Crazy to Exist
Josef K Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wish we hadn't smoked another cigarette
The place is near, so what do we get?
The shadow approach is in dress
I like to twist it, that was tin vase
I captured stranger gaze, afraid to ask

I'd like to walk in town, but is always that smell
A Café, where I need a drink to be well
Oh, this is your life, this is so smart
Sleeping in doorways of Coniston hall

Sometimes I know, it's crazy to exist
Yes, it seems so, it's crazy to exist
I think I know, it's crazy to exist

I love to walk in town
C'mon let's go in town




I need to be in a town
But we can go in town

Overall Meaning

In these lyrics, Josef K is exploring a feeling of being lost and disconnected in the world around him. The first two lines suggest a sense of regret or dissatisfaction with a recent decision - smoking a cigarette - framing it as a search for something that ultimately proved unsatisfactory. The line "The shadow approach is in dress/I like to twist it, that was tin vase" is fairly opaque, but could be read as a commentary on the way appearances can be deceiving, or a desire to subvert the conventional ways of presenting oneself. The mention of "stranger gaze" suggests a sense of paranoia or unease when interacting with others.


The second half of the first verse shifts to a more concrete setting - "town" - but this too is portrayed as a disappointing or unpleasant place. The mention of a "Café" where the singer needs a drink to feel well could be interpreted in a few ways - perhaps as a reference to the numbing effects of alcohol, or as a way of coping with the stresses of urban life. The final line of the verse is intriguingly specific, referencing Coniston Hall - it's unclear whether this is a real place or a fictional construct, but it adds to the sense of disorientation and dislocation.


The repetition of the phrase "crazy to exist" in the chorus reinforces the underlying sense of alienation and uncertainty running through the song. The final verse returns to the desire to be in a town, suggesting a yearning for some kind of connection or validation that remains out of reach. Overall, "Crazy to Exist" paints a bleak but deeply relatable portrait of modern life as a series of unrewarding and bewildering experiences.


Line by Line Meaning

Wish we hadn't smoked another cigarette
Regretting the decision to smoke a cigarette


The place is near, so what do we get?
Questioning the point of going to a nearby place


The shadow approach is in dress
A mysterious figure is approaching in a cloak


I like to twist it, that was tin vase
Enjoying playing with objects around


I captured stranger gaze, afraid to ask
Feeling self-conscious about being stared at by a stranger


I'd like to walk in town, but is always that smell
Wanting to walk around the town but not liking the unpleasant odor


A Café, where I need a drink to be well
Feeling the need to drink something to feel better in a cafe


Oh, this is your life, this is so smart
Sarcastic remark about the dullness of everyday life


Sleeping in doorways of Coniston hall
Sleeping uncomfortably in a public place


Sometimes I know, it's crazy to exist
Realizing the absurdity of life


Yes, it seems so, it's crazy to exist
Agreeing with the previous realization


I think I know, it's crazy to exist
Firmly acknowledging the absurdity of existence


I love to walk in town
Enjoying walking around the town


C'mon let's go in town
Encouraging someone to join for a walk in the town


I need to be in a town
Desiring to be in the bustling environment of a town


But we can go in town
Suggesting going to the town together




Contributed by Taylor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Let's Play a Record

astoundingly great song

Tommy Joe 90

Great song and beautiful video

honeybee

💛

Richard Litson

What is the source of this version? I've got this recording in three versions (of which I suspect the two CD versions are the same mastering) - Postcard 81-7 vinyl; CD LTMCD 2305; CD TWI 052 CD - and all of them sound markedly inferior to this to my ears.

Londonalibhoy67

Richard Litson maybe you"re right - I haven't gor a functioning record player than play my singles, so cannot check ☹️

Richard Litson

@Londonalibhoy67 I don't think so. That one is labelled 'Crazy To Exist (live)' (even though it's not a live recording) and sounds quite different to this.

Londonalibhoy67

is this not the version on the b-side of Radio Drill Time?

Paul Fitzpatrick

Sehr gut mein capitan

Ken Evil

Unrivalled

White Widow

Fact.

More Versions