Dirty Paws
Of Monsters And Men (Ost Уолтер Митти) Lyrics


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Jumping up and down the floor
My head is an animal
And once there was an animal
It had a son that mowed the lawn
The son was an OK guy
They had a pet dragonfly
The dragonfly it ran away
But it came back with a story to say

Her dirty paws and furry coat
She ran down the forest slope
The forest of talking trees
They used to sing about the birds and the bees
The bees had declared a war
The sky wasn't big enough for them all
The birds, they got help from below
From dirty paws and the creatures of snow

La la la
La la la la
La la la
La la la la

So for a while, things were cold
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines
But she and her furry friends
Took down the queen bee and her men
And that's how the story goes
The story of the beast with those four dirty paws

La la la
La la la la
La la la
La la la la

La la la
La la la la




La la la
La la la la

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Of Monsters and Men's "Dirty Paws" tell the story of a fantastical world where animals can talk and interact with each other. The singer of the tale is an animal whose head is described as "an animal" - a play on words that suggests that the animal's thoughts and instincts are primal, wild, and brimming with energy. The animal has a son who is an "OK guy" - not particularly outstanding, but not bad either. The family also owns a pet dragonfly who one day runs away, but comes back with a story to tell.


The dragonfly's story sets off a chain of events that sees the singer and his furry friends taking down a queen bee and her men. The story is set against the backdrop of a "forest of talking trees" who used to sing about the birds and the bees. However, things take a turn for the worse when the bees declare war and the birds need help from below - from "dirty paws and the creatures of snow." The forest is plunged into darkness with the "killing machines" of the queen bee and her men coloring it black, but thanks to the actions of the singers, the story ends happily, with the bees defeated, and the forest returned to its former glory.


"Dirty Paws" is a metaphorical story with hidden meanings and allusions to issues such as war, political power struggles, and environmental degradation. The lyrics show that even the smallest creatures can make a difference in a world of chaos, and that together, anything is possible.


Line by Line Meaning

Jumping up and down the floor
I am dancing energetically, bouncing up and down on the floor


My head is an animal
I am feeling wild and untamed, like an animal


And once there was an animal
Once there was a creature, a being that roamed freely


It had a son that mowed the lawn
The creature had a child that performed a mundane task


The son was an OK guy
The child was a decent person


They had a pet dragonfly
The family owned a dragonfly as a pet


The dragonfly it ran away
The dragonfly escaped and fled


But it came back with a story to say
The dragonfly returned with a tale to tell


Her dirty paws and furry coat
The character in the story is a wild animal with unkempt paws and fur


She ran down the forest slope
The wild animal ran down a slope in the forest


The forest of talking trees
The forest contained trees that spoke or communicated in some manner


They used to sing about the birds and the bees
The talking trees sang about the natural world and its creatures


The bees had declared a war
The bees were at war, possibly with another group of creatures in the forest


The sky wasn't big enough for them all
The bees and their enemies were taking up too much space in the sky


The birds, they got help from below
The birds received aid or assistance from another group


From dirty paws and the creatures of snow
The animal with dirty paws and a group of snow creatures provided aid to the birds


So for a while things were cold
For a time, the situation was tense or inhospitable


They were scared down in their holes
The creatures were frightened and hiding in their burrows or lairs


The forest that once was green
The forest, which was once alive and thriving, is now affected by the conflict


Was colored black by those killing machines
The forest was damaged or destroyed by machines of war or destruction


But she and her furry friends
The wild animal and its companions


Took down the queen bee and her men
The group defeated the leader of the bees and its followers


And that's how the story goes
And that is what happened in the story


The story of the beast with those four dirty paws
The tale is about a wild animal with unkempt paws




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Arni Gudjonsson, Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir, Ragnar Thorhallsson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@disenartcoltamayo9493

Jumping up and down the floor
My head is an animal
And once there was an animal
It had a son that mowed the lawn

The son was an OK guy
They had a pet dragonfly
The dragonfly it ran away
But it came back with a story to say

Her dirty paws and furry coat
She ran down the forest slope
The forest of talking trees
They used to sing about the birds and the bees

The bees had declared a war
The sky wasn't big enough for them all
The birds, they got help from below
From dirty paws and the creatures of snow

La la la
La la la la
La la la
La la la la

So for a while, things were cold
They were scared down in their holes
The forest that once was green
Was colored black by those killing machines

But she and her furry friends
Took down the queen bee and her men
And that's how the story goes
The story of the beast with those four dirty paws

La la la
La la la la
La la la
La la la la
La la la
La la la la
La la la
La la la la



@skylala

For anyone wondering:
The song is about WW2.
Germany was the bees
France and Britain were the birds
Americans as dirty paws
Russia as creatures of the snow
"The forest" is Europe
"The holes" are the trenches
"The killing machines" are the newly introduced artillery and turrets
The U.S. was called 'dirty paws' because of the presence in most international wars
And "The four dirty paws" are the wars that were 'popularly' fought - Revolutionary, Civil, WW1, and WW2.

Edit: I should have probably mentioned that this was my take on it, also this was like 5 years ago and I was kinda dumb back then. Still kinda am LMAO



All comments from YouTube:

@confused_rabbit09

My older brother played this on repeat at night when we were going from Tennessee to Pennsylvania. We went every other day to see my grandpa in the hospital. Now every time I hear it it reminds me of peaceful nights in a crowded car, driving down a quiet highway as the sun either went down or started to come up. Thee only two people awake were me and my brother. He was always driving so he never realized I was awake.
(somehow I had no notifications that I got likes and replies on this and when I looked back at this comment and saw them I got really happy)

@gavinabney4023

Hold onto memories like that

@tmtmbrn

I’ve read many YouTube comments in my life. That being said, I read this comment one week ago and was still thinking about it and came back to reread it. As I said, I’ve read many comments, none ever making me actually tear up, until I read this comment. It wasn’t the part about your grandfather, it was the part about being with your brother and him not realizing it. Thinking that you were alone in a moment, but low and behold, you weren’t, particularly driving down a highway during the two most dramatic moments of the day (sunrise/sunset). I wanted to let you know that a person that you never met and never will found profound beauty in that statement that. I’ve driven many sunrises and sunsets on the freeway alone and had a deep feeling of appreciation for life come over me, but just like your brother thought he was alone and actually wasn’t maybe I wasn’t alone either and that unexplainable sense of appreciation that snuck up on me was something more than can ever be explained with simple words from simple beings.

@rojiroco

@@tmtmbrn Thank you for this comment.

@Julia-sp2kt

tmtmbrn beautiful comment

@confused_rabbit09

tmtmbrn I’ve never had someone reply to one of my comments like that and it makes me so happy you thought that . Whenever your driving down the highway again think of all the other people sitting alone in their cars maybe miles ahead or miles behind , but you’re both on the same highway at the same time so your never truly alone

66 More Replies...

@xstrawberrykitkatx

I'm obsessed with songs that:
1. tell stories
2. tells that story in a way that has to be interpreted

@jjm8274

Ikr I really like songs that tell stories

@exodusuno6687

same i love them glad im not the only one

@RyoPotter

The Devil Went Down to Georgia...

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