Imogen Heap: Hide and Seek Meaning
Hide and Seek Lyrics
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...
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I agree with the interpretation about Native Americans. The story line of the song does match up with a breakup, but every time I listen to the song, I imagine the pain of the white people taking over.
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Its about love cuz its crazy and we all have our own views of it. As we all know love makes us go crazy or go crazy in love. But when one wants to leave when the other doesnt it gets so complicated. Why its a lot to deal with the loss yet to deal with all the memories we gained.So everyones interpetation is right cuz our own personal expiereances and situations cant help to be placed but put in it. I once heard it like this " Who feels it knows it" and the bad of it "You will get nothing and like it" but is it bad? Well its how you look and make of it.
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Where are we? what the hell is going on?
(What's happening? It's like I turn around and all of a sudden things have changed)
The dust has only just begun to form crop circles in the carpet
(dust as in old beginning to fall-death of an elder-crop circles meaning going in circles so confused or circles are neverending meaning what happened is not going to be undone)
sinking feeling
(realization sinking in making her sad)
spin me round again and rub my eyes this can't be happening
(spin around and rub my eyes maybe things will change it can't happen I won't let it I need it to not be real)
When busy steets a mess with people would stop to hold their heads heavy
(everything is going on like normal for everyone else if only they would stop to feel my pain I feel so alone)
hide and seek trains and sewing machines
(trains and sewing machines used back later in time meaning elders then hide and seek as in they're missing= elders gone/dead)
All those years
(all those years they were alive then now theyre just gone, wasted)
they were here first
(older than us or they were here first kind of like "hey I was there first you can't steal my place" so now theyre place in the world is taken)
oily marks appear on walls where pleasure moments hung before
(you were happy but now you're gone and I can't stand to think about it so I took the pictures down)
the takeover the sweeping insensitivity of this still life
(life taken over-hitting hard without taking it lightly, didn't ever give a choice didn't ever get to say goodbye-still life meaning dead)
hide and seek trains and sewing machines
oh you won't catch me around here
(death isn't going to catch me I know the feeling of being left behind and won't make others go through it over me)
blood and tears
(blood meaning death -starting to guess a murder happened-and tears meaning people crying because they died)
they were here first
mm what you say mm that you only meant well
(what are you saying that you did it for the better?)
Well of course you did
(yeah yeah say all you want "of course you did" this part would be sarcastic)
mm what you say mm that its all for the best?
(you really think that this was for the better? like seriously? really?)
because it is
(sarcasm again)
mm what you say mm that its just what we need?
(you think we needed this? kind of angry)
you decided this
(you were the only one who thought this would be for the better and stuff like that all that you said well look at us you hurt us all just to help yourself)
What you say what did you say?
(yeah now that you see this do you really think you should have done it? talking angrily at the person who would be the murderer)
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
(trying to defend yourself but you know I'm right)
mid-sweet talk newspaper word cutouts
(you really don't know what to say anymore because you realize that I'm right you're using excuses that you know arent real or saying what I want to hear so that I won't be mad at you)
speak no feeling no I don't believe you
(I know you're just saying what I want to hear you speak no feeling you're not sincere)
you don't care a bit you don't care a bit
(you don't really care you don't mean what you're saying)
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth midsweet talk newspaper word cutouts speak no feeling no I don't believe you you don't care a bit you don't care a bit you don't care a bit no no you dotn care a bit you don't care a bit, you don't care a bit -
I for sure think it's around the 9/11 attacks, it's basically what makes sense if you look at every word of the song:
Where are we?
What the hell is going on?
(as the towers were attacked, just an utter lost feeling)
The dust has only just begun to fall (talking about the literal dust that filled the streets)
Crop circles in the carpet (same with the dust making what was like dust circles)
Sinking feeling
Spin me around again and rub my eyes
This can't be happening (disbelief)
When busy streets a mess with people
Would stop to hold their heads heavy
(people everyone just wondering how it happened, what's going on, and just mourning)
Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines
All those years
They were here first
(all this goes then to iraq, the aftermath of 9/11. they were here, these are real people, these trains are here for the innocent people and the sewing machines are their jobs and lively hood)
Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before (pleasure moments hanging on walks and oily marks from them - pictures of course and all that's left is marks from them)
The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity (the takeover - war, insentive killing of innoncents)
Of this still life
Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines
Blood and tears
They were here first
(this next part is for sure her questions for bush, like yeah you only meant well, sure you did, this war is all for the best? yeah I'm sure it is)
Mm what'cha say?
Mm, that you only meant well
Well of course you did
Mm what'cha say?
Mm that it's all for the best
Of course it is
Mm what'cha say?
Mm that it's just what we need
You decided this?
Mm what'cha say?
Mm what did you say?
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth (digging his way out of everything)
Mid-sweet-talk newspaper word cutouts (paper word cutouts)
Speak no feeling; no, I don't believe you
You don't care a bit
You don't care a bit -
I believe the song is about a divorce between her parents. The "trains and sewing machines" represent how her parents split apart and came back together.
