I Feel Fine
D.E.F. Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

That's great, it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid

Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs
Don't mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter
With a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And a government for hire and a combat site
Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry
With the Furies breathing down your neck

Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped
Look at that low plane, fine, then
Uh oh, overflow, population, common group
But it'll do, save yourself, serve yourself
World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed
Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light
Feeling pretty psyched

It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine

Six o'clock, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering clear
A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline

It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
I feel fine (I feel fine)

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)




It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)

Overall Meaning

The song "I Feel Fine" by D.E.F. Orkestra begins with a sudden earthquake, followed by an apocalyptic vision of the world with birds, snakes, airplanes and the daunting figure of Lenny Bruce. The imagery is indicative of a world in chaos and is defined by an eye of a hurricane where the listener is urged to listen closely to oneself, rather than mis-serving rather primitive needs that the world affords. The song then shifts in tempo, where the forces that are driving the world into chaos are personified, be they a government for hire, combat time, or the Furies breathing down one's neck; urging the listener to save themselves and keep their hearts from bleeding.


The following verses of the song become increasingly frenetic, with a series of rapid-fire cultural references, including T.V. hour, foreign towers, book burning, bloodletting, automotive incineration, and cavalier, renegade behavior. Amidst all this chaos, the song asserts that it is still the end of the world, as the listener knows it, but they will still feel fine. Overall, the song is a cautionary tale of a world descending into madness, and while it may be the end of the world as we know it, the feeling of fine speaks to the resilience of people in the face of adversity.


Line by Line Meaning

That's great, it starts with an earthquake
A chaotic event triggers a chain of consequences


Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
A mix of natural and man-made phenomena occur and a prominent figure remains unafraid


Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs Don't mis-serve your own needs
Amidst chaos, try to keep calm and make sure your actions are beneficial to your own growth rather than detrimental


Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength The ladder starts to clatter With a fear of height, down, height
Intensify your efforts, climb the ladder to success, even if fear creeps in


Wire in a fire, represent the seven games And a government for hire and a combat site Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry With the Furies breathing down your neck
Amidst government corruption and battle, it can be difficult to escape danger


Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped Look at that low plane, fine, then Uh oh, overflow, population, common group
Media is confused by current events, including population growth


But it'll do, save yourself, serve yourself World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light Feeling pretty psyched
Take care of yourself and listen to your instincts amidst conflicts between religious and worldly values


Six o'clock, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Be wary of media influence and avoid getting caught in conflicts that will escalate


Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering clear A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline
Take action and stay cautious while avoiding dishonest tournaments, and refuse false solutions and alternatives


The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
A disjointed series of events including continental drift, mountains, and various notable figures


You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right
Addressing the sense of patriotism and national pride and the conflicts that come with it


It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine
Acknowledging the chaos and impending change in the world but feeling personally positive and prepared for it


It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) I feel fine (I feel fine)
Repeating the same message but emphasizing the feeling of personal positivity and readiness for change




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: John Michael Stipe, Michael E. Mills, Peter Lawrence Buck, William Thomas Berry

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Frank James

this is fine 🔥

Creation Crafted

I am fine is just another way to say, IM NOT OKAY

jeremy, an odd fuckinʼ extrovert.

“I'm Fine.”

It's another way to say I'm dying inside.

Nyralovescookies

Can relate☠

Alfie Jordan

Yeah 'I'm fine' basically translates to I'm using this as an excuse to not answer the question cause I don't want to get in to it right now and you probably don't want to hear it your just being friendly 😂

Esther 🌻

😭 NO WAY! maybe we could (should!) change that... 🤔😲🤷🏻‍♀️🤪

The_Urban_Goose

Why do I see you on every FJ vid??

GottaSay

I just say “good enough”

11 More Replies...

HammTari Productions

When they ask you how you are and you say your fine but your not really fine but you just cant get into it because they wouldn't understand

🍄꧁MoustacheOnMysteryPaws꧂🌿

Omg that's literally my comment -

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