The Other Side
Dismemberment Plan Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

There are times when you will not like the sound of my voice
There are days when a warm look from a strange face will make me forget my name
There'll be nights when you wonder where the party's at now
And you wonder why you never split this beat scene when a higher life awaits
There'll be days when you don't know how you picked the wrong life
In a second when it's over in our own minds -- and it's gone without a sound
There are fights that'll hear things that we know we don't mean
And we say 'em 'cos we don't know what we both want and we can't get to the other side

There are years that'll fly like wind across a flood plain
Unaware of its own weight, free of friction, and immune to its own speed
There are weeks that'll crawl like slugs across a hot road
Only moving 'cos it just don't know how to stop on a search for god knows what
And there are songs that'll make your skull ring like a dropped cup
Resonating with the reasons why you worked through -- and the reasons why you stayed

For the long nights when you found a new resolve that I never knew was there
For the cold eye and the warm embrace now
For the righteous vibe that I need like the air I breathe

There are times when you'll think you've got my funny number figured out
There'll be days when I don't feel like
I ever knew you all that well and there are lines
Drawn around, behind, above and over everyone
In an effort to figure out the place and time
The right, the wrong, the yours, the mine
And I'll be damned if I feel like I will ever know anything




But if don't keep moving on that last hill
We'll never know what's on the other side

Overall Meaning

The Dismemberment Plan's song "The Other Side" is a reflection on the uncertainties and complexities of life. The lyrics depict a range of emotions and experiences that the singer goes through, from feeling disconnected and wanting to escape the party scene, to struggling with communication in a relationship, to searching for meaning in life. The song acknowledges the inevitable ups and downs of life, such as the fleeting nature of time and the struggle to understand oneself and others. However, it also encourages perseverance and an openness to new possibilities and experiences, suggesting that there may be something better waiting on the other side if one keeps moving forward.


Line by Line Meaning

There are times when you will not like the sound of my voice
There are instances where my speech or opinion might not be agreeable to you.


There are days when a warm look from a strange face will make me forget my name
There are moments when a simple, pleasant glance from someone can make me feel starstruck and overwhelmed.


There'll be nights when you wonder where the party's at now
There are occasions when you will ponder where all the excitement is happening.


And you wonder why you never split this beat scene when a higher life awaits
You may question yourself about why you never left this music culture for a superior existence.


There'll be days when you don't know how you picked the wrong life
Sometimes you will regret making the wrong choices in life and feel lost


In a second when it's over in our own minds -- and it's gone without a sound
At times, moments can pass by so quickly that it seems like they don't even exist.


There are fights that'll hear things that we know we don't mean
During arguments, we might say things that we don't mean in the heat of the moment.


And we say 'em 'cos we don't know what we both want and we can't get to the other side
In disagreements, we say things without consideration because we are unaware of each others' intentions, and cannot see the other's side.


There are years that'll fly like wind across a flood plain
Some years in life can seem to pass by quickly and effortlessly


Unaware of its own weight, free of friction, and immune to its own speed
These years can be so effortless that we don't realize how much time has gone without much resistance or hindrance


There are weeks that'll crawl like slugs across a hot road
Some weeks can feel sluggish, like they never progress, even though they continue, trying to make something happen without success.


Only moving 'cos it just don't know how to stop on a search for god knows what
This time period continues, but it isn't sure of its purpose even though it is likely searching for something


And there are songs that'll make your skull ring like a dropped cup
Some songs resonate strongly and emotionally with you


Resonating with the reasons why you worked through -- and the reasons why you stayed
These songs may resonate with the reasons why we worked through difficult times and why we stayed in certain situations.


For the long nights when you found a new resolve that I never knew was there
Acknowledging those long nights where you find newfound determination within yourself that others may never have known existed.


For the cold eye and the warm embrace now
For the moments of distance as well as the moments of intimacy that may occur in relationships.


For the righteous vibe that I need like the air I breathe
The feeling of needing to be righteous is just as essential as the need for air to breathe.


There are times when you'll think you've got my funny number figured out
There are moments when you feel you have figured out someone's nature.


There'll be days when I don't feel like I ever knew you all that well and there are lines
There will be days where one may feel they don't truly know someone, and there are boundaries and barriers that often reinforce this feeling.


Drawn around, behind, above and over everyone
The boundaries are drawn around and over almost everyone at some point or the other.


In an effort to figure out the place and time
These lines/boundaries are created to assist in understanding time and place.


The right, the wrong, the yours, the mine
These lines drawn help differentiate between who is wrong, who is right in a situation and which is for themselves and which is for the other person.


And I'll be damned if I feel like I will ever know anything
At times it might seem like we know nothing.


But if don't keep moving on that last hill
If we don't keep moving forward, when it feels like our last hill, it becomes impossible to know what awaits us on the other side.


We'll never know what's on the other side
If we don't persist through the difficult times, we'll never know what life holds for us on the other side.




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAMONT DOZIER, BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD J HOLLAND, STEVEN TYLER, JAMES DOUGLAS VALLANCE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions