Youthless
Beck Lyrics
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Just to get on level ground
Shake your seasick legs around
Dead of winter in a logo town
Signs of life are soft and flickering
Need a bed to lay my body down
Dead weight to carry down
Hang your clothes on a chain link fence
In a junkyard say amen
Your mouth is full of wordless hymns
And run-on sentences
And they're helpless and forgetting in the background
Holding nothing
And they're youthless and pretending with their bare hands
Holding nothing
There's a million horses dragging down a monolith
With these trademarks so bereaved
Tied my leg to a barricade
With a plastic hand grenade
They tried to turn emotion into noise
Need a teleprompter for my life
Need a pipeline to the night
My body can't get no relief
And this life it goes by fast
You're treading water in the past
Trying to re-animate something that you can't understand
And they're helpless and forgetting in the background saying nothing
And he's youthless and forgetting with his bare hands touching nothing
And he's helpless and forgetting in the background saying nothing
And he's youthless and pretending with his bare hands holding nothing
In Beck's song "Youthless," the lyrics tell a tale of a life lived in a kind of purgatory. The opening lines paint a picture of a never-ending struggle to escape a bottomless pit and find solid ground. The image of shaking one's seasick legs around adds to the overall disorientation and aimlessness.
Throughout the song, there are repeated references to a lack of purpose or meaning. The town is described as a "logo town," suggesting it lacks character or identity. The signs of life are "soft and flickering," hinting at an absence of vitality.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a bottomless pit that we've been climbing from
We've been struggling to escape a never-ending cycle of difficulties.
Just to get on level ground
All we want is stability and normalcy.
Shake your seasick legs around
We're trying to regain our footing after being tossed around by life's challenges.
Dead of winter in a logo town
We're stuck in a dull, lifeless place during the coldest, loneliest season.
Signs of life are soft and flickering
We're struggling to find a sense of hope in a seemingly bleak existence.
Need a bed to lay my body down
We're exhausted and in need of rest from the constant hardships.
Dead weight to carry down
We're burdened by the weight of our struggles.
Some static is lulling me to sleep
The dullness of our surroundings is making us feel numb and apathetic.
Hang your clothes on a chain link fence
We're living in a rundown, deserted area where even the basics like clothes storage are scarce.
In a junkyard say amen
We're finding solace and community in unexpected, run-down places.
Your mouth is full of wordless hymns
We're trying to express ourselves but struggling to find the right words.
And run-on sentences
Our thoughts and emotions are so jumbled and complex that we can't even articulate them clearly.
And they're helpless and forgetting in the background
Others are struggling just like we are, but are being ignored and overlooked.
Holding nothing
They have nothing to rely on.
And they're youthless and pretending with their bare hands
Young people are struggling to find meaning and purpose, and are faking it as best they can.
Holding nothing
They have nothing to rely on.
There's a million horses dragging down a monolith
Society's structures and institutions are holding us back.
With these trademarks so bereaved
Modern life is lacking in meaning and vitality.
Tied my leg to a barricade
We're trapped and unable to move forward.
With a plastic hand grenade
We're trying to find a way to rebel or break out of our situation with futile, ineffective methods.
They tried to turn emotion into noise
Our true feelings and experiences are being drowned out by the constant buzz and noise of modern society.
Need a teleprompter for my life
We're confused and unsure of what to do next, wishing for a clear script to follow.
Need a pipeline to the night
We're yearning for some kind of escape, whether it be through sleep or drug use.
My body can't get no relief
We're physically and mentally exhausted, unable to find rest or recharge.
And this life it goes by fast
Time is slipping away and we're struggling to make sense of it all.
You're treading water in the past
We're stuck dwelling on past mistakes and regrets, unable to move forward.
Trying to re-animate something that you can't understand
We're desperately trying to revive something that's already dead or gone, and can't accept that it's over.
And he's helpless and forgetting in the background saying nothing
A specific individual is being ignored and overlooked, and is silently struggling.
