In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Good for me for a time
All hell's cubically contained
Staunched and bottled
Pressed and altered
And at the ready for the reigns
The first tiny little shadows
Of my creepy little thoughts
Inhabit all that matters
And I lose by default
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
I've set a dozen 12 step traps
But they've slid by everyone
I never catch the little bastards
I really do with that they'd own up
Those paranoid little fuckers
Take their paranoid little time
And when the mood rolls in
They're bank robbin'
And I'm a hostage who will drive
And I'll never promise anything again
Now I can only do so much
And I will never deviate
I hear myself take a deep breath
And think I must have wanted it this way
I remember all those little traps
I could not keep them in place
They were never stationed anywhere
They were terrorized and maimed
So tonight I've set a vigil
And my shadows all that's cast
And the iron that's encased it
Is doing all that one could ask
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
All hell's cubically contained
Staunched and bottled
Pressed and altered
And at the ready for the reigns
The first tiny little shadows
Of my creepy little thoughts
Inhabit all that matters
And I lose by default
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
I've set a dozen 12 step traps
But they've slid by everyone
I never catch the little bastards
I really do with that they'd own up
Those paranoid little fuckers
Take their paranoid little time
And when the mood rolls in
They're bank robbin'
And I'm a hostage who will drive
And I'll never promise anything again
Now I can only do so much
And I will never deviate
I hear myself take a deep breath
And think I must have wanted it this way
I remember all those little traps
I could not keep them in place
They were never stationed anywhere
They were terrorized and maimed
So tonight I've set a vigil
And my shadows all that's cast
And the iron that's encased it
Is doing all that one could ask
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
And I'll never promise anything again
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Cubically Contained Lyrics as written by Headstones
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
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.
This strikes me as a song about dealing with alcoholism and trying to resist the urge to drink. Great beat and vocals.