Breezeblocks

YOU ARE ALL MISSING THE POINT. Don't take it so literally!

Alt-J is a highly poetic band. They never go out and say it. This isn't about necrophilia OR drugs.

Think about it, it's about a relationship gone completely sour. It has gone completely monotonous and she is desperately wanting to leave him. The sad part is that he is completely in love with her. Her love (probably sex) is his complete addiction. He needs this girl. He compares himself to an animal, a wild thing. He knows that he is sucking the life out of her (this is where you think it is about cannibalism) but he'd rather have her lifeless (not literally) and miserable than lose her. It's a dark way of looking at a failing relationship.

She may contain the urge to run away --- (she wants to leave.) But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks --- (he's tying her down in the relationship, breeze blocks are like bricks) Citrezene your fever’s gripped me again --- (here he is comparing her to a drug, citrezene is a drug for fevers, "she keeps him numb") Never kisses all you ever send are fullstops, la la la la --- (she continues to turn him down)

Do you know where the wilds things go --- (he is calling himself an animal, perhaps a bear or something fierce) They go along to take your honey,la la la la --- (her he is taking the "bee's honey", her happiness) Break down now weep build up breakfast now --- (she always cries, but he doesn't care) Let’s eat my love my love love love, la la la la --- ("there's nothing wrong, stop crying. by continuing to eat breakfast, he proves to himself that nothing is wrong)

Muscle to muscle and toe to toe --- (all through his body...) The fear has gripped me but here I go ---- (the fear of losing her is suring through him) My heart sinks as I jump up --- (he tries to be happy, or atleast show it but he knows it's all wrong) Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut --- (she's praying, while he sleeps) Ahhh ahhh ahhh ah ah, ahhh ahhh ahhh ah ah

Do you know where the wild things go They go along to take your honey, la la la la Break down let’s sleep build up breakfast now------ (repetition - monotony) Let’s eat my love my love love love, la la la la

She bruises coughs she splutters pistol shots --- (the relationship is killing her) But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks ---- (still he holds her down in the relationship) She’s morphine queen of my vaccine my love my love love love, la la la la --- (he's her drug, she numbs him from the world, morphine is EXTREMELY addicting)

Muscle to muscle and toe to toe The fear has gripped me but here I go My heart sinks as I jump up------------------- (repetition - the fear won't go away) Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut And ahhh ahhh ahhh ah ah, ahhh ahhh ahhh ah ah Ahhh ahhh ahhh ah ah, ahhh ahhh ahhh ah ah

She may contain the urge to runaway ---- (she's begging to leave) But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks ---- (still holds on) Germaline disinfect the scene my love my love love love --- (he knows the scene of their relationship is greusome, he knows what a toll it's taking on her, yet he still loves her) But please don’t go I love you so my lovely Please don’t go, please don’t go, I love you so, I love you so Please don’t go, please don’t go, I love you so, I love you so ---(self explanatory) Please break my heart, hey --- (he knows he's lost her love)

Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole ---- (he desperately wants her to stay, but he knows that he will "eat her away", her love of life) I love you so, I love you, so I love you so Please don’t go I’ll eat you whole I love you so, I love you so, I love you so, I love you so

The band themselves said it's based on "Where The Wild Things Are." It's about loving someone so much you'd be willing to hurt yourself or hurt them to keep them forever. It's specifically based on the line, "Please don't go. We love you so. We'll eat you whole." All of this stuff about drugs and cannibalism is stupid. The band wrote an abstract song about an abstract topic. Obsessive love, folks, that's all it is.

I think the video is pretty shocking but has little to do with the actual lyrics from a narrative perspective.

If we take the soggy clothes and breeze-blocks as a metaphor for those things in our lives which anchor us into a relationship it makes quite a bit of sense. Here we have an intense relationship which is disintegrating, but still has sparks of passion. However they manifest themselves as intense hostility.

The woman feels trapped and sees no way out. The man increasingly desperate and desperately in love, pleads continually for her not to go, even though they both know the relationship is not good and ultimately destructive for both of them.

Oh come on you guys, you can't honestly think this is literally about cannibalism? The line "please don't go, I'll eat you whole. I love you so, I love you so" is a direct reference to "Where the Wild Things Are" quote: "I'll eat you up, I love you so"

I think this song is about a guy who has a weird, nasal voice. It's a big turn-off for every woman he meets....so he's been a lonely guy for his whole life. He finally meets a girl who talks to him for more than 2 minutes, so he instantly falls in love with her. She only wanted directions or some trivial information, so when the conversation is over she tries to move on ....only to have the singer start begging her to stay. He repeats he loves her over and over again in a shrill, bizarre cadence. The poor girl realizes he's an emotionally disturbed person and tries to run away, but he blocks her, telling her he'll "eat her whole"....... in his diseased mind he reasons this will keep them together forever. He'll never be alone again due to his vocally challenged condition.

My first and favourite Alt-J song!

This sinister love song is a single from their debut album, An Awesome Wave and was partly inspired by Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's picture book Where The Wild Things Are. Newman explained to Interview Magazine: "The song is about liking someone who you want so much that you want to hurt yourself and them, as well. We related that idea to Where The Wild Things Are, which we all grew up reading, where in the end the beasts say 'Oh, please don't go! We'll eat you whole! We love you so!,' that they would threaten cannibalism to have that person - it's a powerful image."

When hearing this song and reading the lyrics and think Its about two people who are no longer in love and are living life on repeat. The man is holding his partner down and not letting her be happy, he is stopping her from living her life. All they do is argue and they they reach a point where all they have for each other is hate. And once the wife is dead (perhaps murder or suicide) he realizes how much he loved her, or he is trying to make up for his actions with guilt because he realizes he has killed someone.

This has already been solved, from the mouth of Newman himself in a 2012 via a sit down with mone other than Interview Magazine:

“ The song is about liking someone who you want so much that you want to hurt yourself and them, as well. We related that idea to Where the Wild Things Are, which we all grew up reading, where in the end the beasts say “Oh, please don’t go! We’ll eat you whole! We love you so!,” that they would threaten cannibalism to have that person—it’s a powerful image. Our video for this track has a really different message, and yet it worked really well with the song. It’s quite a weird one; people aren’t sure what’s going on. We liked that you might have to go back and watch it a second time to figure out what is happening.”

I love this song all the more for it making reference to my favourite Children's book Where The Wild Things Are. "Do you know where the wild things go?" as well as the lines "Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole, I love you so" being very similar to the lines "Please don't go, I'll eat you up, I love you so" in the book.