Ordinary Superman
Adam Duritz Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

He's unimaginative at his best
But you know that's all right
We like the way he sings

He's unimaginative at his work
But we say that that's ok
He's made for better things
He's not intelligent
We like the way he dances, yeah

But you wanna talk about this and talk about that
And everything he says is just impossibly fast
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit and over understood

And you say he's un-American, a little bit
And you think that's so cool
You like a little bit, and if he's un-American a little bit
Then you think that he's no fool
Not matter if he is

He's so alternative
He likes to take our chances

And you wanna talk about this, talk about that
And everything he said is just impossibly crass
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit and over understood

And you say he's not intelligent
We like the way he dances

He's hearing voices he can't attribute to the ordinary noise
What do you swallow to relax you ordinarily?

He's looking forward to a little rest
But you know that he's so tired
He's fallen in a jar

And everybody's sympathetic more or less
And if he's either bombed or wired
It's just the way we are

He's so alternative
He likes the blue romances

But you wanna talk about this and talk about that
And everything he does is just impossibly fast
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit and over understood

And you say he's so alternative, he like to take our chances

He's hearing voices he can't attribute to the ordinary noise
What do you swallow to relax you ordinarily?
Who's gonna explain this mess to the mother of an ordinary boy?
who was expected to act extraordinarily

But you wanna talk about this, talk about that
And everything he says is just impossibly fast
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit ah ah ah ah

I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna talk about
I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna, I don't wanna
I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna talk about it
I don't wanna no no no no no no yeah





I say yeah
Heh, yo yo

Overall Meaning

The song "Ordinary Superman" by Adam Duritz talks about a man who is not extraordinary, yet people still like him. The lyrics talk about how he is unimaginative and not intelligent, but people still enjoy his singing and dancing. Despite being over-understood, he is never completely good or bad. People say he is un-American, but they also think it is cool. The man is so alternative that he likes to take chances and has blue romances. However, he is facing his own struggles as he hears voices he cannot attribute to the ordinary noise and needs something to relax.


The song portrays a contrast between being ordinary and being extraordinary. It questions the notion that one needs to be exceptional to be accepted or loved. The man is unlike the usual superhero or extraordinary person, but people still like him for who he is. Moreover, the song questions the idea of what is normal and acceptable in society. The man is not what people expect him to be, but he is still accepted for being ordinary. The song tries to show that everyone is unique and can be appreciated for who they are, regardless of their intelligence or other capabilities.


Line by Line Meaning

He's unimaginative at his best
He isn't very creative when he tries his hardest


But you know that's all right
But we're okay with that


We like the way he sings
We enjoy his singing style


He's not intelligent
He's not very smart


We like the way he dances, yeah
But we love his dancing, yes


But you wanna talk about this and talk about that
But you want to discuss different matters


And everything he says is just impossibly fast
And he speaks too quickly to comprehend


He's never that bad, he's never that good
He is never exceptionally bad nor exceptionally good


He's always just a little bit and over understood
People often misunderstand him slightly too much


And you say he's un-American, a little bit
You think he is not very American


And you think that's so cool
And you find that impressive


You like a little bit, and if he's un-American a little bit
You like the small amount of un-American-ness he has


Then you think that he's no fool
Then you think he must have some intelligence


Not matter if he is
Regardless of whether he does or not


He's so alternative
He has an alternative style


He likes to take our chances
He enjoys taking risks


He's hearing voices he can't attribute to the ordinary noise
He hears voices he can't explain as normal sounds


What do you swallow to relax you ordinarily?
What do you usually take to calm down?


He's looking forward to a little rest
He's excited for some relaxation time


But you know that he's so tired
But you're aware that he's very exhausted


He's fallen in a jar
He's stuck in a difficult situation


And everybody's sympathetic more or less
And most people are understanding of his predicament


And if he's either bombed or wired
And whether he's under the influence or not doesn't matter


It's just the way we are
Because that's just how people are


He likes the blue romances
He enjoys sad love stories


He's so alternative, he like to take our chances
He's alternative and risks are appealing to him


Who's gonna explain this mess to the mother of an ordinary boy?
Who is going to tell his mom about this chaotic situation?


who was expected to act extraordinarily
When everyone thought he would behave exceptionally well


I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna talk about
I don't want to discuss it further


I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna, I don't wanna
I really don't want to talk about it


I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna talk about it
I seriously do not want to discuss it


I don't wanna no no no no no no yeah
I don't want to, no, no, no, no


I say yeah
I say yes


Heh, yo yo
An expression of excitement or enthusiasm




Contributed by Mila C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Edward Meyer

this whole album is amazing

Julie Tanner

I had this in the 80s someone stole it

Glen Wray

No you didn't, it was only released in 2002

Cam

He's unimaginative at his best but you know that's all right
We like the way he sings
He's unimaginative at his work but we say that that's OK
He's made for better things
He's not intelligent, we like the way he dances, yeah
But you wanna talk about this, and talk about that
And everything he says is just impossibly fast
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit and over understood
And you say, "He's un-American, a little bit."
And you think that that's so cool
You like a little bit, and if he's un-American a little bit
Then you think that he's no fool
Not matter if he is
So alternative, he likes to take our chances
And you wanna talk about this, talk about that
And everything he said is just impossibly crass
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit and over understood
And you say, "He's not intelligent, we like the way he dances."
He's hearing voices he can't attribute to the ordinary noise
What do you swallow to relax you ordinarily?
He's looking forward to a little rest
But you know that he's so tired
He's fallen in a jar
And everybody's sympathetic more or less even if he's bombed or wired
It's just the way we are
He's so alternative, he likes the blue romances
But you wanna talk about this and talk about that
And everything he does is just impossibly fast
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit and over understood
And you say, "he's so alternative, he like to take our chances."
He's hearing voices he can't attribute to the ordinary noise
What do you swallow to relax you ordinarily?
Who's gonna explain this mess to the mother of an ordinary boy?
Who was expected to act extra ordinarily
But you wanna talk about this, talk about that
And everything he says is just impossibly fast
He's never that bad, he's never that good
He's always just a little bit ah ah ah ah
I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna talk about it
I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna, I don't wanna
I don't wanna talk about it, I don't wanna talk about it
I don't wanna no no no no no no yeah

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