The band gained recognition in the United Kingdom and United States during 2006 and 2007 due to the success of their single "Young Folks", whilst staying virtually unknown in their homeland, Sweden.
Poor Cow
Peter Bjorn and John Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't need them anymore
The artifacts and all they lack
We don't need them anymore
I don't have the means, and so it seems
For now I can't participate
But I've waited long
I still can't participate
When we don't consume it seems we are immune
To all of the thoughts they sell
You know as well as I, that's a lie
'Cause I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
And when I die, the angels will try
To count all my belongings
To measure my worth, pure gold, solid dirt
To see if I'm worth keeping
But the house I rent and the car I drive
I'm sorry but they ain't mine
You know as well as I, that's no lie
'Cause I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
And it always ends, and it always ends
The song "Poor Cow" by Peter Bjorn and John is a commentary on consumerism and materialism in society. The opening lines, "When all is gone, and things go wrong, we don't need them anymore," suggest that material possessions and artifacts are temporary and not important in the long run. The chorus, "I want to spend, I want to spend, in a never-ending story, but it always ends," highlights the endless cycle of wanting and consuming, but ultimately feeling unfulfilled.
The second verse, "When we don't consume it seems we are immune, to all of the thoughts they sell," implies that society is constantly bombarded with messages to buy more, but when we resist this, we are able to see through the lies and realize that we don't need these things. The line "You know as well as I, that's a lie," reinforces this idea that consumerism is a false promise of happiness and fulfillment.
The final verse, "And when I die, the angels will try, to count all my belongings, to measure my worth, pure gold, solid dirt, to see if I'm worth keeping," suggests that society places too much value on material possessions, even in death. The final line "And it always ends, and it always ends" further emphasizes the idea that our constant desire for more will never lead to true fulfillment.
Overall, "Poor Cow" is a poignant commentary on the dangers of consumerism and materialism in society, and encourages us to focus on more meaningful aspects of life.
Line by Line Meaning
When all is gone, and things go wrong
When everything in life is ruined and nothing goes right.
We don't need them anymore
The things we once wanted and cared for are now not needed.
The artifacts and all they lack
The things that we thought held value actually lack importance.
I don't have the means, and so it seems
For now I can't participate
I do not have the resources to partake in what is being sold.
But I've waited long
Now the dollar's strong again
I still can't participate
Even though the economy has improved, I still cannot afford anything.
When we don't consume it seems we are immune
To all of the thoughts they sell
If we do not buy things, we become resistant to the ideas being sold.
You know as well as I, that's a lie
We both know that this idea is not true.
'Cause I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
I desire to continue buying things, but it always ends up coming to an end.
And when I die, the angels will try
To count all my belongings
To measure my worth, pure gold, solid dirt
To see if I'm worth keeping
When I die, my value will be measured by the possessions that I have.
But the house I rent and the car I drive
I'm sorry but they ain't mine
You know as well as I, that's no lie
Both the house I live in and the car I drive are not actually mine.
And it always ends, and it always ends
The cycle of buying things always comes to an end and repeats itself again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN ERIKSSON, PETER MOREN, BJ�RN YTTLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AtibaVV
one of my favorite albums of all time
@torabisu420
Just had the guitar intro ring out in my head. Took a couple minutes...but here I am! My gf hadn’t heard of this song from you guys before.
What a strange world we live in.
Kind of interesting how this song then, was a song of looking back and pondering. The forward as well...now here I am looking at stuff my mom kept from preschool-end of high school.
Fuck...just fuck.
@UseYourNameGeo
I hear this song repeat in my head on my 12hr shifts at work.
@faithgood58
Comes to mind sometimes...
@linda_musiker
I love this so much, thank you
@gustavorhchp
good
@rico94270
When all is gone, and things go wrong
We don't need them anymore
The artifacts and all they lack
We don't need them anymore
I don't have the means, and so it seems
For now I can't participate
But I've waited long
Now the dollar's strong again
I still can't participate
When we don't consume it seems we are immune
To all of the thoughts they sell
You know as well as I, that's a lie
'Cause I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
And when I die, the angels will try
To count all my belongings
To measure my worth, pure gold, solid dirt
To see if I'm worth keeping
But the house I rent and the car I drive
I'm sorry but they ain't mine
You know as well as I, that's no lie
'Cause I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
I want to spend, I want to spend
In a never-ending story, but it always ends
And it always ends, and it always ends
@NamelessNonameNoname
Moo
@delorianecameron5250
Lost to time.