What Went Down

Definitely a portwine stain, not a port-white staim

I pondered on this song so hard, I burned out on it.

1. I used to run around singing " When I see .... I see a liar" because I didn't like ""see a lion" which was the line that came up on Google, lyric sites, yadda yadda. Now, it seems the line has changed universally to " see a liar" even though the video shows a lion, and the line is ""see a lion". Very frustrating. Another disputed line was "sycophantic animal" as opposed to " sympathetic animal". Anyway, I was thinking it had to do with war and military coups.
   "With the lights and the roses and the cowards downtown" I guess the White House is well lit(?) It has a rose garden They call the Senate the offices "downtown" and they are full of cowards. "They threw me a party no one around", I was thinking about how the Vietnam vets got no parade in their honor. "Tried to call my girl, could not be found" She left him, probably protesting, because soldiers in Vietnam were hated by America. "Rust, vultures, trash downtown" Wash DC again but this time we as a nation are not innocents as to the agenda of politicians and their reasonings for war and invasions. "Don't step to me kid, you'll never be found, cuz while you were sleeping I took over your town" Desert Storm(?) CIA(?) Then the "buried my heart", " buried my guilt" The politicians become the "sin-eaters" for the atrocities of war(?)

That's all folks. IDK, I just hope songs are not "simple simon says". I put alot of brain power into deciphering meanings.

This song has driven me bonkers. I don't agree with anything I read about the meaning, even if it's in Rolling Stone. I have a few more years on those bucks, and not everything is about relationships relationships, I'm sick of relationship songs..

It's about 9/11.

The Video has Yannis with a wedding ring on as though he is committed and betrothed to ‘something’ though he is not married in real life, why is that? And there is a woman swimming countercurrent from predators. Yannis has stated in interviews he wished to go all in with permanent ambition toward manifesting his inner creativity in a continual state and relationships never work out for him. This is not primarily a song about relationships but about his relationship to Lady Spirit of the Creative Power in him he is betrothed to, so to speak. It is what went down and what swims countercurrent back up and once one is bitten by her there is no returning back to every day life and common relationship stuff.

At least twenty things show this to be the case regarding the meaning to these lyrics - which can be easily missed unless clarified. For Foals are a group with more to offer than immediately meets the eye as he also has said. One must not forget Yannis also spent a year majoring in literature at Oxford so he is very wide spanning in his breadth of deep wisdom and perception (of course not because of his schooling, but this shows something about such). In the same interview previously mentioned he says it (the creative drive of the group) is like going counter current to the world intentionally and in a directed, conscious way (NME October 21st 2017).

There are not 20 meanings to this song or just one, maybe 3 or a dozen at most for it is a high initiatic parable well composed. But primarily there is one meaning as mentioned above. It is one singing praise to the inner world symbolized by the alchemists as “the lady” of the rose with no name (see Elliott Smith’s song Coming Up Roses or White Lady, and The Doors song the River about breathing “underwater till the end”). She represents the easily missed higher world of higher influences going largely countercurrent here among us, as mentioned, counter largely to the every day world - almost like a flowing revenge upon it’s lower chaotic (clever, brutal and menial) laws which try to drown her at every pace. She is the ethereal gossamer amidst it, easily missed like inspiration flowing past you. This is part of the meaning behind the fictional book Yannis in another interview said he was inspired to base this song off, a very interesting gnostic work indeed.

Here are the true and very subtle lyrics... Listen to this in 10 different live versions and closely in the Album version and you will see I am not one word off (compared to all other online versions that are everywhere off), yet a few places feel spaciously interpretive in his enunciation.

Lyrics

I buried my heart in the hole in the ground

With the lights and the roses and the cowards down town

They threw me a party there was no one around

They try to call my girl but she could not be found! (Out)

I buried my guilt in a pit in the cell/south/sow

With the rust and the vultures and the trash down town

So don’t step to me kid you’ll never be fell/found/faé

Cause while you were sleeping I took over your town/tao/tow

When I see a man I see a liar When I see a man I see a lion You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, my watcher/I want you

I fell for a girl with a pogue/port/part white/wine stain

I knew her initials but never her name

I tried and I tried and I was never the same/sane

So no longer for love and I’m forever changed/chained

When I see a man I see a liar When I see a man I see a lion You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, of my I: watch you I give up my money, give up my name, take this away I give it away, give this a Way I give it When I see a man I see a liar When I see a man I see a lion ... When I see a man I see a lion When I see a man I see a liar You’re the apple of my eye, of my eye, of my All, You’re the apple of my I, of my “I want you” give up my money, give up my name, take it away I give it away, I’ll give it away, I’ll GIVE it

