No One Knows
LIVING ROOM - Queens of the Stone Age Lyrics


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We get some rules to follow
That and this
These and those
No one knows

We get these pills to swallow
How they stick
In your throat
Tastes like gold

Oh, what you do to me
No one knows

And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
Ah

I journey through the desert
Of the mind
With no hope
I follow

I drift along the ocean
Dead lifeboats in the sun
And come undone

Pleasantly caving in
I come undone

And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
And I realize you're mine
Indeed a fool am I
Ah

Heaven smiles above me
What a gift here below
But no one knows





A gift that you give to me
No one knows

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age is open to interpretation, but based on the themes of the song, it could be about a relationship between two people. The first and second stanzas talk about the various rules and prescriptions that they have to follow, which are not fully understood by anyone around them. This could be symbolic of societal norms and conventions that people abide by without questioning or knowing their real purpose. The reference to pills could mean that they also have to take medication or drugs as a way of coping with these rules, which could be making them feel trapped and alone.


The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "And I realize you're mine, indeed a fool am I," which could be an admission of the relationship between the two people. It could also mean that they are foolish for being so caught up in a relationship that is not fully understood by anyone else. The third and fourth stanzas describe the singer's journey through the "desert of the mind" and the ocean, which could be symbolic of their emotional experiences. The image of a dead lifeboat in the sun could point towards their feelings of isolation and despair.


Finally, the last stanza talks about a "gift" that the singer receives, but no one else knows. This could either mean the love and connection between the two people, or suggest that they have something that is highly valued but misunderstood by the world at large.


Line by Line Meaning

We get some rules to follow
We are given guidelines and instructions to adhere to


That and this
Various instructions and guidance


These and those
Different sets of rules


No one knows
Unknown or unclear rules


We get these pills to swallow
We are given medications to consume


How they stick
The pills are hard to swallow


In your throat
They get stuck in the throat


Tastes like gold
The medication has a desirable effect


Oh, what you do to me
The impact you have on me


No one knows
Unknown to others


And I realize you're mine
I acknowledge and accept that you're mine


Indeed a fool am I
I feel foolish for not realizing this before


I journey through the desert
Going through a barren and desolate mental state


Of the mind
A state of mental exhaustion


With no hope
Hopelessness and despair


I follow
Continuing on despite the challenges


I drift along the ocean
Navigating uncertain waters


Dead lifeboats in the sun
Abandoned and nonfunctional boats in the open sea


And come undone
Falling apart emotionally or mentally


Pleasantly caving in
Slowly giving in to a relaxing state


Heaven smiles above me
Feeling a sense of peace and joy


What a gift here below
Grateful for the blessings in life


But no one knows
Unknown to others


A gift that you give to me
The positive impact of someone special in life


No one knows
Unknown to others




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Josh Homme, Nick S. Oliveri, Mark William Lanegan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Living Room Gear Demos

Stuff I use at Sweetwater: https://imp.i114863.net/P1KkY
Stuff I use at Thomann: https://bit.ly/mythomannstore

Richard Jensen

"Why don't you find your own tone?" - Your answer was so good. Tone chasing is FUN. As a viewer, it's fun to watch. In my opinion, all of your effort was totally worth it. Thanks for the great video. I immediately subscribed!

Richard Jensen

@J C You realize that I wasn't saying find your own tone, right? I was quoting the video. If the quotation marks weren't enough of a clue, surely the context of the the rest of the comment explains it pretty clearly. I was agreeing with Living Room Gear Demos that people who say "why don't you find your own tone" are missing the point of the video.

J C

That's a pretty ignorant reply imo. "find your own, tone"

Well if I'm attempting to play someone else's song, in a cover band for example, I'm gonna need to sounds as close as I can to the original. "stealing" tones smfh. That's plain ignorant.

So, what are cover artists supposed to do then? Make up their own sound so a song sounds NOTHING like the original? 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Guy Incognito

I've always liked learning a lot of famous riffs and solos due to the same reason. By doing it you learn what other guys do, and so you go out of your natural playing comfort zone. It takes a bit of work to nail anything that's new to you. So if you play a riff and it sounds exactly like the album, then you've learned something about feel, which is really the most important thing with guitar. Of course imitation is not the end goal in itself.

Ritch valadez

Part of finding my own tone is knowing how other players achieve their tone. It teaches you how to recognize and communicate the sounds you want.

G Tebbutt

I honestly thought he was going to say something else beginning with F 😀

Queen Emily

That's about the closest I've ever heard a tone recreated, especially for one that used such odd and unusual equipment! You're like 95% there, you could probably get to 99% with some surgical EQ-ing but that's not the most fun activity, and it sounds killer as it is!

Neal

Agree, great job and it just sounded like a matter of super fine tuning EQ to get the last bit.

Josh Wheatstone

What you're doing is not just copying, this stuff is very important from an engineering standpoint aswell and I've learned a lot of engineering gems through your videos. Don't ever stop!

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