A Heavy Abacus

It's about mortality. The dreamless sleep is death. Martin Luther used that phrase to describe death in his writings. All of the lyrics juxtapose the briefness of life to the foolishness of not living wisely. An abacus is used for counting, implying that the singer is haunted by reminders of the finiteness of life. For that matter, a bird coming to a window is a classic symbol that death will soon come to the person living there.

i think this song is about hedonism and partying, but realising at the end of the day that it doesnt bring you happiness in the long run.

Here we are, bending feet

• here we are dancing In the dark before dreamless sleep
• in darkness before we sleep well Cloaks that spot, that shiver, that breeze
• bright outfits that stand out in the crowd ('spot'), and look like their alive. Throws you in the dark
• immerses you in the darkness

Happiness it won't last long

• the buzz is only temporary. And this child behind stores it all
• the innocent part of me keeps all the memories The failed man's curse and the cost
• bad luck and what happens when your 'nonchalant' Of nonchalance
• of coolness. the price of being cool.

Thank you sly watchful gene

• thanks tomy subconscious for making me do this A plastic life up my sleeve
• partying is a substitute for a more boring life If you've followed this far you've realized nothing
• if you only came here because of someone else you're stupid

Now your world is here Watch it disappear

• your world is in excess, partying, drugs, when you come down it all disappears

Abacus haunting me Abacus watching me Abacus haunting me Abacus watching me

• logic is haunting her. she knows the hedonistic life isnt a good life to live and the smart option is always in the back of her mind (the 'abacus'),

And it all plays out And it always comes around

• you always come down, and your drug/alcohol abuse always comes around to hurt you The message fades but the mess prevails
• the magic of being high or drunk, stoned or w.e leaves but the hangover/depression sticks ('mess prevails') You reckless thing leaving you in our hands
• dunno about this line, i think shes personifying the abacus. partying and living a swinging lifestyle always brings her back to be haunted by what the logical choice is, 'leaving you in our hands'

All we have is this chance called memory

• definitely the deepest line in the song, i might be reading too deep into this but the abacus was the first computer, and i think in this line the abacus is speaking. (stay with me :P), 'memory' on a computer is like, what its thinking about at any given time, and its volatile (it can be changed from one thing to another), so the abacus is identifying with the speaker and sayin, 'yeah i understand, all we have is what's right in front of us, live life in the present.' like i said i might be reading too far into it haha

great lyrics :D

my fave off the new album!

Here we are, bending feet In the dark before dreamless sleep Cloaks that spot, that shiver, that breeze Throws you in the dark

Happiness it won't last long And this child behind stores it all The failed man's curse and the cost Of nonchalance

Thank you sly watchful gene A plastic life up my sleeve If you've followed this far you've realized nothing

Now your world is here Watch it disappear

Abacus haunting me Abacus watching me Abacus haunting me Abacus watching me

And it all plays out And it always comes around The message fades but the mess prevails You reckless thing leaving you in our hands

Abacus haunting me Abacus watching me Abacus haunting me Abacus watching me

All we have is this chance called memory [repeat 4x]

VERY clever lyrics here! Great song! Here is what I think this song means:

It's about someone who lives under the motto of "carpe diem" and misinterprets the true meaning of the phrase and just lives life sensually. They simply see life as a "heavy abacus" that ticks the seconds of their life away. They think that living a fake "plastic" life crazily and recklessly will make them feel that they are living their live to the fullest. However, as time and the person's life keeps passing by,the abacus gets heavier and heavier, haunting them more and more, regardless of how much they pursue such a reckless lifestyle. The superficial happiness wares off quicker and quicker, and at the end of everyday, the person looks at them self in the mirror and realizes that they aren't happy, so it leads them to want to party even harder than they did the day before.

This person doesn't realize, however, that "seize the day" truly means (in my opinion) that you should make the most out of every day by doing what you WANT, and not just pursuing every whim and impulse that you have without thinking twice about it. I've seen alot of people use the terms "impulse/whim" and "wish/dream" interchangeably. I guess the person in this song is one of those people!

It's good to see a new band have creativity nowadays! I' excited to see more great stuff from The Joy Formidable in the years to come!! :)

Could it be about a one night stand - living the hedonist lifestyle that has been previously mentioned. The abacus is counting each partner, or every failed relationship

i heard directly from a band that toured with them that abacus was a bird that came to her window often, if that helps.

Follow your passion before you see it pass you by, to become only a memory. And, if you keep a plan B, that path will eventually be your destiny. Life really is, but a dream. The trick is to make it a reality. This is the failed man's curse, and to that it really seems imperative to catch the light at high noon, when your passion can fuel it fulfillment.

I think dunamis is really touching on the main pulse of the meaning, and we all say what we feel which is great to see other takes, but I differ in some areas. I don't think it's as much seize the day as it is more so just not thinking of the consequences and going forward with reckless abandon. Not so much clicking with the in crowd or the plastic life (Lilly Allen The Fear) as more so just not planning as the line says 'Non Chalance' and it also says 'Leaving you in our hands'. Many men do that unfortunately and it falls into the families hands to be burdened to take care of this person who yes saw the weight grow heavier and heavier as time ticked on , but did nothing to secure a place and means to grow old on his terms in a respectable manner. It is a real hurt for the children to take care of their parents because they want to see their parents in a much better way to feel proud themselves. Many stories include the kids feeling inadequate due to the Parent or parents living in this chaotic manner with no direction. Those kids that survive this and come out alive are strong people. I love Ritzy and the way she sings this you can feel her belief in these words as if she lived it or saw someone go through this. My humble opinion. for a discussion on SongMeanings.net