The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Here, you focus
So I can see your faces
The eyes are wrong
How will I know if it's working right?
Light confuses
The tiny isles of bruises
The mangled lines
I see the signs of aging
But if I try to feel at all I am deceived
My mind's affected
It's empty now
As I lay down
I feel alright
My heart is racing
Turn the noise on
I'd like to feed my poison
Assembly lines
Carry a velvet warning
To the yard
It's just like striking matches
The polish lies
But it's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind
And not your heart
No, it's working
It's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
It's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
It's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
So I can see your faces
The eyes are wrong
How will I know if it's working right?
Light confuses
The tiny isles of bruises
The mangled lines
I see the signs of aging
But if I try to feel at all I am deceived
My mind's affected
It's empty now
As I lay down
I feel alright
My heart is racing
Turn the noise on
I'd like to feed my poison
Assembly lines
Carry a velvet warning
To the yard
It's just like striking matches
The polish lies
But it's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind
And not your heart
No, it's working
It's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
It's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
It's working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
Lyrics submitted by afternoontara
It's Working Lyrics as written by Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser Andrew Wells Vanwyngarden
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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@[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.
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To me it seems like it's about drugs, probably psychedelics.
At first there are little differences that are noticed after consuming the drug, then wondering if the drug is working right. I've definitely felt this feeling before and can relate. Then it progresses to 'it's working', saying that he knows the drugs have taken effect and he knows for sure. Sometimes when i'm waiting for drugs to kick in i have this placebo effect where i can't tell if it's the drugs or me, which i think is kind of what is being conveyed here, aka 'how will i know if it's working right'.
It seems like the progression of the song and it's composition tie in with this. At first the song is kind of like an exciting whirlwind(nerves about taking the drug, and excitement on what will come), and it progresses to silence for a moment, then goes back, then it turns into a spacey flow of noises, then again silence and back to the excitement. This is what happens on drugs sometimes, they take hold, and for a moment you have control or you can understand that this is not you, then you let them take over again. Towards the end when he says 'no, it's working' with the cosmic sounds in the background and the drum beat, it all feels like drugs to me.
Also to support my theory is 'but it's working in your blood', which drugs do.
I don't know if this whole drug thing is what they were going after, but i think the lyrics and music go perfectly together and if that's what they were aiming for they did it perfectly. If not i still really like this song.
yup, he (they) say its about E<br /> <br /> It's working in your blood<br /> But you know it's not the same as love<br /> It's only in your mind<br /> But your heart is working your blood<br /> <br /> is what i think (99.9% know) it is<br /> <br /> i like the nice cyclical paradox
yeah, i definitely see the relation to ecstasy.
there is no question this is a song about psychedelic drugs kicking in. agree ecstasy is the prob the best candidate but it could easily be a variety of hallucinogens IMO.<br /> <br /> and as the drug kicks the drug (and the user catches his breath) he trips out on (among other things) the fact that drugs produce a kind of fake love (in your blood) as opposed to the real thing (in your mind).<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> also suspect this is a commentary by MGMT on their audiences relationship to their music. i don't think it is meant to be snarky. just an observation, so to speak.
They said before they played it live that it was about taking ecstasy. All lyrics point to ecstasy as well, doesn't really give me any signs of it being about acid or shrooms.
I agree this is definetly bout drugs. maybe ecstasy, maybe just in general. but i think anyone who has taken to many drugs and has tried to go to sleep knows this feeling<br /> <br /> "as I lay down <br /> I feel alright<br /> my heart is racing"<br /> <br /> where you just hear your hear beat and it sounds really loud.
everyone was pretty much dead on. i personally would have never guess thats what it was about.
"Another track on the new album called "It's Working" seems to explore the same topic."
Yeah. It was the first song that we demo-ed almost a year ago. Ben [Goldwasser] and I went up to this little cabin in the woods in upstate New York, and the second I walked in the door I sat down and played this chord progression. The next day we expanded it into a song. Lyrically, it's about doing drugs. I didn't realize it until now, but it's kind of funny, because the first song on our first album was "Time to Pretend," which was about the imagined rock star scenario. So, "It's Working" is like, "Yeah, we went out there and we did a lot of drugs and it's not that great." The song is mostly about Ecstasy.
Is there any specific experience with Ecstasy that influenced that song?
No, not really. But that's how we envisioned the track when we were writing it. It stops and starts a lot; it's frantic, confusing. There's also a surfing thread throughout the record. When you're surfing, there's a specific break you're paddling to. And when the waves are really good you say, "It's working." The song kind of has a surf-y vibe. It's like surfing on ecstasy. Which is what the "Time to Pretend" video is like. Actually, the video is more like surfing on acid. -Spin interview with Andrew
i lovee this song already. as soon as i heard it, i was pretty much hooked.
MGMT is known for their druggy feel in almost all of their songs, but Its Working makes it clearer than anything. So clouds your right about the drug reference in the song but i dont think it is about ecstasy or acid...but rather meth or heroin or something. The reason i say this is because when he talks about the isles of tiny bruises and signs of aging...thats not ecstasy, if anything it really sounds like meth to me but i could be wrong.
best song of the new album
This song reminds me exactly of the first time I took ecstasy, I was so convinced it wasn't going to work. I asked everyone, "how will I know if it's working?"
The music video is pretty interesting, and I feel like I know exactly what it means. I think the box they create is their mind. In the beginning they are reading the construction manual and it looks extremely complex and confusing...just like the human mind. When they are standing in front of it, they start turning colors...symbolizing drugs. When Andrew is running through the darkness inside the box, it's like the depression some people get after they come down. When the box falls down at the end, that could symbolize going insane, death, or something of that matter.
well, atleast that's what I think. =)
Amazing, amazing song.
"it's working in your blood which you know is not the same as love love is only in your mind and not your heart"
This sounds like being on Ecstasy.
I think this song is about Heroin tolerence. He cant find the right dose to get high.
Taking into consideration MGMT's mildly prolific drug background, the idea that this song is about drugs is not an inaccurate one.
Bruises from injections, feeding "poison," nervously asking if you know if 'its working' all point to an apparent drug theme.
Purely considering their narcotics references in other songs, it seems that all other possible meaning for this song are quickly thrown out the window.
its about ecstasy. i saw a live video where they say so before they play the song. good eye yall.
regarding ecstasy, they're saying, this feels like love, but it just isn't the real thing.
On the contrary, I think he's saying it's better than love. Because "love is only in your mind and not your heart".
"This song is about taking ecstacy." youtube.com/watch
Very literal song. "How will I know if it[ecstacy]'s working?