Gyroscope

The Dismemberment Plan

She’s wearing too much lipstick tonight
The little black dress a little too tight
She tires to make small talk but it drips with spite
She knows that he’s coming; it’s really all right
Nobody here could know how she feels
Not getting drunk and she hates wearing heels
She tries to stand but the room seems to bend and reel
Her friends all keep asking why can’t she just deal
If she spins fast enough than maybe the broken pieces of her heart will stay together
But ain’t no gyroscope can spin forever, yea
If she spins fast enough than maybe the broken pieces of her heart will stay together
But ain’t no gyroscope can spin forever, yea
He says it’s over and it’s such a relief
It’s finally happened and he’s making his peace
All the reminders don’t bother him in the least
The Jekyll and Hyde shit will finally cease
His eyes on fire and his hands kind of shake
Like his voice is ready to break
You kind of wonder how long this boy’s been awake
Or how much less sense one person can make
If he spins fast enough than maybe the broken pieces of his heart will stay together
But ain’t no gyroscope can spin forever, yea
If he spins fast enough than maybe the broken pieces of his heart will stay together
But ain’t no gyroscope can spin forever, yea
Happiness is such hard work, and it gets harder every day
And it can kill you, but no one wants to be that tacky about it, yea
If you spin fast enough than maybe the broken pieces of your heart will stay together
But some things I’ve seen lately make me doubt it.


Lyrics submitted by 66exeter

Gyroscope song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

20 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment
    Actually, I believe the song is primarily in 15/16 time. The sixteenth note gets the accent, not the eighth. If you count it out as a quick 1234 1234 1234 123, it makes sense. During the verse, it's 3 bars of 15/16, one of 2/4 and one of 5/4, then three 15/16, one 2/4, one 19/16 (5/4 minus one 16th note, I'm not joking). During the chorus, it's alternating three at 15/16 and one at 4/4. You really need to count like Dracula to keep up. Genius.
    absenteron May 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    bomb ya'll (y)
    myheartbleedscoldon May 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    The chorus alone blew my mind and got me into the song. All D-Plan songs have fantastic lyrics in a great storytelling style, and this is just one of the many examples of that. These are the songs that should be in the Top Five.
    AKMooseon July 11, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    this song is simply awesome.. the chorus makes me grin really wide with this stunned amazement.. excellent. as to what the songs all about.. possibly a warning? the spinning makes me think that it may be telling people that going out and having fun and freaking out to try and forget stuff is all very good but.. you cant carry on like it forever.. some day you have to slow down and sort your shit out.
    gyroscopeon March 10, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    this song is so awesome and is written sooooo well... i love the DPlan!!!
    elementalsk8er5on March 11, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    The best thing that has ever happened in the entire world is seeing and hearing this song live. At the very end, all of the instruments stop suddenly and Travis is still singing, but all of a sudden you can hear the entire crowd singing as loud as they can (having not yet realized the instruments have stopped). It's awesome.
    Weasealon April 30, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    No, I'm sure they've realized the instruments stopped, and are probably singing louder because they can be heard. As for the song, it certainly is a work of art. A pretty straight-forward song about the effects of going out night after night trying to find love but only getting your heart broken.
    lexicon devilon September 17, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    to me this song represents two people that were seriously in love and they break up. They try to hide the pain it causes them but no matter how much they try, it still gets to them. 'If you spin fast enough than maybe the broken pieces of your heart will stay together But some things I’ve seen lately make me doubt it.' That signifies, no matter how hard you try to cover it up, or how deep in denile you go, you can't stop the pain of a heart break. brilliant song. These guys are too good.
    bludgeron November 01, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    the time signiture on this song is crazy. i can't quite pin it down, i think it is a different signature at the end of every third measure.
    JimDillonon December 01, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Yo JimDillon, it's a 7/8 timing. (Seven beats per measure, the eighth note gets the beat) That's what sets this song apart from all others in my book. It's also an incredible song
    TenaciousPiebaldon December 05, 2004   Link

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

Album art
X French T-Shirt
Shudder to Think
This song is timeless, and nearly 20 years after its creation, still possesses the mystique it did the first time i heard it ~1994. To me, at first blush, all those years ago, it had some kind of homo-erotic allure. The line "so that the others may do" tells of something which must be done for others to follow suit. It felt like like some kind of roxy-glam-pop invitation to sexual liberation. Upon further introspection I think the song may not have an intrinsic meaning, but simply represents a sort of "holding open the door" for people who otherwise might be affronted by this song/band's unusual style. I know, as a sort of armchair rock-historian, that there have been few bands so daring and so true to the sound that wanted to emerge from within, whether the creator wanted it or not. This band handled it with elegance and grace seldom, if ever, seen.
Album art
Alma Matters
Morrissey
The man has pseudo-friends who constantly criticize his actions. They moralize him, "teach" him and advise him to make a significant change in his life, because the way he is and what he does is not what they say it should be. They may find his life lame or immoral. They hold themselves up as role models. The man replies that he will make his own choices and decisions and he does not agree to unconditionally make himself under the influence of questionable quality advice. He justifies this by saying that there is always someone for whom he will be important, no matter what he does and no matter what he is. Although it is not said directly, I read it as meaning that he will always be important to himself in every way and he will always have his own support. "Everyone is different and maybe that's a good thing, but you exceeded that mark 1000 times" - I remember very well how sad the words I once heard (from my peers and it was in negative context) at school made me feel.
Album art
MAZZA
slowthai & A$AP Rocky
This track is the first official collaboration between the rappers. It was produced by SAMO, slowthai himself & Kwes Darko. The track was released on January 5, 2021, in anticipation of his latest studio album titled "TYRON".
Album art
Real Groove
Kylie Minogue
This standalone single marks the latest collaboration between the artists. It was produced by Nico Stadi & Teemu Brunila and released on December 31, 2020.
Album art
Breathe
80vii
This standout song was released to close out the year and was produced in its entirety by 80vii. The track was released via major streaming platforms on December 27, 2020.