Dubstar released their debut album 'Disgraceful' on Food Records in the Autumn of 1995 to worldwide critical and commercial success. Disgraceful features four UK Top 40 singles including the dreampop classic Stars, perennial radio favourite Not So Manic Now and The Day I see You Again, a ballad that revisits a broken relationship that's been covered by artists as diverse as Claudia Brücken and Bon Bob Club. A timely female led version of Billy Bragg's St Swithin's Day caught the imagination of the music press; an instrumental version was even used as the theme for the BBC's coverage of the Euro '96 football championship.
The follow up album Goodbye was released two years later and spawned another three UK Top 40 singles including No More Talk, a number one radio hit in the UK. Both albums were produced by Stephen Hague.
Third album Make It Better was released in 2000 and includes the fan-favourite Self Same Thing, their last single for Food Records. A belated compilation 'Stars…the best of Dubstar' was released by EMI in 2004.
Following a twelve year hiatus, Dubstar announced the recording of new material in 2012 and release their fourth, as yet untitled album in 2013, again working with Stephen Hague.
The Self Same Thing
Dubstar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You see differences between us
You're wrong
It's the self same thing
There's a pain that you've been feeling
And you think that I'm ignoring
You're wrong
It's the same thing between us
We are the same
It's the self same thing
We are the same
It's the self same thing
I'm moody in the mornings
And my friends are very boring
What a shame
It's the self same thing
Your conversation's tired
And I know that you've been fired
It's a shame
It's the same thing between
We are the same
It's the self same thing
We are the same
It's the self same thing
I hope one day, you'll understand
We've an equal stake in all we've planned
So put aside the divide you see
I'm a girl, you're a boy
It's so simple to see so
We are the same
It's the self same thing
We are the same
It's the self same thing
We are the same
It's the self same thing
We are the same
It's the self same thing
We are the same
It's the self same thing
We are the same
It's the self same thing
It's the self same thing
The lyrics of Dubstar's "The Self Same Thing" essentially highlight the similarities between two people, despite the perceived differences. The singer is trying to bridge the gap between the two individuals by pointing out that they share the same pains, frustrations and grievances, even though they may manifest themselves in different ways. The repetition of the phrase "it's the self same thing" emphasizes this point further. The singer acknowledges that there may be issues of miscommunication, but ultimately, they are similar beings with equal stake in all they have planned.
The lyrics also touch on the topic of gender, as the singer points out the simplicity of the male-female divide, and how ultimately, it is just another layer of difference that does not detract from the fact that humans are all essentially the same. The message of the song is one of unity and understanding, and encourages the listener to look beyond the surface level differences that often divide us.
Overall, "The Self Same Thing" is a powerful song that promotes empathy and understanding in a world that is becoming increasingly polarized.
Line by Line Meaning
If you tell me what you're thinking
If you reveal your thoughts to me
You see differences between us
You believe we are not the same
You're wrong
Your belief is incorrect
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
There's a pain that you've been feeling
You are experiencing some suffering
And you think that I'm ignoring
You assume that I am being negligent
You're wrong
But you are actually mistaken
It's the same thing between us
We are experiencing the same thing
We are the same
We are identical
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
We are the same
We are identical
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
I'm moody in the mornings
I have mood swings in the morning
And my friends are very boring
My companions are dull
What a shame
That is unfortunate
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
Your conversation's tired
Your talk is stale
And I know that you've been fired
I am aware that you have lost your job
It's a shame
That is regrettable
It's the same thing between
We are experiencing the same thing
We are the same
We are identical
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
We are the same
We are identical
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
I hope one day, you'll understand
I wish that you will comprehend someday
We've an equal stake in all we've planned
We have an identical interest in all that we have conceived
So put aside the divide you see
Therefore, discard the separation that you perceive
I'm a girl, you're a boy
I am female, you are male
It's so simple to see so
It is easy to comprehend
We are the same
We are identical
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
We are the same
We are identical
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
We are the same
We are identical
It's the self same thing
We are actually the same
Contributed by Juliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tokyoskyline
thank you so much for uploading this! the quality of the other versions on YouTube was so bad compared to this!
Mark Guest
again thank you for uploading this gem.