Bitter Taste of Life
My Little Cheap Dictaphone Lyrics

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Lonely puzzle incomplete
Reversing up and down a dead end street
Struggling to find a gear
That'll help you get away from here
Waking up, you don't know why
You even bothered opening your eyes
Feeling strange, it's strange to feel
There's no such thing as possibility

Do you think you can forgive
Or just forget about this way to live?
Pass the workers, pass the hive
Honey sweet, it's the bitter taste of life

Lonely puzzle missing piece
Gave me copper for my golden fleece
Isn't it a lovely trip
Need a hand to loosen up my grip
Hold it tight and hold it fast
Can't be paper, scissors and the past
Feeling strange, it's strange to feel
No such thing as possibility

Do you think you can forgive
Or just forget about this way to live?
Pass the workers, pass the hive
Honey sweet, it's the bitter taste of life

The bitter taste of life
A life that's passing by
The bitter taste of life

Lonely puzzle, final part
No closer to the end than to the start
Planets waltzing out of time
We might as well just enjoy the ride
Gliding like a bird of prey
Over the valley where ambition lays
Feeling strange, it's strange to feel
The infinite possibilities

Do you think you can forgive
Or just forget about this way to live?
Pass the workers, pass the hive
Honey sweet, it's the bitter taste of life

The bitter taste of life

A life that's passing by
The bitter taste of life

Overall Meaning

The song "Bitter Taste of Life" by My Little Cheap Dictaphone highlights the feeling of loneliness and despair despite being surrounded by people. The first stanza emphasizes the feeling of being stuck and struggling to find a way out of the current situation. The persona wakes up feeling strange and hopeless because they do not see any possibility for change. The second stanza is an expression of how life is unpredictable, and sometimes one loses things they value or deserve. The persona is holding on tightly to everything, including the past, and feels trapped.

The chorus questions whether the persona can forgive or forget about the way they are living. They walk past workers, and everything seems honey-sweet, but life remains bitter. The bridge suggests that life is like a puzzle, with missing pieces and no closer to the end than to the start. The persona feels that life is out of control, with planets waltzing out of time, but suggests that they might as well enjoy the ride. They feel strange because they finally see that there is an infinite possibility, implying that negative thinking or feeling trapped blinds one to opportunities.

Line by Line Meaning

Lonely puzzle incomplete
Feeling alone, with the pieces of your life scattered and unconnected.

Reversing up and down a dead end street
Stuck in a cycle of unfulfilling actions, unable to break free.

Struggling to find a gear
Feeling stuck and unable to move forward in life.

That'll help you get away from here
Needing something to help you escape the monotony and limitations of your current situation.

Waking up, you don't know why
Feeling lost and uncertain about your continued existence.

You even bothered opening your eyes
Questioning the value of waking up to another day.

Feeling strange, it's strange to feel
Experiencing a sense of disconnection, like everything is unfamiliar or odd.

There's no such thing as possibility
Feeling like there are no options or positive outcomes available in life.

Do you think you can forgive
Asking if it's possible to let go of past hurts and move forward.

Or just forget about this way to live?
Wondering if it's better to try to move on from the current struggles, or to accept them as permanent.

Pass the workers, pass the hive
Passing by others who are also living monotonous lives, like drones in a bee colony.

Honey sweet, it's the bitter taste of life
Acknowledging that there is some pleasure in life, but that it is often not enough to balance out the pain and struggle.

Lonely puzzle missing piece
Still feeling incomplete and disconnected, despite efforts to find belonging and purpose.

Gave me copper for my golden fleece
Feeling undervalued and cheated, like you gave something precious and only received something worthless in return.

Isn't it a lovely trip
Sarcastically commenting on the absurdity and bleakness of life.

Need a hand to loosen up my grip
Desiring help and support to let go of negative patterns and move forward in life.

Hold it tight and hold it fast
Clutching onto things that are familiar and comfortable, even if they are harmful or limiting.

Can't be paper, scissors and the past
Recognizing that relying on past patterns and actions is not enough to move forward in a meaningful way.

No such thing as possibility
Feeling like there are no good options or outcomes in life.

The bitter taste of life
The overall sense of dissatisfaction and negativity that comes with living.

A life that's passing by
Feeling like time is slipping away, and that life is not being lived meaningfully.

Lonely puzzle, final part
Still feeling incomplete and disconnected, but at the end of one's life.

No closer to the end than to the start
Feeling like life has not advanced or improved in any meaningful way over time.

Planets waltzing out of time
Feeling like the world is not in synch, and that patterns are not aligning properly.

We might as well just enjoy the ride
Suggesting that despite the struggle and bitterness of life, it's still important to try to enjoy the experience while you can.

Gliding like a bird of prey
Feeling powerful and in control, soaring above the everyday struggles of life.

Over the valley where ambition lays
Looking down on the things you once cared about or valued, realizing that they are not as important as you once believed.

The infinite possibilities
Recognizing that despite the bitterness and struggle of life, there are still options and opportunities available to those who seek them out.

Writer(s): Emmanuel Delcourt

Contributed by Zachary S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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