Ophelia

This song is about the band's meteoric rise to fame. Ophelia is fame.

"Ah, ah when I was younger, I, I should have known better And I can't feel no remorse, and you don't feel nothing back"

He's saying, I should have known what the price of fame would be. I can't feel sorry for myself for the things I had to give up but regardless, fame doesn't care.

"Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl since the flood Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love"

Fame (Ophelia) came in like a flood. We've all seen what happens to those who fall in love of fame for fame's sake. Heaven help them.

"I, I got a little paycheck, you got big plans and you gotta move And I don't feel nothing at all And you can't feel nothing small"

With success the money is coming in. Fame brings in all the managers and record execs and all those involved who have "big plans". He's numb but fame has no small plans.

"Honey I love you, that's all she wrote"

Fame loves the rising the star. That's all.

"Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl like a drug Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love"

A reiteration that fame is like a drug and dangerous to any who fall in love with her.

I'm pretty sure the lead singer Wesley said that he didn't write this song with intended meaning, but a fan can still find meaning in it through their own personal experience right? Here we go:

"I, when I was younger; I should've known better" When he was younger, maybe a couple years ago, he should've known better than to fall in love. What goes up must come down. He should have known the potential for heart break.

"And I can't feel no remorse, and you can't feel nothing back" He doesn't regret his loving her for those years yet in return, she just feels nothing. Like it didn't even happen to her.

"I got a new girlfriend, he feels like he's on top" Eventually the guy finds another girl to date, he feels like he's getting out of his depression by doing what all his friends suggest, 'move on, see other people'. He's on top, we wants to be out there and be more social or at least appear to be more social.

"And I don't feel no remorse, and you can't see pass my blinders" He still feels no regret in loving the girl. The ex-girlfriend, however, now can't see past the things he uses to distract him from his true depression, i.e. new girlfriend, going out to bars/parties, alcohol, drugs maybe.

"O-Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl since the flood" "O-Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love" In his drunken stupor perhaps, he's crying out to his ex that she is still consuming his mind since the flood of tears from the breakup. He wants her to come back and help him after he made the mistake of falling in love with her.

"I got a little pay check, you got big plans, you gotta move" The pace picks up, so does his mental war. He's got some money from being able to work a lot now and he will most likely use this money on his "blinders". His ex sees this deterioration and she needs to get out of there, she can't hear about him through mutual friends anymore, she needs to take a trip elsewhere in the world.

"And I don't feel nothing at all, and you can't feel nothing small" Now he is numb from his alcohol and drugs and his "blinders" and he can't feel anything, especially depression. His ex can't feel feel any bit of emotion for him anymore.

"Honey, I love you. That's all she wrote" She wrote him a note, perhaps when they initially broke up, simply saying I love you. Maybe that is what's fueling his confusion and in turn, his depression.

"O-Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl like a drug" "O-Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love" Now he cries out that she's been on his mind like the drugs he's been doing and he needs help after being a fool and falling in love with her.

(Repeat chorus)

Like I said, this is just me using this song for my own personal story but hey, if it works, it works. It makes me enjoy the song (or at least think of the song) so much more deeply.

Love this song! Reminds me very much of a similar time in my life, when I had one girl on my mind. It's funny because I was listening to a lot of Lumineers at the time as well. I'm curious as to what 'since the flood' could mean though.

This song makes me think of the Shakespeare play Hamlet. The character Ophelia in the play is in love with Hamlet but they both go crazy and Ophelia drowns.

I just feel like this is a song that only half makes sense. Some lyrics actually go together, but according to the lead singer, Wesley Keith Schultz, he actually just make up bits of lyrics to go with the melody rather than actually contribute to the meaning of the song (like "And I can't feel no remorse"). He even admits the song is a little meta and not entirely clear on what it's about. Still a great song and I love it but I'm not going to dig deep for some sort of objective meaning, but rather just subjectively relate it to my life.

youtube.com/watch

regret. turning to a new doc...HEROIN. he is a bitch to it, girlfriend is whom HE is addicted to..she is a HE..HE is the top so HE is HIS bitch which makes him a she.. get it. girlfriend always means your doc. o is opium o o ophelia on my mind like a drug...BOOM!

It seems like he's talking about a girl he or someone loves or loved. Ophelia seems to be symbolizing their love as the love Hamlet had for Ophelia in Shakespeare's play "Hamlet".

Ophelia has been put in a video with other songs from the album to form a story, the link is youtube.com/watch

There is also a video that explains the meanings and story youtube.com/watch

These songs and videos made me cry I recommend watching them

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia is known as a distressed maiden who ends up presumably taking her life by drowning. In one if her last soliloquies she is hands out rues often used for abortion symbolizing remorse. The song is Hamlets view on an elusive love he had toward Ophelia whom he idolized. He's being remorse about his pursuit of her leading to her demise. Perhaps it was in her frenzy after her father was killed they came together or it could be the loss of her child that lead to her frenzy then suicide. She cannot speak because she has gone to heaven as her brother Laertes says, she's become an angel. The flood either refers to the great deluge in which Hamlet feels he has committed the ultimate sin against humanity expecting impending judgment. Or the flood refers to Ophelias last moments drowning. Hamlet is in angst for a love that can never be fulfilled again. He's still idolizing her, even after having someone, the he is condemnation for his sins. Yet feels no remorse because the love he had for Ophelia was so great.

When hearing or reading the lyrics to this song, it brings a lot of different thoughts to mind. One of the common interpretations of this song is the lead singer's rise to fame, however Wesley has said that this song was not originally supposed to have any particular meaning. Another common interpretation is that Wesley fell in love too young, and still yearns for his "Ophelia."

keep in mind however that the word Ophelia is an old Greek stem for 'help.' My personal interpretation is that the character in this song (and yes of course, songs have characters because they tell a story), determines he is gay,

"Ah, ah when I was younger, I, I should have known better And I can't feel no remorse, and you don't feel nothing back."

The protagonist refuses to feel remorse for not loving this girl, but it doesn't matter because she herself knows and does not want him. He should have known better than to lie and break her heart, but he can no longer force love. This song seems as if it is an apology. . . essentially, 'I'm sorry that I hurt you, but I'm not sorry that I don't love you.' At want point in the song it seems as if he's moved on,

"Oh, oh, got a new girlfriend, he feels like he's on top And I don't feel no remorse, and you can't see past my blinders."

Being a lesbian, my girlfriend and I often get asked by friends and family, 'who's on top?,' or 'who's the guy?' By this they mean who wears the pants... who makes the rules... who is the more dominant partner. You never really hear ask a heterosexual couple, "who plays the male role?" This is because there literally is a male role in the relationship. This is what essentially determines my interpretation of the character being gay. As does this line,

"Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl since the flood Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love."

In the bible, God flooded the earth in order to cleanse it of all it's sin. The bible also apparently states that being gay is a sin, however you can plead for redemption. "Heaven help a fool who falls in love." Maybe the help is redemption? Maybe he feels the need to feel cleansed by his so called 'sin' because he is in love with a man. I don't know, this might not make sense to anyone. . . but I'd love to hear what you think of my interpretation. :)