Little Secrets

This song is definitely about empowerment. Lines abound about "higher", "strong", "power".

I am not sure if a girl is involved or not, but I absolutely think a major theme of the song is overcoming your flaws. When you can finally be comfortable with yourself, it can be a very powerful experience. He mentions his old "salty wounds", disgracing the family name and also how he can now ignore the people staring at his "scars".

Most people, unfortunately, spend most of their time worrying about what others think of them. It is only natural, in a way, because we all have such a desire to be accepted and loved by others. A great revelation comes, however, when some realize that by not worrying and just being themselves completely, they will naturally attract that attention and love.

May not be exactly what the song is about, but that's what I got out of it so it's my songmeaning at least.

I feel that it's pretty much about coming out of the closet. "Painting Rainbows across my ugly face against this cardboard neighborhood's disgrace" can be seen as going against the mold of the non-progressive neighborhood and embracing the rainbow. "Within the confines of such chemistry" can be seen as a blow to the old argument that being gay goes against human nature and chemistry. "But I feel alive and I feel it in me" talks about how even though he will hide it and people don't want to see him this way, he still knows who he is on the inside.

"Oh have you ever felt so goddamn strong, how come it takes some people so damn long" talks about how he feels good about the way he is, but he doesn't understand why others take so long to accept him even though he himself is happy about it. "Watch the basin drain as your life lines wane and you can't explain as your friends complain you've caused all this pain and you proudly shame your whole families name" remarks how he is losing a lot being this way. His family and friends don't like the fact that he is gay, but he doesn't care what they think.

"Mother I can tell what you've been thinking staring at the stars on your ceiling thinking once there was a power that you were wielding" has a line about the stars on her ceiling, which can be seen as a symbol for the plastic stars on kids ceilings, and how she feels she has lost her son. She doesn't know where she went wrong.

So yeah, that's my take on it.

To me, this song is about going manic ("higher and higher and higher")and dealing with all of the garbage in your life. Mundane life seems even more senseless when you're manic and everyone else just seems to miss the point. Also, I really get the part about "can't help ignore the people staring at my scars" since my face is covered in acne marks. In short: everyone else's opinions don't matter so much when you feel ecstatically, deludedly, wonderfully manic.

when I came down the dawn poured into me - waking up, needing your first hit to start off your day / or last night's binge catching up with you I shook 'em up the walls came crumbling - describing how he feels my thin skin trembling with these salty wounds - arms are raw from all of the trackmarks my stolen gold inside the emperor's tomb - heroin inside the needle

now painting rainbows on my ugly face - taking that pill/shot turns the shitty outlook into colourful and warm feelings :) I built this cardboard neighborhood's disgrace but I ascend and serve my feverish need - he understands he is addicted within the confines of such chemistry - explains the addcition is "confined" in the chemistry, so he's stuck inside the addiction.

It's the way I see - he only sees what goes through the drug first, drugs > everything Everything I need - it's everything he needs, right? It's no way to be - but he can't live like this, he's not sure how to get out though.

let this be our little secret - don't tell anyone no one needs to know we're feeling - that we're shooting up, feeling amazing higher and higher and higher - getting fucked up and feeling awesome higher and higher and higher - fucking awesome.

but I feel alive, oh, I feel it in me - now that I have my shot/pill, I'm fucking great up and up we keep on climbing - lets get higher, we don't want to go back to that morning state higher and higher and higher higher and higher and higher

my face blew up at such a casual sight - the shot/pills are making boring things seem amazing and alive again. the smattered colors of ecstatic fright - drug effect reference, he's describing the outside world to be frightening with euphoria the rush above me to oblivion - The rush of the drugs makes him feel amazing outlining wet sidewalks in halogen - I guess this sort of means he's in a daze walking along.

have you ever felt so goddamn strong? - these drugs give you so much confidence, it's amazing how come it takes some people so damn long - hurry up and load the needle he turned to squeeze the lemon juice to rain - Squeezing the lemon juice preparing the shot the citrus drawing out the scene in stains - The needle is loaded

Watch the basin drain - referencing his life going down the drain, or something important As your life lines wane - his life is ending if he continues And you can't explain - he feels great, he doesn't give a fuck, unless he hasn't had a shot ofc. As your friends complain - his friends see him with a sober mind, he's going downhill.

You've caused all this pain - the drug use is hurting people around you And you proudly shame - you understand you're hurting the people around you, you can't stop though Your whole family's name - your family is traumatized by your use, people think low of your family now.

mother, I can tell what you've been thinking - he knows his mother disapproves staring at the stars on your ceiling - she thinks about it at night, helplessly thinking once there was a power that you were wielding - he thinks she feels that she needs to control him, but she can't but now I've hit the mark, - common for hitting the vein properly. stabbing at the dark and I cannot help but ignore the people staring at my scars - people look at his trackmarks, he hates it.

the song title is little secrets, not little secret!

but either way, avt12 is definitely right, its about a teenager and friends experimenting with drugs...he likes the way he feels when he's on drugs, "higher and higher", but his parents don't know, hence the secrecy. the "mother i can tell what you've been thinking...thinking once there was a power you we're wielding" line shows that the mother may be starting to catch on to the fact that she doesn't have control over her child anymore.

i really like the rebellious and somewhat darker lyrics, because the song sounds so euphoric, yet the euphoria in the song is all drug induced and there is in fact a bit of sadness behind it, seeing as the lyrics involve a kid leaving the family and getting in trouble, "shaming the family's name" and having people stare at his scars...etc. its so perfectly adolescent. and the song feels like a drug as well, i feel like i'll never get sick of hearing it.