I’m a sycophantic animal, I’m a sick owl phan/sycophantic mole/fool a sycophantic fool, I’m a mole Break up the chain, I’ll break up the chain I’ll break it Give it away, don’t give it away, don’t give it

When I see The Man I see the liar When I see The Man I see the Light You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, my watcher give up my body, give up my name, take this away I give it away, I give it away, I’ll GIVE it I’ll SEE YOU AGAIN, I’ll SEE YOU AGAIN, I’LL SEE YOU give it away, I’ll give it away, I GIVE it When I feel low, when I feel All: I Feel It/ The Spirit

Why It?

When I seize the Man I see the Liar When I cease The Man I see the liars You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, my watcher! (He always does the two finger sign, the ostensible peace sign, after saying Watcher at the end live - which signifies perhaps the second higher conscious body in us that directs and runs our lower soul/psyche: these are the two).

Now these Lyrics Interpreted

Lyrics:

I buried my heart in the hole in the ground With the lights and the roses and the cowards down town They threw me a party there was no one around They try to call my girl but she could not be found! (Out)

[people are asleep gnostically and so esoterically and most truly inwardly dead “no one around” for they call for lady spirit but do not find her – and she is not a literal woman so she “cannot be found”]

I buried my guilt in a pit in the cell/south/sow

[Yannis grew up with a Greek Orthodox Father and has said in interviews he is very interested not in self pity but organic shame which is entirely different. Such is as the Greek Gnostic Gurdjieff teaches whom Michael Stipe is so familiar with. So it is not unlikely he doesn’t finish saying “south” here every time he sings this line of “what went down” but leaves it sow as in the pigs the prodigal son finally woke up to find himself amidst and repented]

With the rust and the vultures and the trash down town So don’t step to me kid you’ll never be fell/found/faé

[here he realizes the kahone’s it takes to stay awake and yet not succumb to inner or outer violence as any moment one would be inclined to upon awaking]

Cause while you were sleeping I took over your town/tao/tow

When I see a man I see a liar When I see a man I see a lion

[listen closely live and on album, first he ends it liar and the second line he ends it lion but in the a capella part later as a blind he reverses the order. Gurdjieff said the main way to define a human is he is the creature which “lies” and yet all have a buried spirit in embryo that is a lion bold, strong and holy]

You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, my watcher/I want you

I fell for a girl with a pogue/port/part white stain I knew her initials but never her name

[This is the world of higher influence that touches through]

I tried and I tried and I was never the same/sane So no longer for love and I’m forever changed/chained

When I see a man I see a liar When I see a man I see a lion You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, of my I: watch you I give up my money, give up my name, take this away I give it away, give this a Way I give it When I see a man I see a liar When I see a man I see a lion … When I see a man I see a lion When I see a man I see a liar You’re the apple of my eye, of my eye, of my All, You’re the apple of my I, of my “I want you” give up my money, give up my name, take it away I give it away, I’ll give it away, I’ll GIVE it

I’m a sycophantic animal, I’m a sick owl phan/sycophantic mole/fool a sycophantic fool, I’m a mole Break up the chain, I’ll break up the chain I’ll break it

[sycophantic implies syncopated or pattern repeating mechanically and animalistically – this he says he will break the chain of this in him]

Give it away, don’t give it away, don’t give it

When I see The Man I see the liar When I see The Man I see the Light You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, my watcher

[Higher Consciousness is the Watcher in us when we awake]

give up my body, give up my name, take this away I give it away, I give it away, I’ll GIVE it I’ll SEE YOU AGAIN, I’ll SEE YOU AGAIN, I’LL SEE YOU give it away, I’ll give it away, I GIVE it

[he speaks of holy barbaric revenge – a great thing and it is not lower pedantic, evil, calculating unforgiveness and petty violence (see the lit book that inspired this song he mentions to distinguish the two). I know he knows the highest path is beyond all violence but still..]

When I feel low, when I feel All: I Feel It/The Spirit

Why It (or riot?) he says here live often

When I seize the Man I see the Liar When I cease The Man I see the liars You’re the apple of my eye, of my I, of my ire You’re the apple of my eye, my Watcher!

