Staring at the Stars Lyrics
And all our fingers and underneath
Our fingernails that clasp on sheets
As we try desperately to sleep
Hearts are sad and eyes are tired
And all this red bull keeps us wired
It gives us wings
It gives us rings around our eyes
Sit to watch day time TV
And laugh at mums who don't know who the father is
And all our girlfriends are long gone
We watch too much internet porn
Who needs love when you've got silicone and strap-ons?
And shit jobs keep us in ruts
And keep us eyeing up the what's and if's and buts and maybes and
Falling over in the street
Is just a part of every week
And we lie drunkenly just staring at the stars
And all the teachers used to teach
"You can do anything if you put your mind to it"
We put our minds to it all
But disappointment crashed the ball
We could've done anything
We just never quite knew it, so..
It's to be a cold night
Tie your scarf on tight
It's to be a cold night
Tie your scarf on tight
It's to be a cold night
Tie your scarf on tight
It's to be a cold night
So tie your scarf on tight
It's to be a cold night
Tie your scarf on tight
It's to be a cold night
Tie your scarf on tight
It's to be a cold night
Tie your scarf on tight
It's to be a cold night
Personally I think it's saying that his teachers told him he could do anything if he applied himself to it (And all the teachers used to teach You can do anything if you put your mind to it). He tried his hardest, but expected things to happen right away and quit (We put our minds to it all But disappointment crashed the ball). He let it go and things started turning out kind of poorly for him. He ended up regretting having not waited (We could've done anything We just never quite knew it). So it's kind of a sad song about his regrets in life. Or at least the regrets of the person's point of view that Passenger was writing from.
At first I thought this song was about some ordinary life and a critical about nowadays lives. But then, this kind of life seems to be this way because of the disappointments of it, like the things he tried but couldn't get and the dreams he used to have.
This song is all about depression, it's for someone in that state of loneliness when one truly experience what it means to be helpless and disappointed. We pass through life like a pedestrian, loathing through it not finding true purpose for our life, so we watch too much TV, watch internet porn, beer bloats our spoiled guts because it returns us to a state where we feel we are important, but only temporarily.
In the heart of it all, one has to experience such state to know the true meaning of this song, I'm in that wilderness of depression right now so the song resonates perfectly, "cover myself or uncover myself with my duvet, it's still going to be a cold night"...