My friend once told me something so right
He said to be careful of thieves in the night
Baby I've lost you here in the crowd
Open your arms I want to be found
Maybe I'm calling your name in the night
Open our eyes we'll feel with our sight

A want is a lack but also desire
A need can be nothing but should be held higher
A need is a want wearing disguise
It can be confused if fueled by desire
Baby I'm calling your name in the night
No reason with need look into my eyes

Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't always want
Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't all want

My friend once told me something so right
He said to be careful of bugs that don't bite
My friend once told me something so right
He said to be careful of thieves in the night

Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't always want
Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't always want
Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't always want
Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't all want
Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't always want
Happiness is what we all want
May it be that we don't always want

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Hot Chip's song Thieves in the Night convey themes of loss, desire, need, and happiness. The song begins with a friend giving advice to be careful of thieves in the night, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for people who take advantage of others when they least expect it. The singer then reflects on their own loss, feeling lost and calling out their lover's name in the night, wanting to be found. The lyrics then shift to describing the differences between wants and needs, with the warning that needs can be confused with desires. The singer then calls out to their lover again, urging them to look into their eyes and not reason with their needs, suggesting a desire for a more emotional connection rather than a logical one. Finally, the song returns to the happiness theme, with the repetition of the phrase "Happiness is what we all want," but with the added caveat of "May it be that we don't always want," implying that happiness may be more complicated than we first thought.

Overall, the lyrics of Thieves in the Night are a reflection on the complexities of human desire and happiness. The song warns about the dangers of being taken advantage of by others, while also recognizing the challenge of distinguishing between our wants and needs. The song's repetition of the phrase "Happiness is what we all want" emphasizes the universal desire for happiness, but the added caveat acknowledges that happiness may not always be easy to attain.

Line by Line Meaning

My friend once told me something so right
My friend gave me advice that is so accurate

He said to be careful of thieves in the night
He warned me to watch out for those who would take advantage of me under the cover of darkness

Baby I've lost you here in the crowd
I can't find you in this throng of people

Open your arms I want to be found
Please embrace me; I want to feel that I have been discovered

Maybe I'm calling your name in the night
Perhaps I'm hoping to connect with you as I utter your name when darkness has descended

Open our eyes we'll feel with our sight
If we consciously look, we will experience things with a heightened sense of awareness

A want is a lack but also desire
To want something means that it is absent from our lives, but it also indicates a yearning for it

A need can be nothing but should be held higher
Although a need may appear to be insignificant, it should be more important than it seems

A need is a want wearing disguise
A need can easily be mistaken for a want

It can be confused if fueled by desire
When a need arises from a place of desire, it can be hard to tell the two apart

Baby I'm calling your name in the night
Again, I'm hoping to reach you by the sound of your name during nocturnal hours

No reason with need look into my eyes
Don't question my needs; they are sincere and honest - just look into my eyes

Happiness is what we all want
We all desire to be happy

May it be that we don't always want
It's possible that the desire for happiness is not universal

My friend once told me something so right
The same piece of advice is being repeated, stressing its importance

He said to be careful of bugs that don't bite
The metaphorical language is advising to be cautious of things that may not be immediately harmful, but could cause trouble later on

Happiness is what we all want
Reiteration of the fact that a state of happiness is what we all wish for

May it be that we don't all want
However, this may not be true for everyone

Happiness is what we all want
Again, highlighting that happiness is a shared wish

May it be that we don't always want
But there may be times when we are content with something other than fulfillment

Happiness is what we all want
Reinforcement for the final time that happiness is a universal human aspiration

May it be that we don't always want
However, the desire for it may not be everlasting

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOSEPH GODDARD, ALEXIS BENJAMIN TAYLOR, FELIX MARTIN, AL DOYLE, OWEN CLARKE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

RustySpoons

Robert Jones — Not necessarily. There are a number of logical reasons how Abigail knew that secret handshake.

1.) Maggie could have been a charlatan who had her cronies stalking and watching Abigail for a long time. Hell, she could have been doing the legwork herself, we don’t even know if she truly ever had an illness.

Regardless, Abigail could have done that secret handshake with her dad off-screen, and Maggie’s and her followers learned it specifically for their recruiting/brainwashing process.

2.) Abigail’s dad could be a former member of the cult, and he taught the handshake to the group before breaking away.

3.) Maggie could be Abigail’s mom and she taught her the handshake before she abandoned her.

There are probably more things I could come up with, but those are some rational explanations, rather than believing this woman came from 2054. LOL

All comments from YouTube:

Roberto Lyrio

10y↑18

The sound of her voice still echoes in my head. I'll never know if she was telling the truth or not, and this is why I can't get over her... Love you Britt Marling! This movie is just amazing.

Robert Jones

8y↑4

Roberto Lyrio she did tell the truth. The handshake at the end confirmed it

Artūrs Zakss

6y↑3

I don't know about this exact movie ending, but in reality all those cults they lie to lure people in, so if this would be in reality then she would have lied. but since this is movie then i guess maybe she didn't. Movie was good! I understand not everyone is perfect, so she was wanted in other states, but also if she is so spiritual the why would she do those crimes? And if that cult was so friendly why did they tie their hands and closed eyes? So i think after all she lied!