What does Hide and Seek mean?

Imogen Heap: Hide and Seek Meaning

Album cover for Hide and Seek album cover

Hide and Seek Lyrics

where are we? what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just began to fall
crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling
spin me around again and rub my eyes
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people would stop to...

  1. anonymous
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    May 30th 2011 !⃝

    i thought it was about the people suffering through the Holocaust once i really listened to the lyrics

  2. anonymous
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    Apr 21st 2011 !⃝

    American Indians people; I think its pretty clear there is a deeper meaning than just an abusive relationship, although it is up to the imagination of what it could really be about. "Where are we? What the hell is going on?" Native Americans confused by arrival of foreigners and taking over their land. "Spin me round again...this cant be happening" Sheer disbelief that their land and people are being taken over. The whole hide and seek concept is about hiding away from the soldiers and sheriffs trying to possess and control Natives. "Trains and sewing machines" referring to technology brought to America and rapid changes that were occurring. "All those years, they were here first." Obvious reference. "Oily marks appear on the walls where pleasure moments hung before" referencing simpler times. "The takeover the sweeping insensitivity of this," foreigners simply taking over their land with no regard for the people that once lived on it. "Blood and tears." Trail of 1000 tears... "That you only meant well, well of course you did." referencing the many politicians who said takeover of the Native Americans and their expulsion from their was necessary to better them and integrate them into society. "Its all for the best." Same. "Just what we need, you decided this" Same. etc etc. The whole ending also summarizes this.

  3. anonymous
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    Apr 3rd 2011 !⃝

    In my opinion, since I am a very hardcore gamer I can relate it to a video game, Half-Life 2. I believe its about the combine taking over humanity in such a short span and leaving humanity to slowly die. Dr. Breen made the decision to hand over earth to the combine (he decided this) and his lies about how the combine will help us advance further even though they killed over 5 billion people and are slowly leading us to extinction. Its how we were on the earth first and how every body (crowds in streets) was sad the day of the takeover which was so swift (seven hours. Oily marks appear on walls of rooms with death and sadness when over 5 million people once had wonderful and pleasant moments in rooms like those. Dr. Breen is like the kidnapper of humanity and earths resources, making false promises with mid sweet talk. Trains and sewing machines are just some of the technology we have left in this world where we are enslaved.

  4. anonymous
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    Mar 10th 2011 !⃝

    This song could mean a number of things. Only the artist knows for sure what this song really means. I think the meaning is extremly broad and people can make their own interpretations.

    I think that it is possibly about a fight, a big one that just brutally murdered the relationship. As they come to realization as to what happens they are in awe that this could actually happen to them. One of them is actually moving out (crop circles on the carpet), and the other is just incredibly depressed about the situation and is thinking that she never wants to go through this again because it's so painful.

    But the interpretation depends on the person this was just what I'm getting from the song. It's a beautiful song that may not have wanted interpretation.

    Love, Sandrine Owens.

  5. anonymous
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    Mar 10th 2011 !⃝

    I first heard this song a few weeks ago and while I thought it was beautiful and compelling, the lyrics seemed pretty random and inconsequential to me. It always made me cry though. Last week I lost a friend to suicide and suddenly the meaning of the song is completley obvious. The lyrics takes you through the process of shock, disbelief and anger. I don't wish to insult anyones intelligence by elaborating as to me it is obvious. I am stunned and very moved at how a relatively short song can encapsulate a complete range of emotional reactions to something so inexplicably tragic.

  6. anonymous
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    Mar 10th 2011 !⃝

    or maybe let us just ask Imogen....when and if we get the chance to...

  7. anonymous
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    Mar 10th 2011 !⃝

    I love listening to this song when im depressed and feeling very emotional. my friend is a poet and she always listens to this song for inspiration to write her poems.

    anyway my interpretation is qt random but im convinced.lol.
    i feel like it's a abstract song about politics and war etc. It's really hard for me to expand but everytime i listen to this song i see a deserted town after paused at war, with still soldier. a grayscale sort of picture, gloomy. yet I still relate it to a love story.

  8. anonymous
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    Mar 9th 2011 !⃝

    I love listening to this song when im depressed and feeling very emotional. my friend is a poet and she always listens to this song for inspiration to write her poems.

    anyway my interpretation is qt random but im convinced.lol.
    i feel like it's a abstract song about politics and war etc. It's really hard for me to expand but everytime i listen to this song i see a deserted town after paused at war, with still soldier. a grayscale sort of picture, gloomy. yet I still relate it to a love story.

  9. anonymous
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    Mar 1st 2011 !⃝

    humanity self destructing rather than evolving thru truth and love....just to name a few things that come to my mind while listening to this song:

    native american holocaust
    jewish holocaust
    slavery
    Nagasaki and Hiroshima

  10. anonymous
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    Feb 9th 2011 !⃝

    It's about when she and her sister were younger and they were raped by someone, and the "crop circles in the carpet" are the semen traces that were found by the police and the "Oily marks appear on walls
    where pleasure moments hung before
    the take over
    the sweeping insensitivity" is where the police found finger prints and marks of the rape on the walls.

