Tongues
Joywave Lyrics


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Pick me up, dust me off
Give me breath, and let me cough
Drag me back, collect my thoughts
I've come back to the land I'd lost

The palms are down, I'm welcomed back to town
Sometimes I feel like they don't understand me
I hear their mouths making foreign sounds
Sometimes I think they're all just speaking tongues

Tell me all the things I've missed
Who's been killed and who's been kissed
(Drag me back, collect my thoughts)
I'll be gone when the drugs wear off

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town
Sometimes I feel like they don't understand me
I hear their mouths making foreign sounds
Sometimes you'd think they spoke another language

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town
Sometimes I feel like they don't understand me
I hear their mouths making foreign sounds
Sometimes I think they're all just speaking tongues

They say I'm the only one, who can be brave
That I am the chosen one
But there's no way, that I am the only one
And there's no one to save
If there's nowhere for them to run

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town
Sometimes I feel like they don't understand me
I hear their mouths making foreign sounds
Sometimes you'd think they spoke another language

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town
Sometimes I feel like they don't understand me
I hear their mouths making foreign sounds
Sometimes I think

They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just speaking tongues




They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just speaking tongues

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Joywave's "Tongues" convey a sense of disorientation and confusion upon returning to a home that no longer feels familiar. The singer is asking to be brought back to their senses and reintegrated into their surroundings: "Pick me up, dust me off / Give me breath, and let me cough / Drag me back, collect my thoughts / I've come back to the land I'd lost." The repeated phrase "The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town" creates a sense of ritual or formalism, underscoring the singer's feelings of being an outsider.


The song explores the theme of language and communication, with the singer feeling like they're unable to connect with the people around them: "Sometimes I feel like they don't understand me / I hear their mouths making foreign sounds / Sometimes I think they're all just speaking tongues." The final lines of the song add a layer of social commentary, suggesting that despite the singer's feelings of isolation, they are not truly alone: "They say I'm the only one who can be brave / That I am the chosen one / But there's no way that I am the only one / And there's no one to save."


Overall, "Tongues" is a song about the disorientation that can come with returning home after a long absence, and the sense of feeling like a stranger in a familiar place. It also grapples with the complexities of language and communication, and the ways in which our individual experiences can feel impossible to capture and express.


Line by Line Meaning

Pick me up, dust me off
Help me recover from my struggles


Give me breath, and let me cough
Allow me to take a breath and recover my voice


Drag me back, collect my thoughts
Bring me back to my senses, help me think clearly


I've come back to the land I'd lost
I'm returning to a place where I've lost myself


The palms are down, I'm welcomed back to town
I'm being welcomed by the people in town with open palms


Sometimes I feel like they don't understand me
I feel like the people in town don't get me


I hear their mouths making foreign sounds
I hear people speaking in a way that's not familiar to me


Sometimes I think they're all just speaking tongues
Sometimes I feel like people are just talking nonsense


Tell me all the things I've missed
Update me with all that I have been disconnected from


Who's been killed and who's been kissed
Who did we lose and who did we celebrate while I was gone


I'll be gone when the drugs wear off
I won't be grounded anymore when the high diminishes


They say I'm the only one, who can be brave
People say that I am the only one who is capable of being courageous


That I am the chosen one
They believe I'm the one selected for greatness


But there's no way, that I am the only one
I don't think being the only one is possible


And there's no one to save
No one can be rescued from this


If there's nowhere for them to run
If they can't find a way out of it


Sometimes you'd think they spoke another language
Sometimes it's like they're speaking an entirely different dialect


They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just talking incoherently


They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just talking incoherently


They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just talking incoherently


They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just talking incoherently


They're all just speaking tongues
They're all just talking incoherently




Lyrics Š Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andre Anjos, Sean Donnelly, Dan Armbruster

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Yonotjz

Here are the lyrics

Pick me up, dust me off, give me breath and let me cough.
Drag me back, collect my thoughts. I've come back to the land I'd lost.

The palms are down, I'm welcomed back to town.
Sometimes, I feel, like they don't understand me.
I hear, their mouths, making foreign sounds.
Sometimes, I think, they're all just speaking tongues.

Tell me all the things I've missed, who's been killed and who's been kissed.
Drag me back, collect my thoughts, I'll be gone when the drugs wear off.

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town.
Sometimes, I feel, like they don't understand me.
I hear, their mouths, making foreign sounds.
Sometimes, you'd think, they spoke another language.

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town.
Sometimes, I feel, like they don't understand me.
I hear, their mouths, making foreign sounds.
Sometimes, I think, they're all just speaking tongues.

They say I'm the only one, who can be brave.
That I am the chosen one, but there is no way,
That I am the only one, and there's no one to save,
If there's nowhere for them to run.

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town.
Sometimes, I feel, like they don't understand me.
I hear, their mouths, making foreign sounds.
Sometimes, you'd think, they spoke another language.

The palms are down, I'm welcomed into town.
Sometimes, I feel, like they don't understand me.
I hear, their mouths, making foreign sounds.
Sometimes, I think, they're all just speaking tongues.

They're all just speaking tongues.
They're all just speaking tongues.
They're all just speaking tongues.
They're all just speaking tongues.



All comments from YouTube:

@indie

Why did I just discover this now!? They should be famous!

@inno8283

Looks like you got your wish

@maxvilla5558

Why?

@ghostsheepy.

Not big enough

@DarkJusn2020

How about now? C:

@lona3763

I
FOUND
IT
AFTER
ALL
THESE
YEARS!!!
YAY!

@imad_kazmi

congrats dude, i came here from FIFA15

@frankyhagan1676

Same

@caseys2698

Congrats! Welcome to Joywave—featuring the joyous Koda Vista EP (Extended Play), as well as 3–soon to be 4–wonderful LP (Long Play) albums!

Seriously though check out the rest of Joywave’s music, they’re one of my favorite bands :)

@void-master9077

Heard it first in shameless, but I heard it again in that WAYNE show and I had to save to to my playlist.

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