The members of Mew started playing music together in 1995. Mew first achieved success in Denmark with their album Frengers, although their debut album, A Triumph for Man, had been met with much critical acclaim back in 1997. At the 2003 Danish Music Critics Award Show, Mew won the awards for "Album of the Year" and "Band of the Year." Until this point Mew was relatively unknown outside of Denmark; however after a European tour supporting R.E.M. Mew began to attract wider attention. After releasing the critically-acclaimed album And The Glass Handed Kites, featuring contributions from J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr, Mew has built on their success in Denmark as well as attracting attention from other countries in Europe and Asia. In the summer of 2006, they toured as the supporting act for Bloc Party in the U.S. as well as for Kasabian in the U.S. and Canada in the fall. After these tours, they returned to Denmark to work on new material.
On March 14th, 2007, Mew embarked on their first ever headlining tour in America with Oh No! Oh My! as the supporting act. Their fifth studio album, No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away, was released in August 25, 2009. They've also toured with Nine Inch Nails, Kings of Leon and Sigur Rós. In 2010, they released a greatest hits compilation called Eggs are Funny. They began performing new material in 2012 at Roskilde Festival, and released their sixth studio album, +- in 2015. Madsen left the band the same year, and the band began writing new material for their new album shortly after they concluded their tour. They released their seventh studio album, Visuals, after releasing a few singles in the months preceding its release. They embarked on tours for the album, as well as a tour celebrating the 15th anniversary of their breakthrough album Frengers in 2018.
Discography:
* A Triumph for Man (1997, re-released 2006)
* Half the World Is Watching Me (2000, re-released Aug 2007)
* Frengers (2003)
* And the Glass Handed Kites (2005)
* No More Stories... (2009)
* Eggs are Funny (2010)
* +- (2015)
* Visuals (2017)
Why Are You Looking Grave?
Mew Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you thinking of something to say?
Why are you sitting there?
Are you hoping that someone will stare?
Your mouth is hiding
You've got smiling eyes
Are you thinking of something to say?
Be I thinking of you?
Your mouth is hiding
You've got smiling eyes
Softly dividing
What they see in your face
From what you feel like inside
Who are all those who greet me?
Does it matter if I know?
Your mouth is hiding
You've got joyless eyes
Softly contriving
All the terrible things
That shook up our hearts enough
The lyrics of Mew's "Why Are You Looking Grave?" suggest a sense of emotional discordance within a person's inner and outer selves. The repeated question "why are you looking grave?" implies that the singer is holding back a deep sense of sadness or despair despite putting on a superficially happy face. The lines "your mouth is hiding, you've got smiling eyes," and "softly dividing what they see in your face from what you feel like inside" emphasize this sense of internal conflict.
Furthermore, the lyrics suggest a sense of detachment from others, as the singer observes "all those who greet me," wondering if it even matters if they know them at all. This detachment is emphasized in the lines "your mouth is hiding, you've got joyless eyes," which suggests a lack of emotional connection despite the appearance of happiness. The line "softly contriving all the terrible things that shook up our hearts enough" suggests a past trauma that is still affecting the singer and adds to the sense of emotional disconnect between them and those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Why are you looking grave?
Why do you have such a serious look on your face?
Are you thinking of something to say?
Are you trying to come up with the right words to express what you're feeling?
Why are you sitting there?
Why are you just sitting there and not engaging with anyone?
Are you hoping that someone will stare?
Do you want someone to notice you and pay attention to you?
Your mouth is hiding
You're not expressing yourself clearly or honestly
You've got smiling eyes
But you're trying to hide your true emotions behind a facade of happiness or contentment
Why are you looking grave?
Why are you still not being honest with yourself or those around you?
Be I thinking of you?
Are you thinking about me and our relationship, or are you preoccupied with your own thoughts and feelings?
Softly dividing
You're separating and compartmentalizing your thoughts and emotions
What they see in your face
What others perceive about you based on your facial expressions and body language
From what you feel like inside
But your true emotions and thoughts are much different from what you're projecting outwardly
Who are all those who greet me?
Are the people around me genuine and caring, or are they just putting on a show?
Does it matter if I know?
Do you even care about the people around you or the impact they have on your life?
