Josh Small is a singer/songwriter from Richmond, VA. He has toured with ba… Read Full Bio ↴Josh Small is a singer/songwriter from Richmond, VA. He has toured with bands such as Strike Anywhere, Stop It and Pink Razors, and is a vital member of labelmate Tim Barry's backing band. After a demo release in 2005, he recorded his Suburban Home debut "Tall by Josh Small" at Minimum Wage Studio in Richmond for a 2007 release.

2x2
Josh Small Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Two by two, four by four
No excuse anymore
Me and you on the floor
Two by two, four by four

Well I think to think
And I start to start
And I drink to drink

With my sweetheart

I talk to talk
And I spin to twirl
And I dance to dance
With my best girl

But I've never blown her mind
And she can always leave her house
You can line up in a line
And start to filing out

Two by two, four by four
No excuse anymore
Well I've never blown her mind
And she can always leave the house
You can line up in a line
And start to finding out
You can start to filing out
You can start to filing out

You can start to filing out
Start to filing out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Josh Small's song 2X2 convey a sense of frustration and resignation regarding the singer's relationship with their partner. The repetition of "two by two, four by four" suggests a sense of conformity and routine, as the singer describes being on the dance floor with their partner. However, there is a sense of discontent beneath the surface, as the singer admits to drinking with their partner in order to escape their thoughts and feelings. The lines "But I've never blown her mind / And she can always leave her house" indicate a lack of intimacy and connection in the relationship, while the final lines "You can line up in a line / And start to filing out" suggest a sense of inevitability and finality.

Line by Line Meaning

Two by two, four by four
We don't have to conform to conventional methods anymore. We can do things in pairs or groups of four if we want.

No excuse anymore
We can't rely on excuses to avoid taking chances or risks.

Me and you on the floor
You and I are in this together. We're both willing to take a chance and dance.

Well I think to think
I tend to overthink things instead of just taking action.

And I start to start
I'm always getting ready to start something, but I never follow through.

And I drink to drink
I drink alcohol just to drink it, not for any particular reason.

With my sweetheart
I drink with my significant other because it's something we enjoy doing together.

I talk to talk
I tend to talk about things, but not actually do them.

And I spin to twirl
I spin around just to have fun and let loose.

And I dance to dance
I dance just for the joy of it.

With my best girl
I dance with my girlfriend, who is my closest friend and confidante.

But I've never blown her mind
I've never done anything extraordinary to amaze or impress her.

And she can always leave her house
She's free to leave and do whatever she wants, and I have to accept that.

You can line up in a line
You can follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing.

And start to finding out
You can discover new things and experiences by breaking away from the norm.

You can start to filing out
You can begin to leave, depart, or move away from the ordinary.

You can start to filing out
You can take action and start breaking away from conformity and the status quo.

You can start to filing out
You can start making changes away from the ordinary and into new experiences.

Start to filing out
Emphasizes the importance of taking action and stepping out of one's comfort zone.

Contributed by Josiah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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Comments from YouTube:

wyn

8y↑32

Im 12.6 yrs old and i've always wanted to solve the cube since I was 6. Thx so much for putting this video online. now i know how to solve the 2x2 and the 3x3.😄

Josh Neufeld

8y↑5

You rock. When I was 38.2 years old (in 2013), I had also wanted to solve it since I was 6. It was then that I started looking through algorithms and thought, "there has to be a better way to help young people (and adults) get started". Thanks for your feedback :)

Will Eason

7y↑1

ChaoticWolfx same

Cathy Ma

WxlfeeSimmer i

Austin

3y↑1

Now ur 16

อุบล สินธุศิริ

2y↑1

@Josh Neufeld

2 More Replies...

Barb_b

2y↑9

This works! Thank you so much!
Slide story starts at 2:57
Bird story starts at 7:05
Dragon story starts at 10:00

ארפז

2y↑4

I'm over 40 and I love the Dragon story.

Thank you so much, Josh.
This is great! learning in a fun way, I feel like this time I have a good chance of remembering this (it's the 3rd time I've learned to solve it)
Can't wait to show it to my kids!

Josh Neufeld

Good to hear - kids pick it up much faster :) Thanks for the message.