And he's youthless and forgetting with his bare hands touching nothing
This person is trying to find meaning in his/her life but is unable to, feeling empty and disconnected.
And he's helpless and forgetting in the background saying nothing
This person's struggles are being ignored, and s/he is bearing the weight of his/her problems alone.
And he's youthless and pretending with his bare hands holding nothing
This person is trying to put on a brave face and pretend everything is fine, despite feeling lost and helpless.
Lyrics Β© Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Beck Hansen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Inferonics Live
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
There's a bottomless pit that we've been climbing from
Just to get on level ground
Shake your seasick legs around
Dead of winter in a logo town
Signs of life are soft and flickering
Need a bed to lay my body down
Dead weight to carry down
Some static is lulling me to sleep
Hang your clothes on a chain link fence
In a junkyard say Amen
Your mouth is full of wordless hymns
And run-on sentences
[Chorus 1]
And they're helpless and forgetting
In the background holding nothing
And they're youthless and pretending
With their bare hands holding nothing
[Verse 2]
There's a million horses dragging down a monolith
With these trademarks so bereaved
Tied my leg to a barricade
With a plastic hand grenade
They tried to turn emotion into noise
Need a teleprompter for my life
Need a pipeline to the night
My body can't get no relief
And this life it goes by fast
You're treading water in the past
Trying to re-animate something that you can't understand
[Chorus 2]
And they're helpless and forgetting
In the background saying nothing
And he's youthless and forgetting
With their bare hands touching nothing
[Chorus 3]
And he's helpless and forgetting
In the background playing nothing
And he's youthless and pretending
With his bare hands holding nothing
strange_invitation
Everything this man does is so cool
Adramelech
The way he breathes is cool too
Inferonics Live
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
There's a bottomless pit that we've been climbing from
Just to get on level ground
Shake your seasick legs around
Dead of winter in a logo town
Signs of life are soft and flickering
Need a bed to lay my body down
Dead weight to carry down
Some static is lulling me to sleep
Hang your clothes on a chain link fence
In a junkyard say Amen
Your mouth is full of wordless hymns
And run-on sentences
[Chorus 1]
And they're helpless and forgetting
In the background holding nothing
And they're youthless and pretending
With their bare hands holding nothing
[Verse 2]
There's a million horses dragging down a monolith
With these trademarks so bereaved
Tied my leg to a barricade
With a plastic hand grenade
They tried to turn emotion into noise
Need a teleprompter for my life
Need a pipeline to the night
My body can't get no relief
And this life it goes by fast
You're treading water in the past
Trying to re-animate something that you can't understand
[Chorus 2]
And they're helpless and forgetting
In the background saying nothing
And he's youthless and forgetting
With their bare hands touching nothing
[Chorus 3]
And he's helpless and forgetting
In the background playing nothing
And he's youthless and pretending
With his bare hands holding nothing
Lili KomΓ‘romi
There's a bottomless pit that we've been climbing from Just to get on level ground Shake your seasick legs around Dead of winter in a logo town Signs of life are soft and flickering Need a bed to lay my body down Deadweight to carry down Some static is lulling me to sleep Hang your clothes on a chain link fence In a junkyard say amen Your mouth is full of wordless hymns And run-on sentences
Jon Torres
I love the voice loop humming next to the end, very ingenious
Osagie E. Guobadia
A good music video, that represent arts, finery, and music of being young by Beck. BEST SONG EVER! : )
G P
WHAT the fuck does Beck do to his songs to make them like this?! Seriously it's the subtle touches in his songs that just make them so fucking good. Like the little synth noises in this song... Then there's We Dance Alone, and Earthquake Weather... ARGH they're all so subtly brilliant!
franzchick66
really great, innovative video. always love his videos.
uvh2o
Great Clip, entertaining, witty, well timed and good variety in movements & colours. Let see some more of this very well done talent. AAAA+++++
Martijn van der Hoeven
I always have to laugh about this video! So great & funny!