Idea
Mike Gordon Lyrics
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I pass beside you and my mind comes alive
Gotta find a way to the person inside
Skip my turn, follow you to the city
I scale the walls of a high rise to the sky
And see you yelling and I don't know why
Behind a pile of impending doom
It must have been a bad idea
Better stop stacking it up
I don't know why I got so lost
And how long, I've been gone
You're meeting with an old tycoon in a conference table
Another sketch of a higher tower is drawn
And your voice is becoming my favorite song
As the nights of reason stand on the way of clinging
I step out and plead until they take me away
But another idea begins to inflame
On chairs stacked up to your room
I serenade you with a thought balloon
It says it must have been a bad idea
To start stacking it up
I don't know why I got so lost
And how long, I've been gone
Melt an ancient town from rocks and bones
On sand they find your glassy tower sheets
Waves crash up and the spiders beam
From the top of the world we scope out what we know
But sandy land out there makes you feel all alone
When the odd static gets me, I walk up slow
Piece by piece you break your own down
And as it tumbles to the ground
I say it must have been a bad idea
To keep stacking it up
I don't know why I got so lost
And how long
It must have been a mad idea
To start stacking it up
Must have been a bad idea
To start stacking it up
The lyrics to Mike Gordon's song "Idea" tell a story of a person who feels lost and disconnected from themselves, but is determined to find their way back. They see someone they know and follow them to a city where they witness them attending a meeting with an old tycoon to discuss the construction of a higher tower. The character sings about feeling overwhelmed and lost, finding refuge in an empty room, and questioning their ideas and motivations. They try to reach out to the person they're following, serenading them with a "thought balloon" but ultimately watch as their glassy tower crumbles and falls. The lyrics suggest a theme of disillusionment with the endless race of stacking ideas and reaching for greater heights without first finding a connection with oneself.
One possible interpretation of the song is that the person the character is following represents a symbol of success or achievement, and the skyscraper they are involved in constructing represents a materialistic, ego-driven pursuit of status and power. The character is drawn toward this goal but is ultimately disillusioned by it and begins to question their own motivations and the endless cycle of "stacking it up." The empty room could represent a space for self-reflection, where the character is faced with the impending doom of losing themselves entirely to their ideas and ambitions. Throughout the song, there is a sense of longing and confusion, and a desire to find a way back to oneself amidst the chaos of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Sliding down that final stretch of highway
The singer is driving down a road and nearing the end of their journey.
I pass beside you and my mind comes alive
The singer sees someone nearby and becomes more aware and alert.
Gotta find a way to the person inside
The singer wants to get to know the person on a deeper level.
Skip my turn, follow you to the city
The artist decides to follow the person they just saw instead of taking their intended route.
I scale the walls of a high rise to the sky
The artist climbs up a tall building to get a better view.
And see you yelling and I don't know why
The singer observes the person they're following yelling and doesn't understand what's going on.
I'm hiding in that empty room
The singer is hiding in an empty room in the building.
Behind a pile of impending doom
The artist is hiding behind something that feels ominous or threatening.
It must have been a bad idea
The artist reflects on their actions and realizes they made a mistake.
Better stop stacking it up
The artist knows they need to stop making the same mistake repeatedly.
You're meeting with an old tycoon in a conference table
The person the singer is following is having a meeting with a wealthy and powerful person at a conference table.
Another sketch of a higher tower is drawn
The group is planning to build another taller tower than the one they already have.
And your voice is becoming my favorite song
The singer is enamored with the person's voice and enjoys listening to them speak.
As the nights of reason stand on the way of clinging
The singer is struggling to hold onto their reasoning as their emotions take over.
I step out and plead until they take me away
The singer steps out of hiding and pleads with the group until they are taken away (presumably in a negative manner).
But another idea begins to inflame
The artist starts to become obsessed with a new idea.
On chairs stacked up to your room
The artist climbs up chairs to reach the person's room.
I serenade you with a thought balloon
The singer tries to win the person over with a metaphorical thought balloon, sharing their ideas and thoughts.
Melt an ancient town from rocks and bones
The singer imagines destroying an ancient town made of stone and bone.
On sand they find your glassy tower sheets
The group is using glassy tower sheets found on the sand in their plans.
Waves crash up and the spiders beam
The waves crash and spiders reflect light, creating a surreal atmosphere.
From the top of the world we scope out what we know
The artist and the group survey their surroundings from the top of a tall building.
But sandy land out there makes you feel all alone
The vast expanse of sand outside of the building feels isolating to the singer.
When the odd static gets me, I walk up slow
When the artist feels uneasy, they move slowly and cautiously.
Piece by piece you break your own down
The group is dismantling their own plans and ideas.
And as it tumbles to the ground
Their plans and ideas are falling apart and failing.
I say it must have been a bad idea
The singer reflects on the failure of the group's plans and realizes they were a mistake.
To keep stacking it up
Continuing to pursue the same failing plan would be a mistake.
Must have been a bad idea
The artist reiterates that the group's plans were a mistake.
To start stacking it up
The decision to pursue the plan in the first place was a mistake.
Contributed by Adeline Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.