  11. anonymous
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    Feb 4th 2011 !⃝

    It is about human trafficking and modern slavery. How people are lied and transported as if they were commodities. Hidden from the world and yet people don't care to really see it in today's day.

  12. anonymous
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    Jan 30th 2011 !⃝

    YOU FUCKING IDIOT. the song is about the HOLOCAUST! go listen to the song again, trains and sewing machines? LOL, about relationship. Imogen has more meaning to her songs than you know, her form of writing in lyrics is amazing and unique so she isn't gonna write about a 'breakup' just like everyone else. think outside the box.

  13. John Gibby
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    Jan 17th 2011 !⃝

    As has already been suggested I also think this song is about the holocaust.

    where are we?
    what the hell is going on?

    (prisoners confused about where they are)

    the dust has only just begun to form
    crop circles in the carpet
    sinking feeling

    (they were taken from their homes and their things taken and burnt. their lives have turned to dust.)

    spin me round again
    and rub my eyes,
    this can't be happening
    when busy streets a mess with people
    would stop to hold their heads heavy

    (again, they don't understand what's happening and when they being to realise they can't believe it)

    hide and seek
    trains and sewing machines

    (they were brought on trains and forced to sew)

    all those years
    they were here first

    (the Nazis built the camps before moving in the prisoners)

    oily marks appear on walls
    where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,
    the sweeping insensitivity of this still life

    (upset about what has happened)

    hide and seek
    trains and sewing machines (oh, you won't catch me around here)
    blood and tears (hearts)
    they were here first

    (see above)

    Mmmm whatcha say,
    Mmm that you only meant well?
    well of course you did
    Mmmm whatcha say,
    Mmmm that it's all for the best?
    of course it is
    Mmmm whatcha say?
    Mmmm that it's just what we need
    you decided this
    whatcha say?
    Mmmm what did she say?

    (the prisoners talking to the nazis. they convinced them what they were doing was for their own good)

    ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
    mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs
    speak no feeling no I don't believe you
    you don't care a bit,
    you don't care a bit

    (this is pretty cryptic but maybe it's about the lies the prisoners were told)

    (hide and seek)
    ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
    mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs

    (hide and seek)
    speak no feeling no i don't believe you
    you don't care a bit,
    you don't care a (you don't care a) bit

    (hide and seek)
    oh no, you don't care a bit
    oh no, you don't care a bit

    (hide and seek)
    oh no, you don't care a bit
    you don't care a bit
    you don't care a bit

    (the Nazis obviously didn't care about the prisoners)

    Anyway, that's how I interpreted it.

  14. anonymous
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    Jan 11th 2011 !⃝

    Maybe about the holocaust? :)

    where are we?
    what the hell is going on?
    the dust has only just begun to form
    crop circles in the carpet (To many Jewish people, it happened so suddenly.)
    sinking feeling

    spin me round again
    and rub my eyes,
    this can't be happening (With something as awful as the holocaust,it was unbelievable, and still is.)
    when busy streets a mess with people
    would stop to hold their heads heavy
    (Such awful things, that most could do nothing about but cry)
    hide and seek (Many Jewish people hid)
    trains and sewing machines
    all those years
    they were here first (Many people believe that the Jewish people were here first)

    oily marks appear on walls
    where pleasure moments hung before the takeover, (When Hitler/Nazis tookover)
    the sweeping insensitivity of this still life

    hide and seek
    trains and sewing machines (oh, you won't catch me around here)(They carried people away in trains)
    blood and tears (hearts)
    they were here first

    Mmmm whatcha say,
    Mmm that you only meant well? (Nazis say that they only ment well.)
    well of course you did
    Mmmm whatcha say,
    Mmmm that it's all for the best? (They told the Jewish people that it was for the best)
    of course it is
    Mmmm whatcha say?
    Mmmm that it's just what we need(Nazis also said that it was just what the "Jews" needed)
    you decided this (The Jewish people had no say)
    whatcha say?
    Mmmm what did she say?

    ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
    mid-sweet talk,(They acted like they were doing good.) newspaper word cut outs
    speak no feeling no I don't believe you
    you don't care a bit,
    you don't care a bit (They obvisouly didnt care a bit)

    (hide and seek)
    ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
    mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs

    (hide and seek)
    speak no feeling no i don't believe you
    you don't care a bit,
    you don't care a (you don't care a) bit

    (hide and seek)
    oh no, you don't care a bit
    oh no, you don't care a bit

    (hide and seek)
    oh no, you don't care a bit
    you don't care a bit
    you don't care a bit





    In Memory of Anne Frank
    wether or not this song speaks about what happened to her, RIP

  15. anonymous
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    Jan 6th 2011 !⃝

    So I am not posting my interpretation but I was reading comments on this song on youtube and this idiot on there said this song is about neofascist or nazi takeover...how dumb can people get I mean wow.




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