Acoustic five-piece playing bittersweet and beguiling folk-indie-pop songs about love, jealousy, apathy, imaginary friends, and pirates. Having released two albums to critical acclaim, the band announced on December 2, 2007 that after a short tour of Great Britain ending in February 20, 2008 in Scotland, the band would go on an 'indefinite hiatus' Singer-songwriter Nat Johnson is currently working on solo material and recently formed Nat Johnson and the Figureheads with former MSTU member Kevin Gori. Rob Dean has joined The Pete Green Corporate Juggernaut.
For more information, see the official MSTU site.
Still
Monkey Swallows the Universe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only tonight while it's still light enough to stay
Cos things all burn out and fade away
Losing time and you're losing patience with me
Forget the sun, it's going down slowly
And she'll burn out and fade away
But I'm the one who didn't try enough
This is the second after last time I will talk to you again
Cos it's all burnt out and now it fades away, it fades away
Only tonight will I be less than far away
Only tonight while it's still light enough to stay
Cos it's all burnt out and now it fades away, it fades away
The lyrics to Monkey Swallows the Universe's song Still are profound and powerful. The first two lines paint an image of distance and separation, where the singer is only able to be close to the subject of the song for a fleeting moment - "Only tonight will I be less than far away / Only tonight while it's still light enough to stay." The third line is a foreboding one, mentioning how things eventually "burn out and fade away."
The second verse brings up the theme of time slipping away - "Losing time and you're losing patience with me / Forget the sun, it's going down slowly / And she'll burn out and fade away." Time is portrayed as an enemy, as both the singer and the subject are running out of it. The third verse is the most emotional and personal, with the singer lamenting "A hundred times I sought you out / But I'm the one who didn't try enough / This is the second after last time I will talk to you again / Cos it's all burnt out and now it fades away, it fades away."
Overall, the lyrics of Still convey a sense of loss, missed opportunities, and the inevitability of everything eventually coming to an end. The use of imagery and metaphors help to paint a picture of what the singer is feeling and experiencing, making it a truly poignant song.
Line by Line Meaning
Only tonight will I be less than far away
Tonight is the only time I'll be physically close to you, but emotionally I'll still be distant.
Only tonight while it's still light enough to stay
Our fleeting moment of closeness is dependent on the remaining daylight hours.
Cos things all burn out and fade away
Everything eventually loses its spark and disappears.
Losing time and you're losing patience with me
Time is slipping away and it feels like you're running out of patience waiting for me.
Forget the sun, it's going down slowly
Don't worry about time passing slowly like the setting sun.
And she'll burn out and fade away
Everything has an expiry date and will eventually disappear.
A hundred times I sought you out
I've searched for you numerous times.
But I'm the one who didn't try enough
But I'm the one to blame for not trying hard enough.
This is the second after last time I will talk to you again
This is our last chance to talk, and I know it.
Cos it's all burnt out and now it fades away, it fades away
Our relationship has lost its spark and is fading away.
Contributed by Aiden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zhaid Al Fayad
Esta banda es genial, me encanta lo que hacen, son muy buenos.
QB Media
love this band
Frances Cook
beautiful voice
San Miguel TV
I can dig this
Hige
知ってから、ちょくちょく聴いています。
いい曲ですね。
Josh Senior
sheffield music till i die!!!
Ejolina
oohe! They have a new fan!
mufukucc
good for heart.
Asimore
Why is this song like 2 seconds long for me ? O.o
GrahamMSTU
We've just uploaded a proper working version of this. Doesn't seem to want to let me link straight to it, but click my username and you should be able to find it from there.