Flotation Toy Warning are a band from London, UK, formed in 2001. Their mus… Read Full Bio ↴Flotation Toy Warning are a band from London, UK, formed in 2001. Their music has been described as space rock/chamber pop, with vague similarities to bands such as Grandaddy, Air and Sigur Ros. The band claims to consist of various arctic explorers and historians from the 19th century. The band is made up of frontman and lead vocalist Paul Carter, drummer Colin Coxall, guitarist Ben Clay, bassist Nainesh Shah and keyboardist Vicky West.

Flotation Toy Warning's debut album, Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck, was released in 2004 on the Pointy label. An American release followed in August 2005 on Misra recordings.

How The Plains Left Me Flat
Flotation Toy Warning Lyrics

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So sad, have you seen your soul in the Sunday paper?
Trying hard to step aside for death
Service with a smile, the reel to reel rank and file
Looking at your face and I seem misplaces, ah ha ha

Look at me with my face in the middle of the Sunday paper
Laughing on the side, looking on the bright side
Black side, downside, never on the outside

Looking at the ways you choose to keep it like a dream and a house in the middle
Christmas present in the middle of June, well I've been fooled before and so have you, ah ha ha

All the songs will be with you and all the flowers will be with me
But I can't seem to forget you
And all the clowns will be with you and all the children sing with me
(I can hear the rolling seas and I can feel the summer breeze)
But I can't seem to forget you
(But I cannot leave you here, I know you want me to)

Look at me with my face in the middle of the Sunday paper
Christmas present in the middle of June, I've been wrong before but so have you, ah ha ha

Looking at the ways you choose to keep it like a dream and a house in the middle
Christmas present in the middle of June, I've been fooled before but so have you

Overall Meaning

The song “How the Plains Left Me Flat” by Flotation Toy Warning is a melancholic reflection on the mundane nature of life and the struggle to find meaning and purpose in it. The opening line “So sad, have you seen your soul in the Sunday paper?” hints at the feeling of detachment and disconnection from oneself and the world around. The phrase “trying hard to step aside for death” could suggest a sense of resignation and hopelessness in one’s life.

The next verse seems to be a commentary on society’s obsession with commercialization and superficiality. The line “looking at your face and I seem misplaced” could be interpreted as a reflection of how the singer feels alienated from the world that values appearances over deeper connections. The repetition of “ah ha ha” adds to the sense of irony and despair.

The chorus of the song seems to offer a ray of hope, as the singer talks about how the memories of loved ones and the beauty of nature endure despite the fleeting nature of life. However, the repeated line “But I can’t seem to forget you” suggests that the singer is still struggling to reconcile with the transience of existence. The closing verse brings back the theme of disillusionment with the mundanity of life, as the singer talks about being “fooled before” and feeling out of place.

Overall, “How the Plains Left Me Flat” is a poignant and philosophical look at the human condition and the existential angst that underlies it.

Line by Line Meaning

So sad, have you seen your soul in the Sunday paper?
Have you ever seen yourself stripped bare and exposed like in the Sunday paper, feeling melancholic?

Trying hard to step aside for death
Struggling to avoid the inevitable end, giving way for death to take over

Service with a smile, the reel to reel rank and file
The workforce diligently performing the same mundane tasks every day with fake smiles and no recognition

Looking at your face and I seem misplaced, ah ha ha
Feeling an emotional disconnection while looking at someone's demeanor or expression, feeling out of place

Looking at the ways you choose to keep it like a dream and a house in the middle
Observing how someone holds onto a dream or a memory for comfort and stability even in the midst of chaos

Christmas present in the middle of June, well I've been fooled before and so have you, ah ha ha
Receiving a pleasant surprise at the wrong time or realizing that one has been deceived, feeling like they have been tricked before and in the same boat as the other person

All the songs will be with you and all the flowers will be with me
Memories of happy times accompanied by music and flowers, symbolizing love and life.

But I can't seem to forget you
Even though memories are evoked, the feeling of not being able to forget the past lingers

And all the clowns will be with you and all the children sing with me
Despite hardships, there are moments of happiness surrounded by people who provide joy and levity

(I can hear the rolling seas and I can feel the summer breeze)
Despite being in an emotionally turbulent situation, there are moments of calm and serenity

But I can't seem to forget you
The memory of the past is omnipresent and difficult to move on from

(But I cannot leave you here, I know you want me to)
Despite the difficulties of the present, the artist is unable to fully abandon the past because of the emotional connection they still have

Looking at me with my face in the middle of the Sunday paper
The singer is feeling exposed to the world in a vulnerable manner, much like a newspaper article

Laughing on the side, looking on the bright side
Trying to find positivity in a challenging situation, even if it means having to laugh and putting on a facade

Black side, downside, never on the outside
Despite feeling left out, the singer never fully feels like an outsider and still has a place within the situation

Christmas present in the middle of June, I've been wrong before but so have you, ah ha ha
Feeling like they have made mistakes in the past, but acknowledging that the other person has made similar ones

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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