It's been runnin' for a long time
And it's runnin' out in my mind I can't explain it all to you
It's really jumbled up
So for longer now I'm messed up
And I'm wishin' now I'd 'fessed up
That concern's no use to you
It feeds the pain that stung

So forget how I am dealin'
Explain to me the feelin'
It gets to that point instantly
You're ready to unload
And I'm the one you're spitting at
I'm ready for my fitting at
Doesn't make much sense
But when I get it calm it's slow

It's hard to admit anything
I'm sorry for the weight I bring I'll do whatever's necessary
To make your mind glow soft
It's played out too far to stew
And I've run out of grace with you
So I'm out and take a walk
And we'll be better off
Whether I lied
As much as you tried
Whatever you decide I hope it's good to you
For everybody's sake
Lord knows we all need a break
Do what you got to
This is hard to take

To the time I spent discussin'
I'll sit back and stop the fussin'
I won't mention it to anyone
And we'll be better off
I won't admit to anything
Sorry for the weight I bring
Do whatever's necessary
To make your mind glow soft
Whether I lied
As much as you tried
Whatever you decide I hope it's good to you
For everybody's sake
Lord knows we all need a break
Do what you got to
This is hard to take

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dinosaur Jr.'s song Mind Glow address a strained relationship between the singer and the person they are speaking to. The singer admits to feeling jumbled up and messed up, unsure of how to explain everything that's been running through their mind. They wish they had "fessed up" earlier about their concern, but now it seems like it's too late. The situation has reached a breaking point, leaving the singer feeling ready to "unload." Despite this, the singer recognizes that their concern is only feeding the pain that has already stung, and instead encourages the other person to explain their feelings.

The second verse of the song shows the singer's willingness to take responsibility for their actions and to do whatever it takes to make amends. They apologize for the weight they bring and recognize that the situation has reached its limit. They suggest taking a break from each other, and the singer promises not to mention their discussion to anyone else in the interest of bettering their relationship.

Overall, the lyrics to Mind Glow are about the difficulty of communication in strained relationships and the importance of taking responsibility for one's own actions in order to make amends.

Line by Line Meaning

It's been runnin' for a long time
There's been something on my mind for a while now

And it's runnin' out in my mind
It's affecting me internally

I can't explain it all to you
It's hard to put into words

It's really jumbled up
It's confusing and disorganized

So for longer now I'm messed up
I've been struggling with this for a while now

And I'm wishin' now I'd 'fessed up
I regret not being honest about it earlier

That concern's no use to you
Talking about it won't solve anything

It feeds the pain that stung
Bringing it up only makes it hurt more

So forget how I am dealin'
Don't worry about how I'm handling it

Explain to me the feelin'
Help me understand what I'm feeling

It gets to that point instantly
It becomes overwhelming very quickly

You're ready to unload
You're ready to talk about it and get it off your chest

And I'm the one you're spitting at
You're angry and frustrated and taking it out on me

I'm ready for my fitting at
I'm willing to take the blame and apologize

Doesn't make much sense
It's hard to fully understand

But when I get it calm it's slow
I need time to process and make sense of it

It's hard to admit anything
It's difficult to own up to my mistakes

I'm sorry for the weight I bring
I apologize for burdening you with my issues

I'll do whatever's necessary
I'm committed to fixing the situation

To make your mind glow soft
To ease your mind and make things better

It's played out too far to stew
We've been dealing with this for too long to let it continue to bother us

And I've run out of grace with you
Your patience with me has worn thin

So I'm out and take a walk
I need some space and time to clear my head

And we'll be better off
This break will be good for us in the long run

Whether I lied
If I was dishonest about something

As much as you tried
Regardless of your efforts

Whatever you decide I hope it's good to you
I hope your decisions lead to happiness

For everybody's sake
To benefit everyone involved

Lord knows we all need a break
We've been through a lot and need some time to recharge

Do what you got to
Do what you need to do to take care of yourself

This is hard to take
This is a difficult situation to handle

To the time I spent discussin'
All the time we spent talking about it

I'll sit back and stop the fussin'
I'll stop arguing and let things be

I won't mention it to anyone
I'll keep it to myself and not spread it around

And we'll be better off
This will help us move forward and improve our situation

I won't admit to anything
I won't confess to whatever I did wrong

Sorry for the weight I bring
I apologize for how my issues affect you

Do whatever's necessary
I'm committed to making things right

To make your mind glow soft
To ease your mind and bring you peace

Whether I lied
If I deceived you in any way

As much as you tried
Despite all your efforts

Whatever you decide I hope it's good to you
I hope you make the best decision for yourself

For everybody's sake
To benefit everyone involved

Lord knows we all need a break
We all need some time to recharge and regroup

Do what you got to
Take care of yourself and do what you need to do

This is hard to take
This is a difficult situation to handle

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Comments from YouTube:

Peter Olin

12y↑5

One of the few songs where you can definitely tell what J was singing about. Powerful stuff.

mr. lucifer

14y↑1

i love this album!really helped my survive while i was really down. if it werent for dinosaur i might wouldnt sit here and listening to this right now

GEOpz838

15y↑1

yeah it is..i've been appreciating this album lately. looove the acoustic solo.

jaysun76

14y↑2

isnt it weird how each of their albums seems to represent a different stage of life? seems like this band more than any other does that. probably because each of their albums is so different from the last. love these guys and always will.

Tim Johnson

13y↑1

@:26, put the headphones on, hear that deep drone...? Amazing sound. Great song and album.

Ryan Jones

One day in 1994 I thought, "I'm a musical fuddy dutty, I'm going to listen to some of the cool music that's coming out on the radio today and go buy an album from a new song I like". The song was feel the pain, so I went and bought this cassette, and plopped it into the player in my Ford Festiva and let it auto-reverse for a month, or 2. What a great record. I then acquired all of their albums, one by one and became a diehard fan. Saw them in Seattle on the I Bet On Sky tour, and it was awesome. BTW, I'm still a musical fuddy dutty, but I like Dino now too.

dios bananos

14y

this album wasn't that well received in the mid 90's, but it's quite good. a step down from the previous releases perhaps, but certainly no bad, or even average.