From Six
Released September 1998
Rerec… Read Full Bio ↴Written by Paul Draper.
From Six
Released September 1998
Rerecorded (3:59 in length) with Arthur Baker in late 1998 for inclusion on the US edition of Six.
Rerecorded version (variously known as 'Baker Mix' and the 'Single Version') was released as a single (Eleven EP) in the UK in January 1999.
Six
Mansun Lyrics
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The lyrics of Mansun's song "Six" express a feeling of conformity and compromise in life. The first two lines of the song talk about how the singer shivers and cowers to conformity and authority. He then goes on to describe his life as a series of compromises that he is conditioned to accept. The singer feels like his life is a sham, and he has no choice but to accept the compromises. The following section of the lyrics lists some of the things the singer has more of than he needs, which could refer to material possessions or societal pressure to conform.
The next few lines describe how the singer's religion is caged and safe from progress. He wonders how this will affect him emotionally and if they will let him go. The equilibirum is imbalanced again, and he feels no pain. The Jabberwocky is referenced and is the subject of the singer's memory. He feels no pain until someone punches him in the stomach.
The song then repeats the lines about life being a compromise and a sham, and the singer being conditioned to accept it all. The song ends on a resigned note, as though the singer has accepted his fate.
Overall, the lyrics of "Six" suggest a feeling of conformity and the societal pressures to conform, which leads to a series of compromises in life that are hard to overcome.
Line by Line Meaning
And you see, I kind of shivered to conformity
Did you observe how I gave in to the norms of society?
Did you see the way I cowered to authority
Did you witness how I surrendered to those in power?
You see, my life, it's a series of compromises anyway
My existence is a string of sacrifices, adjustments, and deals, regardless.
It's a sham, and I'm conditioned to accept it all, you see
It's a deception, and I'm molded to acknowledge everything, you know.
(More) than I had before
Greater in quantity than my previous possessions
(More) than I've presently got
Larger in quantity than what I currently own
(More) than I'll ever use up
Excessive in number or amount, more than I will ever consume or exhaust
(More) than I really need
Surpassing what's essential or vital for me
It's more than I can spare
It's too much or too many to give away or dispose of
My religion is caged
My faith or belief is restrained or limited
Safe from progress, purgatory I know
Protected from innovation, I'm aware that it's trapped in uncertainty and emptiness
How does this affect me
What's the impact or influence of this situation on me?
Emotionally affect me
How does this situation have a psychological or sentimental impact on me?
Will they let me go
Will they release me from this confinement?
Equilibrium imbalanced again
The balance or stability is disrupted or upset, once more
I feel no pain
I experience no physical or emotional suffering
The Jabberwocky haunts me, in my memory it's caged
I'm tormented by my recollection of the Jabberwocky, it's imprisoned in my mind
But if you punched me in the stomach then I'd feel it again
But if you struck me in the abdomen, I would register pain anew
Life is a compromise anyway
Existence is a constant tradeoff or negotiation, regardless
And it's a sham, and I'll accept it all
And it's a deception, and I'll welcome everything
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAUL EDWARD DRAPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind