They Might Be Giants: Particle Man Meaning

Song Released: 1990

Particle Man Lyrics

Particle man, particle man
Doing the things a particle can
What's he like? It's not important
Particle man

Is he a dot, or is he a speck?
When he's underwater does he get wet?
Or does the water get him instead?
Nobody knows, Particle...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   Shvotz

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   Oct 30th 2005 !⃝

   Particle man: science
   
   Triangle man: religion/Christianity (the Trinity)
   
   Universe man: Whatever controls the universe (different from religion because religion is the belief, "universe man" is the actual controller of the universe, be that God or just the universe itself)
   
   Person man: Mankind.
   
   Triangle man hates Particle man --- that is, Religion hates Science. And no matter how much they "fight," Religion always wins out (there is no way to disprove a belief).
   
   Universe Man is kind to smaller man (any man, really).
   
   Person man is depressing --- lives his life in a garbage can --- and is further degraded by losing to Triangle man (Religion).
2. anonymous

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   May 10th 2020 !⃝

   I think triangle man probably represents the Government (the American government has three parts). Universe Man is obviously God, and Person Man is jus t plain man. Particle Man is the subatomic particle (Does it get wet? Does it wet the water?)
3. anonymous

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   Sep 20th 2006 !⃝

   To put this simply, you are all overthinking this.
   
   Particle man is about exactly what they talk about. There is nothing the johns leave out for you to work out by yourselves. This has been stated many times, by the johns themselves. I suggest buying the dvd of gigantic, a documentary about they might be giants. The debate over the meaning of this song is ridiculous. This song is about a man who is a particle. Not everything they might be giants writes is full of meaning.
4. anonymous

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   May 27th 2006 !⃝

   As a further elaboration on the previous one: If Triangle Man is change, then Particle man might be the original state of everything - disassociated particles - which succumbed to change and complexity. Universe Man is the only one that Triangle Man does not hate, because time goes on and the universe remains. Person Man represents the degradation of society as a whole, which will at the end be destroyed by change (their technology or weaponry).
   
   I'm probably overthinking this.
5. anonymous

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   Apr 5th 2006 !⃝

   Another approach to triangle man he represents change (in most scientific notation, delta, meaning change, is often represent by a triangle. Okay acutally the greek letter delta looks a lot like a triangle.)
   
   In all the battles, triangle wins. No matter how much we fight it, change is inevitable.
   
   Just another approach

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