Bella B

8y↑8

Thank you, I think it's a clever way to teach your children and get them involved 👪 It also hi-lights what a thoughtful, caring Father you are ... Take note please guys, your children need you more than you know!👱

Josh Neufeld

I missed this comment - beautiful - thanks.

Frances Chu

That’s genius! I’m a beginner and a mom trying to learn and teach my daughter how to solve Rubik’s Cube. Totally inspired. Thank you.

Penekalapati Sruti

Hi Josh, Thanks very much for teaching. I used these stories to learn 3*3 cube. I watched many videos to learn 2*2, but I was missing one step or other. The stories I learnt work for 2 *2 and thanks for making it really simple. I am excited to teach my 7 year old the same

Brandon Chan

5y↑2

Hi! Thanks a lot for the two Rubik's cube videos, helped me a lot of with solving them. Since it's been such a long time, I doubt you're going to make a 4×4×4 cube video, and creating my own "stories" was incredibly difficult, so I had to memorise the algorithms. And now I've forgotten. I know you're probably not going to see this, but if you have any free time, could you make a 3rd video for the 4×4? I'm not pressuring you, of course, just a suggestion.

Josh Neufeld

5y↑2

Received this question many times. Would love to help but the anomalies for the 4x4 make it very difficult for stories. Plus, I reason, if the 2x2 and 3x3 are mastered, the student is ready for algorithms now :)

Brandon Chan

5y↑1

@Josh Neufeld Yeah, you have a point. Thanks for replying, and thank you once again for helping us to solve the cubes!

Ivxy

46w

I remember commenting on this video about a year ago on my old account but this whole method is just super cool. I think learning how to solve Rubik’s cubes like this makes the whole process 10x easier. Awesome work

Josh Neufeld

46w↑1

Thanks. I think this officially counts as an "oldie but a goodie". Our kids are older teens now, but they still reach for the cubes once in a while and they still use the same stories as they go.

Superhawk996

4y↑2

Wow, what a great video. Watched it one time and was able to solve it easily. Great job!!! Now I'm going to teach my kids!!

Theresa Chen

Thanks so much! I feel you are really helping people instead of showing how good you are. I’m 37y. I just solved 2*2 and going to learning 3*3. Once I handle it better, I can teach my son 7y who asked for 3*3 since he was 4y

Daniela RJ

That was very helpful! Thank you. I feel good that I can now solve it, but a little bad that I didn't figure it out on my own :(

Josh Neufeld

Very few figure these out solo! Must always be shown. Frustrating puzzles in this way :)

Laurel Belsher

10y↑12

Seriously thank you for this! I'm going to teach my cousin

Josh Neufeld

10y↑2

You're welcome :)

Kate Libby

1y↑1

My son was desperate to get this version of the Rubik's Cube and silly me thought it would be easy... Tried to follow other tutorials and completely messed up until I found you!!! I know now that he's almost done when I hear "rarr rarr!!" 💖 I can't solve a Rubik's cube without the birdie bumping it's head or saying rarr rarr out loud 🤣🤣🤣🤣
And THIS WORKS SOOO WELL! Thank you.

Josh Neufeld

1y↑1

Awwww... so cute! That makes me quite happy to hear. And, after all these years, my 15/16 year olds still sit with the cube occasionally and silently tell themselves the same stories. So it really does stick. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.

ICJ

Thank you so much for real without you I could never be able to solve this or the 3 by 3. If you could make one for the 4 by 4 I would appreciate it. Thanks!

Motif Music Studios

2y↑1

What a neat way to do this! Thanks for this!

Nisha Kurien

1y↑1

Amazing way to explain!! I was finally able to solve it!! Can't wait to try it with my son ❤️

Josh Neufeld

So many parents, like me, find this approach helpful. Thanks for the feedback and hello to your son :)

Nisha Kurien

@Josh Neufeld Happy to share my son has made great progress is on his way to the last story 😍 Such an innovative and creative way to teach kids! You are a genius!

Cindy Blackman

49w

Thank you. I've watched so many videos and being dyslexic they just confuse me. Your story worked great. I've been able to get the white, yellow, and 1 or 2 other sides to on my own but the last 2 sides not.