Just FYI, the chorus of this song is sung by school children from PS 22 in Staten Island, New York. (A New York City public school.)

The kids are fifth-graders.

With that in mind, it's unlikely that these are overt drug references -- there would be an enormous backlash from the school, the PTA and the parents.

Also unlikely is the explanation that he's talking about ecstasy, since that is a drug associated with the mid-90s rave scene and it's really not a drug that's widely used anymore. The "secret" part also doesn't jibe: When someone is on ecstasy, it's pretty obvious and would be very difficult to hide from people.

Personally, I think the song is about a natural high and natural feelings, but I will agree with some of the people here who think the lyrics may have double meanings and may be alluding to a more low-key drug like certain amphetamines, or even opiates, that result in a feeling of euphoria and are easy to hide. That would also make sense with some of the more regretful lines, where he seems to lament what's happening and what he's doing to himself.

Like any song, it's open to interpretation, but I think any argument that this is an overt drug song has to be taken into consideration with the fact that these are 10-year-olds singing on the chorus and the song was done with the cooperation of teachers at a public school.

Amazing song. Good job on the lyrics, but "its the way to be" should be "its no way to be"

it's definitely about independence and emancipation from parents, facilitated by recreational drugs. i knew this even before i heard the song because one of the band members said exactly that on triple j radio in australia, when manners was the 'album of the week'.

look at the opening line "when i came down the dawn poured into me". ever left a club at 6am and been greeted by sunlight? not the best feeling when you're coming down.

sorry guys, it's not love, it's ecstasy.

Whoops, okay, wait-- "Now painting rainbows on my ugly face."

According to the album leaflet thing, the lyrics are:

when I came down the dawn poured into me I shook 'em up the walls came crumbling my thin skin trembling with these salty wounds my stolen gold inside the emperor's tomb

now painting rainbows on my ugly face I built this cardboard neighborhood's disgrace but I ascend and serve my feverish need within the confines of such chemistry

let this be our little secret no one needs to know we're feeling higher and higher and higher higher and higher and higher

but I feel alive, oh, I feel it in me up and up we keep on climbing higher and higher and higher higher and higher and higher

my face blew up at such a casual sight the smattered colors of ecstatic fright the rush above me to oblivion outlining wet sidewalks in halogen

have you ever felt so goddamn strong? how come it takes some people so damn long he turned to squeeze the lemon juice to rain the citrus drawing out the scene in stains

mother, I can tell what you've been thinking staring at the stars on your ceiling thinking once there was a power that you were weilding but now I've hit the mark, stabbing at the dark and I cannot help but ignore the people staring at my scars

I believe it's about amphetamines and keeping it a secret, even from your friends. Here's why:

when i came down the dawn poured into me = up all night and coming down when the sun came up my fists kept trembling with these salty wounds = amphetamines are a mix of salts and make you jittery my stolen gold inside the emperors tomb = the drug is like gold to him

now painting rainbows on my ugly face = get creative but might not do rational things i built this cardboard neighborhood's disgrace ----> (see rest of my interpretation) but i ascend and serve my feverish need = he gets high and scratches the itch within the confines of such chemistry = drugs are chemicals

its the way i see everything i need its no way to be = it's a way of life, but it's not pretty

let this be our little secret no one needs to know were feeling higher and higher and higher = no one really knows he's high but himself or the person he's high with

but i feel alive and i feel it in me up and up i keep on climbing higher and higher and higher = he's getting higher and feels the drug's euphoria

my face blew up at such a casual sight = he spotted a cop, but since he's high it's startling the smattered colors of ecstatic fright = cop lights behind him are scary, but the high intensifies the rush above me to oblivion = the rush he gets is so intense outlining wet sidewalks in halogen = car headlights bulbs are halogen, and it's lighting up the sidewalks

oh have you ever felt so strong = the drug makes you feel invincible how come it takes some people so damn long = his high has a quick onset he tried to squeeze the lemon juice to rain the citrus drawing out the seasons stains = cop tried to get him to admit he's high

watch the basin drain = he's caught as your life lines wane = there's only a few people to reach out to and you cant explain = he can't explain why he wanted to do the drug to begin with as your friends complain = they are pissed he was driving high and didnt tell them

youve caused all this pain and you proudly shame your whole families name = his arrest or penalty is public

mother i can tell what youve been thinking staring at the stars on your ceiling thinking once there was a power that you were wielding = thought she had control over her son's actions and now ive hit the mark = he finally got found out staring at the dark = nowhere left to go and i cannot help but ignore the people staring at my scars = forgetting the past and ignoring people that hold it against him (scars might be literal if he's talking about injecting the drug)

This is just my perception. I don't know if these guys are into drugs or not.