Meaningless

The Magnetic Fields

Meaningless?
You mean it's all been meaningless?
Every whisper and caress?
Yes yes yes it was totally meaningless

Meaningless
Like when two fireflies flouresce
Just like everything I guess
Less less yes, it was utterly meaningless

Even less
A little glimpse of nothingness
Sucking meaning from the
Rest of this mess

Yes yes yes it was thoroughly meaningless
And if some dim bulb should say
We were in love in some way
Kick all his teeth in for me

And if you feel like keeping on kicking,
Feel free
Meaningless
Who dare say it wasn't meaningless?

Shout from the rooftops
And address the press
Ha ha ha, it was totally meaningless
Meaningless

Meaning less than a game of chess
Just like your mother said
And mother knows best
I knew it all the time but now I confess

Yes yes yes how deliciously meaningless
Yes yes yes effervescently meaningless
Yes yes yes it was beautifully meaningless
Yes yes yes it was profoundly meaningless
Yes yes yes definitively meaningless
Yes yes yes comprehensively meaningless
Yes yes yes magnificently meaningless
Yes yes yes how incredibly meaningless
Yes yes yes unprecedentedly meaningless
Yes yes yes how mind-blowingly meaningless
Yes yes yes how unbelievably meaningless
Yes yes yes how infinitely meaningless


Lyrics submitted by Anne Arbour

Meaningless Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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Meaningless song meanings
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8 Comments

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  • +2
    General CommentThis song is magnificently meaningless.
    qwerty2134on December 14, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI think this song is about denial. He's denying that a broken relationship was more serious than it was. The way that he keeps repeating the word meaningless and the 'yes yes yes' part make it sound like he's trying to convince himself.

    and the lines,
    "and if some dim bulb should say
    we were in love in some way
    kick all his teeth in for me
    and if you feel like keeping on kicking
    feel free"
    are quite violent like he's trying to kick the meaning out of the relationship to save him from being too sad about the break up.
    Mattzillamanon August 29, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Commenti actually see this a little differently...

    to me it sounds like the other person has called off their relationship, describing it as meaningless; it had not been as full of love as he had felt it was. this song is his reaction, which is full of sarcasm and outrage.

    "you mean it's all been meaningless? yes, it was totally meaningless!"
    you know? they went through so much and he just can't believe that the other person could feel this way.
    lovelikerainon August 21, 2007   Link
  • +1
    My OpinionThis song is , without a doubt, about someone heartbroken giving too much meaning to a relationship with the other person who just walked away, and he couldn't believe it was meaningess:
    You can analyse the different parts with self-denyal, remembering, irony and acceptance throughout the song.
    The sound of this track seems to be really meaningless, as it was intended to be; but in the end he describes how he really felt, adding 'meaningless' ironicaly to what he really felt about it.
    Liberatoon March 29, 2013   Link
  • +1
    My InterpretationJust a note that I don't think that the whole "Meaningless" theme of the song is sarcastic, but rather a sort of ironic articulation based on a materialist/naturalist (philosophy involving the lack of supernatural existence) perspective. It was meaningless, just like when fireflies fluoresce, just like everything. But just because there is no "meaning" to anything in the grand scheme of things does not mean we can't interpret it that way. At least, that's just my interpretation of this song- it's a bit personal, but also is about the way we think about certain words like "meaning" on different levels.
    null10152857298045on March 10, 2015   Link
  • +1
    General CommentMaxDG1013 above has the closest to how I feel about this.

    It seems clear that one interpretation of this is an ode to existentialist thought, that ultimately the ground of being has no meaning, just like everything, like the fireflies fluorescing. Yet that meaningless allows love to be at all, it is beautiful/profound/infinite/magnificent and mind blowing.

    Of course, at the same time it's simply an achingly bitter lament from someone who's just had their heartbroken.

    The fact that it's both at the same time ably demonstrates Stephin Merritt's songwriting chops.
    tryptychon November 16, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI think the meaning of this not-meaningless song is pretty self-evident. To me, it's about two people who thought they were in love but weren't really, so it was all meaningless. I like the rhyming and the adverbs at the end. Good stuff.
    suclid003on March 28, 2006   Link
  • 0
    My InterpretationSeems pretty clear to me--

    He's been in some undefined relationship, and the other party has broken it off, claiming that it 'didn't really mean anything'.

    He sarcastically agrees 'yes yes yes, it was totally meaningless' (it certainly wasn't to him), and then attempts to convince himself that he never cared all that much in order to lessen the pain of separation ('sour grapes', essentially).

    Pretty heartbreaking :/
    kalliphonyon November 25, 2012   Link

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