Josh Neufeld

49w

This comment means a lot to me - thank you!

vijay MR

2y↑1

Lovely , and thanks for the story for 50 years kid as well 🤣

Josh Neufeld

You and me both!

Blossom Brosi

5y↑2

This is so creative. I love it! I'm teaching 2x2 cubes to a group of 3rd graders now. I may modify this to be a story from our school. Thanks!

Josh Neufeld

Perfect - that was the idea :)

Aaron Corbett

47w↑1

found this gem... and because of you i can now start my cube journey.... thank you so much <3

Kanako Solomon

Hi thank you for this video, my son and I have learnt the stories to solve 2*2, however it does not work sometimes. Is there a pattern that we need to achieve after solving the yellow, then do the night story?? Or do we keep doing the the night story til we get it?

Gee Giraffe

2y↑1

This is like literally the best 2x2 tutorial on YouTube! Thanks so much!

Josh Neufeld

2y↑1

Thanks! Oldie but a goodie eh?

Damon

8y↑2

Appreciate the video, I've always wanted to learn and my 7 year-old daughter found one I had in a drawer from a tradeshow years ago. She was fascinated and asked if they made one for kids. I ordered 2x2 cubes for each of us to learn together!

☆/ferret:)

No 8

ThoughtsToReality

Wow 😯 thank you for this. I got this two row Rubik cube for my 4 year old niece 👧🏻🎲 I’m gonna teach her how to solve it

Josh Neufeld

2y↑1

Excellent!

Viswanathan Muthu

42w

@joshneufeld This method is helpful. can you explain how should I approach the birdie story if there is
1) no yellow on top,
2) 2 yellow side by side
3) 2 yellow diagonally
4) 3 yellow on top.
In the above cases, I am blindly doing the right side birdie story again and again till I reach the magic setup. Is there a way to reduce those blind tries ? Please explain the moves for the 4 scenarios above.

Josh Neufeld

42w

Ooof - there absolutely is an approach to solving each of these steps, but they don't fit well with the story context. Once you have the basics of this method figured out (remember, this is for kids to get started), it should be straightforward for you to look into the algorithm approaches to optimize some of the steps that require specific orientations. So you are at the right stage to find a more detailed procedure. Hope this helps.

Kitslams Art

11y↑1

I love this! Wonderful. =D

Eaglefly

4y↑3

I am 70 years old, and this is the only way I could remember to do it! Lol Thanks, I was about to trash that cube! Slides, birdies, and Knights I can handle! Best method for young and OLD!!!! ;-) The other videos are so confusing...you are a Rubik's cube Tesla! Merci

Josh Neufeld

4y↑1

Wonderful to hear - you've made my day! Thanks for the feedback. Bienvenue :)

gk

Josh Neufeld your still replying after 7 years RESPECT

Josh Neufeld

@gk Thanks! I'm still a big believer in the value of stories as a memory aid for the Rubik's cube, similar to memory palace or word association mnemonic approaches. My kids (now 11 and 13) still run the stories in their heads whenever they pick up the cube again, even after long breaks in between. Same for me. So I believe in the method and its novelty in the context of the Rubik's cube. Also, I get email alerts whenever comments posted :)

Indigo

Thank you! Can now solve it good.

Elusiv

Thank you so much this helps me a lot with the 2x2

Katie Krenek

6y↑1

This method makes so much sense! Thanks for the video!

Josh Neufeld

You're welcome! My kinds are 10 and 12 now. They still reach for the cube once in a while, and I hear them muttering the stories as they go. Cute mnemonic I suppose :)

Katie Krenek

My kids are at the perfect age to learn how to solve it and have been asking for weeks for me to teach them, but I hadn't found a method that made sense until tonight. The teacher in me loves the storytelling method and can't wait to teach them soon!

Josh Neufeld

Great to hear - thanks for letting me know. If you think of better stories for any of the steps, please let me know. Won't be long before they are learning the 3 x 3 :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0zXGRIuJw8&t=268s

Chuck Harris

8y↑2

So I've watched this video many times and been struggling to get the 2 x 2 solved. I kept getting stuck on the yellow side. I must have followed the instructions 100 times. Each time I ended up with three yellow and the fourth one was in the correct position but the yellow color was facing the wrong direction. I decided to disasemble my cube to get all of the pieces into the correct position and start fresh (springs and pieces shot out all over the place)! After getting it put back together, I scrambled the cube and then followed the directions in the video. It worked perfectly. I've now done in multiple times and the instructions work everytime. I find it interesting that there are a few comments from other people who claim the method didn't work for them. Any thoughts on this Josh???

