Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Here's the silhouette
the face always turned away
the bleeding color gone to black
dying like a day
couldn't figure out what made you so unhappy
shook your head to say no no no
and stopped for a spell
and stayed that way
oh well, okay
i got pictures, i just don't see it anymore
climbing hour upon hour through a total bore
with the one i keep where it never fades
in the safety of a pitch black mind
an airless cell that blocks the day
oh well, okay
if you a get a feeling the next time you see me
do me a favor and let me know
'cos it's hard to tell
it's hard to say
oh well, okay
oh well, okay
oh well, okay
the face always turned away
the bleeding color gone to black
dying like a day
couldn't figure out what made you so unhappy
shook your head to say no no no
and stopped for a spell
and stayed that way
oh well, okay
i got pictures, i just don't see it anymore
climbing hour upon hour through a total bore
with the one i keep where it never fades
in the safety of a pitch black mind
an airless cell that blocks the day
oh well, okay
if you a get a feeling the next time you see me
do me a favor and let me know
'cos it's hard to tell
it's hard to say
oh well, okay
oh well, okay
oh well, okay
Lyrics submitted by EnjOy IncUbus
Oh Well, Okay Lyrics as written by Steven Paul Smith
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Step
Ministry
Ministry
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
i'm kinda surprised no one mentioned all the references to pictures. it seems like he wrote this after looking through some old photos. i have a feeling they're pictures of himself, but it's not really clear, and they could easily be of anyone he cared about.
it seems like he's bored and looking back, and just can't figure out why he's been so sad for so long. i think the mention of "silhouette" and "bleeding color" are both referring to an old photo. and the imagery ("gone to black," "dying") he uses just help accentuate the sadness in the picture and in his heart. the part about the one trapped in his head is interesting ("With the one I keep where it never fades In the safety of a pitch black mind"). i'm not sure what picture he's specifically thinking of. maybe it's just a memory of himself in a really hard time that he can't let go of. it almost seems like he wants to hold on to his sadness, since he mentions "safety" of his mind. he doesn't want too let go of that image, even though it seems so depressing.
maybe the last lines about, "If you get a feeling the next time you see me/ Do me a favor and let me know" are to himself. Meaning, if my happy self comes around, come on in. I think he's tired of being so sad, even though he does like to cling to his depression at times. As he says, "It's hard to say/ Oh well, okay." I think this just means it's hard for him to always feel so depressed and apathetic about life and to be surrounded by so much melancholy, in his heart and in old photos.
I feel the same way. I miss you, Elliott. RIP
I agree with your ideas to a great extent. I have been trying to figure out this song for a long time, and I think you are on the right track. In order to understand "the safety of a pitch black mind," you kind of have to think of a dark room. He's comparing his mind to a dark place, where a photograph or piece of film is safe from being exposed. All of the imagery fits pretty well into this metaphor. He might be looking at one specific photo in the first verse (an old one that he's just now developed) where he's trying to figure out why he looks so unhappy, but can't remember. "Stopped for a spell and stayed that way," seems to be talking about how a photo can preserve a state of being or a moment in existence, and how he is like a photo in that way. He never changes. He tells him self that he likes it that way ("oh well, okay"). In the second verse, he seems to be looking through a multitude of posed pictures of him smiling or something. The whole time he's doing this, he's bored, and keeps the image of his true self (or how he sees himself) in his mind, safe from the light. It will never change; he will always feel horrible; the film will never leave the dark cannister of his mind and be developed or manipulated. He tries to feel okay about this grim prediction ("oh well, okay"). As for the last verse, it seems to be him finally accepting that he doesn't want to be miserable forever. He's asking for help, even though he knows it won't do any good. So he reassures himself again.