[Verse 1:]
Honest where I start from
I try and impart my wisdom
A combination of truth and fear
That’s the way it’s always been
My father and his before him
At times we hurt the …
[Verse 1]
Oh, pity me
I’m so alone and so blue
My friends have all gone away
Their friendliness too
[Pre-Chorus]
It was I on my own
With no need to belong
And I wanted to die
That’s when …
[Verse 1]
Got some money, got some cash
I’m rich and now I’m sad
And I wonder if I’m sad about the money that I have
Got some boats on my plane
At the hotel …
[Intro]
Yeah
Polishin’ a goddamn sword, you know what I’m sayin’?
Polishin’ a sword (Uh, uh, uh, uh)
Concrete Family, Concrete Industries, Concrete Boys up, always, never down
(And this beat from Cash, not from …
When the only sound in the empty street
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop
I open shop
When the moon so long has been gazing down
On …
Oh my mind
I walk down Mayflower Road again
the waning sun
echoes from the park seem so absurd
the bus takes hours
I knew it would but I cant shake the stand
can’t spend my time on everybody else1
If buildings fell
At least we’d be in matrimony2
I can’t control
The words kaleidoscope inside my head3
Has the world gone mad
Or is it me?4
All these small things
They gather round me
gather round me5
Is it all so very bad
I can’t see6
Oh all these small things
They gather round me
Gather round me
and I can’t see
Saw The Police
screaming something trivial like
‘keep the peace’7
the world moves on and you can’t shake the sound
I know she’s home8
leaning on somebody loving life
all in my mind the anvil and the weight on my back9
Has the world gone mad
Or is it me?
All these small things
They gather round me
Gather round me
Is it all so very bad
I can’t see
Oh all these small things
They gather round me
Gather round me
And I can’t see
Has the world gone mad
Or is it me
All these small things
They gather round me
Gather round me
Is it all so very bad
I can’t see
All these small things
They gather round me
Gather round me
And I can’t see my love
mmm
I can’t see my love
mmm10
Ben Howard opens his song by describing his trek across town. He’s only focused on his beloved, despite all of the other things around him that could potentially distract him.
Even if his environment collapsed entirely, he’d still be focused on his beloved.
Ben Howard imagines all of the things he might say to his beloved when he meets up with her.
Ben Howard feels as though being in love is driving him crazy.
Everything going on around Ben Howard has little or no effect on his life.
Ben Howard believes he is not the one most qualified to assess his sanity, since he is madly in love. He asks others to do the assessment themselves.
Even seemingly notable events happening around Ben Howard seem pointless to him in light of his love for someone.
Even intense events will come and go, but Ben Howard’s mind is on his beloved.
The only thing of substance in Ben Howard’s life right now is his relationship with the one he loves.
Ben Howard sings this song while wondering whether he is in the wrong for being so obsessed with his beloved.
1 user explanation and meaning
Summer
‘I know she is home’ relates to how his love is waiting for him at home, but he cannot recognise himself anymore in the relationship so he calls himself this ‘somebody’ meaning he has lost himself and cannot connect with his girlfriend anymore. It’s a ‘weight on his back’ because he is consumed with guilt. He takes the bus ride to calm himself down and gather his thoughts, but he comes to the daunting realisation that be ‘can’t seem my love’. All these small things about her are gathering around him and he cannot stand her anymore. He is questioning whether he has gone mad because he can’t get past the small things that irritate/upset the shit out of him anymore about the relationship he is in. Basically, his relationship is falling apart because he is growing delusioned with his love. He calls out to the world, wondering if it’s just him that’s going mad and can’t he see how good she is? All in all, he can’t get passed the small things about his love anymore, his love towards his girlfriend is wavering. His whole faith in the world is collapsing before his very own eyes.