Josh Neufeld

8y↑1

Chuck, what a puzzle. No idea what happened but glad that it works well now. Most who say "it doesn't work" I figure are not giving it a careful enough try, like you have. Bottom line: it works for you now.

Bizarre, eh? Regardless, congrats on your success :)

Inna Grishina

Amazing! It works! And is fun! Thank you so so much.

zach

6y↑2

you can tell you use lots of energy thx man!

Josh Neufeld

Nice. Thanks. And you’re welcome :)

HoosierShrimps

3y↑2

I know I’m late on this but it’s great! My only problem is what to do when there is two yellows on top and time for birdie move?? Any help would be great

sjefselg

1y↑1

Nice! Thanks a lot

Rebecca Groenewegen

2y↑1

This is genius thank-you!

jdevera1

Brilliant!! :)

tubeisace Davies

2y↑1

I'm 60 and have struggled to do the 2x2. I can do 3, 4, and 5. Just not 2. Now I can. Thanks

Josh Neufeld

Heh - you've learned them in the wrong order! Glad this video helped :)

Daniel Li

thanks:)its great i learned it with the story

bigwhippa556

5y↑5

That’s works I’m going to subscribe 🙂👍🤙

DrAwInG LaB

4y↑2

This is so good

EDN

2y↑1

The only suggestion I have is when you find the “clean side,” call the other side the dirty side and say you have to do the bird story to clean the dirty side.

Josh Neufeld

Agreed that’s a good addition. Thanks for the feedback.

affaf hassan

thank u soo much im 14 and i wanted to teach my 6 year old brother but he coudnt learn algorithms

Gee Giraffe

Are you ever planning on making a 4x4 tutorial? It could help a lot.

Abby Rabinovitz

Thank you so much!

Chels Vids

Thanks to your videos on the 3x3 and the 2x2 I can now solve the 3x3 and the 2x2

Ida Levy

7y↑4

These story videos were awesome!! My 7 yo and 11 yo learned in 1 day! Do you have stories for 4x4??

Josh Neufeld

Thanks! Wanted to post one for the 4x4 but it became too challenging when faced with algorithms like this one: (R ² r ²) B ² U ² (L l) U ² (R' r ') U ² (R r) U ² F ² (R r) F ² (L ' l ') B ² (R ² r ²). I figure that if a someone is comfortable with the 2x2 and 3x3, they are probably ready to work with algorithms directly.

Ida Levy

Not so sure...he's 7 LOL. Do you know of any 4x4 tutorials that are appropriate?

Josh Neufeld

Well done 7 yo! Tutorials like this one might be suitable? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ilC-ePrg4

Ida Levy

7y↑2

This worked well for my son, except he finished the cube your way, instead of with this other technique. He even made up his own stories about a skateboarder. Thanks!

Josh Neufeld

7y↑1

Excellent! Thanks for the update. You're dealing with a clever kid :)

3 More Replies...

Witherwings 777

5y↑3

I looked for so many videos but this one taught me how

Josh Neufeld

ning li good to hear! Congrats. Now you should try the 3x3 :)

Witherwings 777

Did that before the 2 by 2! Thanks!

Anita Sophia marito Vallejo

5y↑2

This was the best way to teach a kid so helpful

Josh Neufeld

5y↑2

Agreed! Thanks for the feedback.

Anita Sophia marito Vallejo

5y↑3

Omg 😮 is this a dream 😀😀. I am actually going to teach my brother cause he wants to start cubing but first with a 2/2

Josh Neufeld

5y↑2

@Anita Sophia marito Vallejo Let me know how it goes! :)

Anita Sophia marito Vallejo

5y↑3

It’s going well he is loving it so much even he is teaching other kids who want to start solving cubes

sri lekha

Wow superb

NubCub

I don’t know why I watched this I already can solve 2x2 3x3 4x4 and I’m ordering megaminx and pyraminx and plan on learning the algorithms and everything but this video is great if you are confused by algorithms!

