This Here Giraffe
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
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Without him ever looking up
This here giraffe was never caught complaining
He wouldn't take skin off yer back.
And ya hear yourself
Thinking
And ya hear yourself
Thinking
This here giraffe, laughed
I saw this man stick out his neck
With his binoculars intact
He couldn't tell the right side of his brain
Had just lost all interest in his left,
And ya feel yourself shrinking
And ya feel yourself shrinking
This here giraffe, laughed
This here giraffe, laughed
And ya hear yourself
And ya hear yourself
The Flaming Lips's song "This Here Giraffe" is a whimsical and dreamy track that showcases the band's unique sound and lyrical style. The opening lines describe an unusual event, as the singer sees a bird fly off someone's head without them ever noticing. The subsequent lines focus on the titular giraffe, who is presented as a stoic and resilient creature that never complains and wouldn't take skin off your back (in other words, wouldn't harm anyone).
The chorus returns to the notion of self-awareness and introspection, as the singer urges listeners to listen closely to their own thoughts and feelings. The giraffe reappears, this time laughing, as if to signify its approval of this advice. The second verse describes another strange scene, as a man uses binoculars to observe something but doesn't realize that his brain is no longer interested in what he's seeing. The chorus repeats, but this time with the added sentiment of feeling oneself shrinking, perhaps as a metaphor for losing touch with one's own emotions and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw this bird fly off his head
I observed a bird taking off from his head without him noticing.
Without him ever looking up
He never paid attention to the bird's departure.
This here giraffe was never caught complaining
The giraffe never made a fuss about anything.
He wouldn't take skin off yer back.
He was a gentle giant who wouldn't harm anyone.
And ya hear yourself Thinking
You start contemplating your own thoughts.
And ya hear yourself Thinking
You continue to ponder.
This here giraffe, laughed
The giraffe found joy in the simple things and laughed.
I saw this man stick out his neck
I noticed a man extending his neck forward.
With his binoculars intact
He was holding onto his binoculars.
He couldn't tell the right side of his brain
His brain was not functioning correctly or rationally.
Had just lost all interest in his left,
He no longer had any interest in a particular subject or thing.
And ya feel yourself shrinking
You start to feel small or insignificant.
And ya feel yourself shrinking
Your feelings of inadequacy continue.
This here giraffe, laughed
The giraffe still found happiness despite the world's problems.
This here giraffe, laughed
And continued to laugh.
And ya hear yourself
You start to listen to yourself again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL IVINS, RONALD JONES, STEVEN DROZD, WAYNE COYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dougsmith7083
@@tomawsomeSaUCE there's a fairly brief live show from a NYC Sub Pop showcase during a music conference (CMJ?) from I think 1995 that The Lips got added to at the last minute where they have ZERO of the Xmas lights stage setup or, any other props. The camera is filming DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF RONALD JONES!!!
The quality is quite good for the time period too...even being directly in front of the waves of controlled feedback and sonics Ronald is manipulating...the heavenly craziness of his numerous pedals...etc...the sound of the video recording is never really overwhelmed and, overdriven to a squealing shitty mess.
It is a great set. I saw them quite often during the Ronald Jones era and, the fact that they were "forced" to rely on the music and, not on any "gimmicks" really works in their favour. Time is also an issue and, they just pound through their set without any real banter.
When I say "forced" I am not saying that the other bands and the venue were riding their asses to hurry up and finish...I just mean that the Sub Pop bands were very kind to make adjustments to their own setlists to accommodate the Lips and, the Lips were very appreciative and considerate of not fucking around and, screwing the other bands that had already sacrificed to accommodate them. Same with "gimmicks" being used...the Xmas tree lights tours were possibly the most amazing lightshow I've ever seen! The manner in which the band incorporated the Xmas lights and light wheels, etc, into their stage show and, the ebb and flow of their songs was brilliant. It was almost spiritual at various points of the set...along with the sonic gymnastics from Ronald and, Wayne's fragile voice...it hit you somewhere special
Gonna try to find that NYC set. I'll post a link here if I do
Cheers
@mattschultzfinkler
My dad would always play this song while taking me to preschool. I’m graduating high school this summer and I still remember this very well.
@musicamalata1400
This song makes me emotional, it's so genuine, childish.. it has something magical that I can't explain. I don't understand why it has never been played
@Penguin619
My absolute favorite Flaming Lips song from my favorite album of all time.
@silverladderAZ
Hope Ronald is well. He had a real gift. His guitar playing and tone on Clouds is something special.
@pettipoole
so true. underrated genius
@karlmorris-xz6iq
if you like this you might like my brothers music, his name is Stu Morris
@impalaman9707
I remember going to the Oklahoma City Zoo myself when I was younger and seeing a giraffe stretching its neck in to eat hay out of the top story window of a three story barn! I thought that was pretty neat
@user-bt6tl7xr5c
Thank you for informing me that there is a music video that this band completed for this song
@iwillnevergetone5
i watch this video every week just to see that beautiful blocked jazzmaster
@vicolandtributes8607
Same thing for me. But i did it only to watch that beautiful blonde...