Then when she says "crop circles in the carpet" that represents the house her parents lived in and the crop circles are where furniture used to be.
"Oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before" are pictures that were on the wall of the house.
"mm whatcha say?
mm that you only meant well?
well of course you did
mm whatcha say?
mm that it's all for the best?
of course it is
mm whatcha say?
hmmm that it's just what we need?
and you that decided this
ooh whatcha say?
mmmm what did ya say?" meaning that the parents thought the divorce was what was best for the family. -
I have always been led to believe that this song was written about the Holocaust!!
If you know anything about the Holocaust.. listen to the song and think again about its meaning!
I will try my best to explain....
Where are we?
What the hell is going on?
The dust has only just begun to fall
Crop circles in the carpet
Sinking feeling
(the above) families are ripped apart from each other eg. Husband and wife and children, Where are we? they do not know where they are or why they are going there!
things are moved around during the raids on homes hence the crop circles, I also believe the "crop circles" are the areas of land cleared to create the institutions. They then realize something is not right and therefore have the sinking feeling within themselves about their future!
Spin me around again and rub my eyes
This can't be happening
When busy streets a mess with people
Would stop to hold their heads heavy
(the above) At first they cannot believe what is going on, all the killings "can't be happening"
the busy street is bustling until they realise another mass killing has happened and they all hang their heads in shame of what the world they now live in is coming to!
Hide and seek --- trying to run away from the inevitable
Trains and sewing machines---the labor they endured while at the concentration camps (men building trains..women making clothes etc)
All those years --- the war continuing over years
They were here first--- The Jews v's nazis who were here first ... apparently the "nazis" were and they want to eliminate Jews so its back to their "normal" "clean" ways (obviously not my own opinion)
Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before
(above) not so sure... either their is blood and horrible things getting on the walls where obviously photos and homely things once hung
The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity
Of this still life
(of above) the inability to believe what is happening to these people... The shock of their new lives
Hide and seek--as above
Trains and sewing machines
Blood and tears
They were here first
Mm what'cha say?
Mm, that you only meant well
Well of course you did
(of above) What do they say about the situation? the Nazis thought it was the best thing to do...the right decisions
Mm what'cha say?
Mm that it's all for the best---killing hundreds of thousands of people... "of course it is"
Of course it is
Mm what'cha say?
Mm that it's just what we need
You decided this?
Mm what'cha say?
Mm what did you say?
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid-sweet-talk newspaper word cutouts (paper word cutouts)
Speak no feeling; no, I don't believe you
You don't care a bit
You don't care a bit
(above) the nazis fall from power and grace...their poor apologies and the Jews disbelief of the entire situation -
Visually I kept seeing images of the Holocaust....i could have cried
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I think this song is about the Holocaust. When the Nazi's murdered millions of people from all different political and religious groups.
"When busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy."
I think that relates to the genocide - Bodies lying everywhere and people grieving for the loss of millions.
"Hide and Seek
Trains and Sewing machines"
Obviously Jews hiding from the Nazi's.
I think the trains and sewing machines refer to the people being taken away to concentration camps and put to work as slaves, possibly making clothes.
"Oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life"
I think the oily marks, refer to an imprint/discolouring on the wall due to photographs or picture frames hanging for a long period of time. I think the marks emphasise how long these people had been there without disturbance until the Nazi's invaded(the takeover).
"Blood and tears
They were here first"
Again blood and tears shed from the millions killed.
The Jews were there before the Nazi's.
"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 you say?"
Possibly my favourite part of the song. I think this is explaining that the Nazi's thought of the Jews as an inferior race and were seen as a threat to the purity and strength of the German nation. It refers to the fact that The Jews did not have a choice when the Nazi's came to power. -
I read some other opinions. But that isn't what I thought at all lmao. My thoughts were more...idk out of the box. lol. I thought it had to do with the world at large. How everything's changing and no one has any control over it in a sense. But I think strangely. lmao
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Everyone says this song is about love and relationships, but I've always interpreted this song as a criticism of Manifest Destiny. It seems to fit both lyrically and musically: Musically, sort of mourning of the loss of the Native American cultures while Lyrically, expressing anger towards the arrogance of those responsible.
When busy streets amass with people would stop to hold their heads heavy. (Speaking of the remorse we ought to feel by the way we've abused the sacred lands of the Native Americans).
Whether you agree with her statement or not, when you listen to it with this in mind it really does fit perfectly:
"Oily marks appear on walls where pleasure moments hung before the takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this still life." (Picture cave-dwellers drawing stories of The Hunt with oils from local flowers before being forced off their lands).
"trains and sewing machines- all those years they were here first" (Mechanization, Industrialization has taken over after so many years of native inhabitance.)
And finally she scoffs at the philosophy of the Manifest Destiny itself:
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
well of course you did
Mmmm that it's all for the best?
Of course it is
Mmmm that it's just what we need
you decided this
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