Josh Neufeld

Thanks for taking the time to share your opinion nonetheless.

Emily

I feel so stupid.. I’m 23 and this helped me so much!! Thanks 🙏

Josh Neufeld

3y↑1

I was in my 30s when I made the video and it was helpful for me as well!

Kamjorsh

How this method is awesome I'm 10 and this is very useful story telling is a good method every one like this it's awesome

ewigaming_

2y↑1

I find it amazing how you made this video 8 years ago and your still answering peoples comments like that’s insane

Josh Neufeld

Thanks! So glad to see comments still coming in. My kids are teens now and occasionally solve cubes with the same method… #prouddad 🙂

ewigaming_

That’s awesome

Rachel Sharp

Hello! Me and my 5.5 year old son have been watching your video for this 2x2 cube!! I am slowly getting it. But I am stuck too where Chuck Harris was. I have all white on the bottom, with same colors next to each other. Then I go to do the opposite of the white side- yellow. And I can get all 3 yellow, but never the 4th. I keep doing the birdie/roof scenario over and over, but I cant get that 1 yellow to go on the top. Any suggestions?! Thanks so much!!

Boss Mtn dew magikarp

Rachel Sharp ok so if you get 1 yellow on top put that in the bottom left well turn the cube till you get it there're then Di it at least over over again like 6 time and then it will work hope I helped it worked on mine now I solve mine 5:11 second

Benjamin Watts

If the white side is solved and 3 pieces on the yellow side are solved, that means someone took it apart and put it back together incorrectly. The only solution is to take it apart again.

Chad Niles

Help! I have watched over and over. I have the pattern down. I repeatedly get stuck with white opposite of yellow and blue done on bottom. However the other three sides are pairs of stripes going between white and yellow. So as example white facing me the top is left orange and red right. Left side is bottom red and top green.

Do I spin cube somehow and keep the knight dragon pattern?

Chad Niles

Took a little thought but got my answer. In my situation is just turned using yellow side and followed your knight and dragon and it came out with yellow side facing me

Josh Neufeld

Glad it worked out in the end. Thanks for the update.

JEspin2008

5y↑1

When doing the bird story I keep getting 2 yellow pieces up. I choose 1 and check for the clean side and repeat and still get 2 yellow pieces next to each other but can't get all the four yellow pieces facing up. What am I doing wrong?

Josh Neufeld

Two yellow pieces on top is not the "magic pattern".Given your particular struggle, might be helpful to use additional guidance offered on this website https://www.youcandothecube.com/solve-it/2-x-2-solution Search for "Identify where the yellow tiles are on your cube" and look at the image right below. The magic pattern is the one right beside the "Top View" example.

Yadira Marquez

6y↑1

This helped with my son so much

Imran Aboo

49w

wow that worked

Kima

❤❤❤❤❤❤ love it

Ahmed Kamla

Thanks for the video, but I cant arrange it the way where we have two colors on each side with White color on top!

Josh Neufeld

Perhaps give it a few more tries?

derek randall

Birdy story. Have to do it seems like endless number of times before getting the magic pattern which magically always works. Any suggestions??

Alain Labrada

2y↑1

This is THE BEST approach to learn how to solve a 2x2. I learned and will teach my kids now. Thank you!

Josh Neufeld

Great feedback - thanks!

Harshath J

3y↑1

I have 2x2 rubik's cube... I was searching some videos but I saw your video then I know

EDN

2y↑1

I am 10 years old, and I only had to watch this video twice to solve the 2x2. Thank you!!

Josh Neufeld

Thanks for letting me know. Good job!

Hiral Deenga

Thanks
Now we know where to start, at least we will start practicing with first story

Connor Henley

It worked for me

Jdawg

2y↑1

Some how my cube had the same mix up as yours 1/1,000,000% chance

Bill Terry

8y↑1

Thanks that worked!

TwoDM coma

4y↑2

Omg I love this! This is the final vid that made sense!!!! Love this soooooo much!! Thank you! Ur my hero!!

Josh Neufeld

Such good news - thanks for letting me know!

