Here we stand
Like an Adam and an Eve
Waterfalls
The Garden of Eden
Two fools in love
So beautiful and strong
The birds in the trees
Are smiling upon them
From the age of the dinosaurs
Cars have run on gasoline
Where, where have they gone?
Now, it's nothing but flowers

There was a factory
Now there are mountains and rivers
You got it, you got it

We caught a rattlesnake
Now we got something for dinner
We got it, we got it

There was a shopping mall
Now it's all covered with flowers
You've got it, you've got it

If this is paradise
I wish I had a lawnmower
You've got it, you've got it

Years ago
I was an angry young man
And I'd pretend
That I was a billboard
Standing tall
By the side of the road
I fell in love
With a beautiful highway
This used to be real estate
Now it's only fields and trees
Where, where is the town
Now, it's nothing but flowers
The highways and cars
Were sacrificed for agriculture
I thought that we'd start over
But I guess I was wrong

Once there were parking lots
Now it's a peaceful oasis
You've got it, you've got it

This was a Pizza Hut
Now it's all covered with daisies
You got it, you got it

I miss the honky tonks,
Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens
You got it, you got it

And as things fell apart
Nobody paid much attention
You got it, you got it

I dream of cherry pies,
Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies
You got it, you got it

We used to microwave
Now we just eat nuts and berries
You got it, you got it

This was a discount store,
Now it's turned into a cornfield
You've got it, you've got it

Don't leave me stranded here
I can't get used to this lifestyle


Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery

(Nothing But) Flowers Lyrics as written by David Byrne

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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(Nothing But) Flowers song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    I've always liked Byrne's different interpretations of paradise and heaven. I think here the narrator is just honest: he doesn't like this natural beauty, and he'll be damned if he's going to pretend to. Tbh, I think if I was in the world described here I would miss all the stuff we have now, and no amount of flowers would act as compensation. I think this song may also be about how European and American cultures have built their own heaven around themselves, and filled it with conviniences that make the world around us like a paradise. We don't really need much more to perfect the manmade world around us. Still, I suppose one man's treasure is another man's rubbish. I'm sure there are people who would rather live in the world Byrne describes than the Western "paradise".

    willttedon April 05, 2010   Link

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