Your mouth is hiding
But once again, you're not being truthful with yourself or those around you
You've got joyless eyes
Despite your attempts to fake a pleasant demeanor, your eyes reveal your true unhappiness and dissatisfaction
Softly contriving
You're attempting to plan and strategize your next move, but this is causing you more anxiety and tension
All the terrible things
You're dwelling on all the negative experiences and emotions that have hurt you in the past
That shook up our hearts enough
These negative experiences have impacted not just you, but also those around you, and the effects are long-lasting and deep
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: BO RUNE MADSEN, JOHAN HASLUND WOHLERT, JONAS BJERRE TERKELSBOEL, SILAS UTKE GRAAE JOERGENSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kenneth Kelly
Why are you looking grave?
Are you thinking of something to say?
Oooh
Why are you sitting there?
Are you hoping that someone will stare?
Your mouth is hiding
You've got smiling eyes
Why are you looking grave?
Are you thinking of something to say?
Oooh
Be I thinking of you
Your mouth is hiding
You've got smiling eyes
Softly dividing
What they see in your face
From what you feel like inside
Who are all those who greet me?
Does it matter if I know?
Your mouth is hiding
You've got joyless eyes
Softly contriving
All the terrible things
That sup our hearts enough
hawkstrike18+
@andy it's not an attack, nor would I go out of my way to inspect others to bash them, I wouldn't do that. I just was curious what other lesser known songs I could find in your playlists and if they'd match my taste, seriously. But Imma explain.
I don't criticize the genre(s) and all its/their songs and artists, I even listen to many mainstream (mostly pop but even some rock are basically mainstream, and I usually avoid these tbh because there's so much genuinely good rock that deserves my attention) or "less serious" stuff (listening to ALL the mainstream and bashing it, would in fact show that if I'm elitist I'm a hypocrite too, it'd be interesting and ridiculous, and if it's true I'll admit it and change 🙂 because I hate both elitism and hypocrisy, but, that's what any human of any kind says these days, pfft).
If I'm being completely honest I don't even think that even the most serious songs and artists that I like/love, are 100% perfect and have no flaws, hence I understand why others may not like them, and simply value different things in music. This band for example, is not a treasure mine imo, but they do have some neat and incredibly moving songs. And so I like them, but others may find them depressing or dull. And this is true for even my top5-10 artists, because I do mostly listen to deeper and more melancholic stuff. Not cynical and too dark, but yh.
Now, the way I see it, some artists that are promoted way too much are not promoted by chance. And their mentalities are pushed through their stuff. Sex, guns, insults, selfishness, immaturity, and so on, I'd better avoid the full(?) analysis of these and the way all lower instincts are exploited. It's not rocket science anyway.
So, when I judge an artist, I take into account what they promote through their songs, it's not entirely about the tunes. Ofc others don't examine the lyrics or arrogance and tendency to rip off other artists, but to me these aren't secondary. Dunno, maybe I'm selfish in this view...
Sorry if I caused negative feelings (I know it was like I implied you're a hypocrite but that's me being mostly raw and straightforward, causes some issues sometimes, but the ones who can take it do appreciate it, usually; I hope so at least, lol, my best friend doesn't always like it and nowadays I can see why with certain things he told me - whatever), I hope I've cleared up most things. I would add more but better not tire you with more of my messy thoughts and paragraphs 😅
Mark Kenneth Villafuerte
Why are they so underrated? This guys can be as big as Muse or Radiohead. Amazing band.
Bammer Biff
They rate high in my book. People probably have an issue trying to put them into an organizational box. The album version is so much better with J. Mascis.
G Kitch
Still my favorite harmony arrangement from Mew. As a composer of 30 years, I'm always impressed with Mew's musical intelligence.
Gabrielle
I can't believe there aren't more views. This band is so underrated! <3
kennyplaysmusic
It's only because of the publish date of the video. As opposed to when the song was made.
Vicente Ramírez
Maybe the cause for so few views is indeed the publish date, but I Agree with TakeMeToTheWaters that this great band is seriously underrated.
Ikio Star
MEW? ...Eh, it's probably because people can't find it under all the Pokemon.
Jacob Harris
Gabrielle yes it is truly an incredible band that sadly most people are too dimwitted to appreciate
Austin
I don't actually think they are underrated. They just aren't very well known. Those who know Mew....LOVE Mew. Really I believe they are just far too much of actual artists for the mainstream to ever handle. And that's good. Just rest easy knowing you have a superior taste for artistry over your average peasant. I mean this sincerely.
weedameijer
There's no one with more original songs than Mew. Beautiful, beautiful Mew.