli's Road song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

26 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +11
    General Comment

    Since Mowgli, the main character of "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling, was someone who didn't live in a human society and was raised by wolves, I think that the allusion she's making is that she wants to take "Mowgli's road" and not have to live a wealthy, pressured life. Not necessarily in the wild like Mowgli, but the pressure she feels is starting to drive her mad. (Hence the "We are the spoons, they're telling me" little bit.)

    "Ten silver spoons coming after me, One life with one dream on repeat."

    She lives in luxury, and the authority figures in her life are practically smothering her with their ideas. And "one life with one dream on repeat" could mean that these authority figures want her to take one path and one path only, and keep telling her to take it as though if they say it all the time, she'll end up believing it.

    "I'll escape if I try hard enough, Till King of the Jungle calls my bluff"

    She has tried for a very long time to act like this is what she wants, but at one point it just stops working. She knows what she wants and how to get it, but there are a lot of things and she has to take a chance and do what she wants to do quickly before her future is set down for her. She's sick of luxury, she realizes that there are more things out there for her.

    "Oh Lord, (Oh Lord) I have been told, (I have been told) I must take the unforsaken road (Forsaken road)."

    She's been told that she has to take the path that everyone else has taken, "forsaken" means given up, so the road that hasn't yet been given up on for her is the one that she's supposed to take. "Oh Lord," she's not happy about this.

    "There's a fork in the road, I'll do as as I am told, Well, I don't know, don't know, don't know, don't know, don't know Who, who I want to be."

    There is an opening for her, and even though she's afraid to take it, she knows that it's there and is always on the edge of taking it. However, she's unsure of where it might lead and even though her lifestyle is slowly strangling her, it protects her. She is unsure of who she is.

    "Cuckoo!

    You say Y-E-S to everything, Will that guarantee you a win? Do you think you will be good enough, To love others and to be loved?"

    Here I think she's lashing out at herself. She's ashamed of the way she is, and she is sick of saying yes to everything around her. She wants to make her own choice, and is almost mocking herself by saying "Do you think you will be good enough to love others and to be loved?"

    "Oh Lord, (Oh Lord) Now I can see, (Now I can see) The cutlery will keep on chasing me, (Forsaken road)"

    She realizes that whatever choice she makes will haunt her, the cutlery will keep chasing her.

    "There's a fork in the road, I'll do as as I am told, Well, I don't know, (Don't know, don't know, don't know, don't know) Who...I want to be. 'We are the spoons,' they're telling me 'We scooped our way into your dreams, To knock the knives out bloody cold, And lead you down the unforsaken road!'"

    Somebody, maybe her friends, is advising her and telling her that they'll help her along the way and the forsaken road is dangerous. The "knives" could be her rebellious streak, and whoever's advising her wants to knock them out so they no longer have to deal with this. They 'scooped their way into her dreams' and are trying to control her.

    Marina said in an interview that this was about how she wasn't sure who she wanted to be, I think she's referring to her relatives or friends wanting her to take a career path other than her dreams of being a singer. As we all know, she took the forsaken road and is an amazing artist because of it. Are You Satisfied is another song that has a similar meaning to this.

    Aside from all that, this is just an awesome song.

    lydiaaloneon June 30, 2012   Link

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

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.