Tell me why you came here,
Squatting round a Game-Gear like Sega never died.
We met inside a war zone, you said
"let's fuck the Ozone" but boy, that hole's too wide.
You goosestep round the garden singing
"Sap I bleed is hardening, no tree can break
My stoic stride,
I'm as giddy as a baby in a centrifuge, it's hard"

And we can argue that our planet's best,
Don't ring your brother cos there's no contest
I'm sure you'll make a decent father
There's a world war coming in
Oh the seasons I've been worrying

You drown a fly and murmur,
"The Vatican was firmer, when I was back in school
And we use spray-tan in the trenches now,
The problem with the French is how they won't admit they're fools
And you never tell me anything,
You never tell me anything,
I can't remember dates and times
And I'm sorry for the years I was a shipwreck boy it's hard"

I want to tell you that it means so much.
I want to tell you that it means so much.
I'm sure you'll make a decent father
There's a world war coming in
Oh the years that I've been worrying

Oh, I'd rather dash myself upon the rocks,
Than see you waste away your days with clocks
In every corner of your parent's home
And there's no world war coming in,
All the reasons I've been worrying,
Just forget the parts you'll never need,
All these things I'll tell you when you wake up.

Make a child, a child, a forest
Make a child, make a child, make a forest

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Everything Everything's song Two For Nero are cryptic and intricate, but with some analysis, their meaning unfolds. The first verse begins with a discourse on why the person the singer is addressing has come to their current location. They're using a Game-Gear, which was an early handheld gaming console created by Sega. The person is nostalgic for the past when Sega was still relevant. The next line talks about how the singer and the person they're addressing met in a warzone. In the heat of the moment, the person makes a sexually charged comment about ruining the ozone layer, but the singer disagrees with it being a good idea. They move on to talk about how the person is marching around their garden with a sense of strength and determination, even though they're as happy as a baby in a centrifuge. The verse concludes with a line suggesting that the singer and the other person are arguing the superiority of different planets.

The second verse opens with the person drowning a fly and musing about how the Vatican used to be more rigid in the past. They then talk about how the French are stubborn and don't admit when they're wrong. The verse concludes with the singer calling out the person for never telling them anything and apologizing for times they were a "shipwreck boy". The chorus is repeated twice throughout the song, and it revolves around the idea of creating life. The singer tells the other person that they would make a good father and that they're worried about the possibility of a world war.

The final verse changes the tone of the song. The singer declares that they'd rather see the person dash themselves upon the rocks than continue to waste their life with pointless things like clocks. They suggest that the person should create a child and a green space by making a metaphorical forest. The last line of the song hints that there's more meaning behind the lyrics than first meets the eye.

Line by Line Meaning

Tell me why you came here,
You started talking to me, so tell me why you approached me.

Squatting round a Game-Gear like Sega never died.
You were playing video games as if you were still a kid.

We met inside a war zone, you said "let's fuck the Ozone" but boy, that hole's too wide.
We met in a place of chaos, and you suggested we ignore environmental issues. But that problem is too big to ignore.

You goosestep round the garden singing "Sap I bleed is hardening, no tree can break My stoic stride, I'm as giddy as a baby in a centrifuge, it's hard"
You walk around with an overconfident attitude, singing about how nothing can stop you. You feel like you're spinning out of control, but you're trying to act tough about it.

And we can argue that our planet's best, Don't ring your brother cos there's no contest
We can debate which planet is the best, but there's no point in calling your brother to settle the argument.

I'm sure you'll make a decent father There's a world war coming in Oh the seasons I've been worrying
I think you'll be a good dad. But I'm concerned about the state of the world and what it means for future generations.

You drown a fly and murmur, "The Vatican was firmer, when I was back in school And we use spray-tan in the trenches now, The problem with the French is how they won't admit they're fools
You casually killed a fly while reminiscing about the past. You mentioned using spray-tan during military service and criticized the French people for their pride.

And you never tell me anything, You never tell me anything, I can't remember dates and times And I'm sorry for the years I was a shipwreck boy it's hard"
You don't share personal details with me, which makes it hard for me to connect with you. You also struggle with memory and you regret past mistakes.

I want to tell you that it means so much. I want to tell you that it means so much. I'm sure you'll make a decent father There's a world war coming in Oh the years that I've been worrying
I need to express to you how much you mean to me. I already said before that I think you'll be a good father, but the impending crisis in the world has made me concerned for the years ahead.

Oh, I'd rather dash myself upon the rocks, Than see you waste away your days with clocks In every corner of your parent's home And there's no world war coming in, All the reasons I've been worrying, Just forget the parts you'll never need, All these things I'll tell you when you wake up.
I'd rather die than see you waste your life away with pointless things in your childhood home. There's no impending world war and I need to stop worrying. I'll leave out the unnecessary details and tell you everything when you're ready.

Make a child, a child, a forest Make a child, make a child, make a forest
We need to create new life, a new generation to preserve the world for the future. We need to create a whole new forest, a new legacy for the world.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEXANDER KAINES ROBERTSHAW, JEREMY JOSEPH PRITCHARD, JONATHAN JOSEPH HIGGS, MICHAEL DAVID SPEARMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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