𓃗 - Unicorn editz - 𓃗

2y↑2

It is so easy I did my first rubik's cube and I thank you so much for your help but the video of solving the big rubik's cube that is too complicated for me is not solved yet. I am 8 years old and I study in class 2. But I am still thankful to you for helping me solve the small rubik's cube. Thank you!! ❤️

Josh Neufeld

2y↑1

This is so good to hear. Keep trying - you’ll get it soon.

𓃗 - Unicorn editz - 𓃗

Can you please send me the details of the rubik's cube I did not understood that big rubik's cube vedio

𓃗 - Unicorn editz - 𓃗

Please do let me know!!

Sarah Jones

me- a grown adult STILL unable to solve it even with the stories.

Kari Freeland

3y↑1

I watched at least 200 other videos on how to solve the 2 by 2, and none of them worked because I didn't understand the algorithms, but you made it understandable, so therefore i felt proud of myself because I solved it! thank you!

Josh Neufeld

3y↑1

Yes! I was in the same boat as you :) Thanks for the feedback. Now you should try the 3x3...

Kari Freeland

@Josh Neufeld i will, thanks

Ethan Keen

It actually worked

Caine Barrett duggan

I'm an 11 year old speed cuber and I think this is a really good way to teach kids how to solve a 2x2.

Josh Neufeld

Helpful - thanks Caine!

Ching Lim

great way to teach my kids, thank you!

Weiner fuck

7y↑1

Can you storytell on how to solve the 1x1?

Weiner fuck

Because it's the hardest cube ever (totally

MultiVideoAudio

2y↑1

wow its finished and its succeed. thanks so much for teaching 😃😃

Josh Neufeld

You bet!

KNG_ Flame

7y↑1

awesome vid

Snake Nano

7y↑2

Hey I also tried this method and it also worked 👍

Josh Neufeld

Good to hear - congrats :)

Vanessa T

Thabk you for this!!!

cause&effect-YT

7y↑1

nice video

Keefer Celis

7y↑5

I solved it in 5.023 sec and I meant to solve 3 sides

daisy pina

6y↑1

thank you for changing my life I qaapreciat it

Jdawg

2y↑1

Hi thanks for the helpful method👍🏻

Rockstart79

I was baffled when I solved outwith your help, now don't want to mix it up again

ɪᴢᴢʏ

4y↑1

im so confused. Your methods wok perfectly but for some reason the last one isn't working for me. I've tried over and over. I will keep trying. it just doesnt seem to be working for me D:

Josh Neufeld

Sorry about that Izzy - sounds very frustrating for you, especially when you are near the end. This won't help your situation but I find it difficult to help without specific details. That said, even with details I'd likely not be very helpful - been too long since I've picked up a cube...

ɪᴢᴢʏ

@Josh Neufeld thank you, for understanding I will try give further details about what's happening with mine. until then thank you very much

Mashburn

9y↑2

I don't get it. At 3:40 you had two white cubes. Could you have flipped them up?

Josh Neufeld

9y↑2

Good eye! You're right. That said, I was trying to keep the method consistent in the video, trying to avoid being pleasantly surprised by a lucky scenario and deviating from the basics.

TheDunbelievable

Genius

Will Eason

Please do a 4x4

Will Eason

7y↑4

Helped so much now I can sometimes solve it in 10 secs

Josh Neufeld

7y↑1

Faster than me now! You're welcome 👍

Will Eason

7y↑1

Josh Neufeld you sound like a nice dad

Heather Neufeld

Very kind - thanks. We do our best eh?

Kamjorsh

8y↑3

Yay awesome

Nate__

6y↑1

Thank you

Josh Neufeld

Nate Ware you’re welcome :)

Green imposter

I want it :(

The_Tru_ G0AT

lol I'm a kid and I'm learning 5x5.......

Frankie56

👍🏽

Lochlan payne

Thanks

Ameer Wilson

7y↑3

Make a 5x5

Josh Neufeld

7y↑1

Tried for 4x4 but algorithms are too complex for stories. Worse for 5x5. Sorry.

Priya Sharma

No voice in the video

Jose Eduardo Valladares Altamirano

I teied this but i always failed

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