This song is a story about the feeling that you have to impress your partner. The speaker recognizes that this is a misconception, confidence comes from within.

In the beginning of this song his partner has gone away and it scarred the speaker permanently. Port-wine stain implies that it had nothing to do with this woman's character, he just loved her.

"When I see a man, I see a lion" implies that you see every man as a threat, this is both what caused the end of the relationship and a problem that endures following the relationship. "I'm a sycophantic animal" drives this point home by stating, I can't stop myself from behaving in this immature way; I must compete with every person. I can't win if I don't perform and I don't have you.

I've posted other comments, and I wanted to add that I think the verse "Cause while you were sleeping I took over your town" refers to the polls, he swept a town in the polls. So I think the song is about a politician, but who? The cowardly politicians of the last 30 years never served in the military.

I buried my heart in a hole in the ground with the lights and the roses and the cowards downtown

... A dear person, or idea died, most likely person. The lights and the roses reference I still haven't yet placed. The cowards downtown refers to the office (business and political), who were too cowardly to do the right things, too cowardly to stand up.

They threw me a party there was no one around they try to call my girl but she could not be found

...

I buried my guilt in a pit in the sound with the rust and the vultures and the trash downtown

... the Sound can denote cities next to large bodies of water. A pit could refer to a fire pit, like on a beach at night. Parks near saltwater Sounds tend to rust rather quickly. So, someone is in a city looking around at the geography, the iron decay, referring to those forementioned office workers as 'vultures'. They are sad, but more importantly very angry, but here they decide to stand up and shed their mantle of guilt, to pursue a meaning for the lose they have endured.

So don't step to me, kid you'll never be found cause while you were sleeping I took over your town

... The youth of the area are rebelling, but they have lost all power. Their home is now occupied and controlled, by those that control them and now their fate.

(chorus/hook) When I see a man, I see a liar 2x you're the apple of my eye, of my eye, of my eye you're the apple of my eye, of my eye I want ya

... Seeing someone as threat, untrustworthy, dangerous. In many languages of the world apple of my eye van mean other things - little man in my eye, pupil of my eye. The song most likely refers to targeting, like being made the focus of someone's eye.

I fell for a girl with a port-wine stain I knew her initials but never her name

... A port-wine stain is a birthmark. Much like Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of USSR, in 1990-1991. USSR fell in '92 and became Russia. Could be related, or not. The Cold War between the US and Russia persists in the meddling of the wars, and support provided to Organizations. Russia has been suspected of supporting organizations, via circuitous funding circles, like ISIS.

I tried and I tried and I was never the same so no longer for love and I'm forever changed

... I don't know for certain, but I can relate these type of feelings. As a soldier you expect your loyalty to purchase acts of good, acts of achievements, acts of honour. Sometimes one's loyalty is not rewarded with such things, and during that failing a love that once was is lost. Service of duty remains, but the love lost changes who you are. You are now not a sword of honour, but a tool of disgust and shame. You are a stranger trapped by duty, and then by repetative memory and nightmares.

(chorus) When I see a man, I see a liar 2x you're the apple of my eye, of my eye, of my eye you're the apple of my eye, of my eye I want ya give up my money, give up my name, take it away I give it away, I give it away, I give it when I see a man, I see a liar 2x

... recruiting and volunteering references

When I see a man, I see a liar 2x you're the apple of my eye, of my eye, of my eye you're the apple of my eye, of my eye I want ya give up my money, give up my name, take it away I give it away, I give it away, I give it I'm a sycophantic animal, I'm a sycophant... no, no I'm a sycophantic, all and all break through the chain, I break through the chain, I'll break it I give it away, I give it away, I give it when I see a man, I see a liar 2x you're the apple of my eye, of my eye, of my eye you're the apple of my eye, of my eye, I want ya give up my money, give up my name, take it away I give it away, I give it away, I give it see you again, I see you again, I see ya give it away, I give it away, I give it when I feel low, when I feel low, I feel it

... willing to join up, in slow revenge. willing to (insinserely) praise anyone who will get me where I need to go, to get close enough to you to exact my vengeance. Then, soon after I'll see you again my dear one. This inner-rage and vengeance are strongest when I feel all the guilt and shame of letting you be lost from me.

When I see a man, I see a liar 2x you're the apple of my eye, of my eye, of my eye you're the apple of my eye, of my eye, I want ya