Heart of Darkness
Proto Ubu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or maybe things just look differently
Maybe I'm nothing but a shadow on the wall
Maybe love's a tomb where you dance at night
Maybe sanctuary is an electric light
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
And everything I see seems so underhanded
I don't see anything that I want,
Image, object and illusion
Go down to the corner
Where none of the faces fit a human form,
Where nothing I see there isn't deformed,
Where in a secret lab works a Doctor Moreau,
And no private eye's gotta tell me it's a long goodbye
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
And everything I see seems so underhanded
I don't see anything that I want,
And I don't see anything that I want
Looking into the heart of darkness
, this song from the post-punk band, Pere Ubu, explores themes of alienation, disillusionment, and the search for meaning amidst a world that appears increasingly distorted, confusing, and chaotic. The opening lines of the song, "Maybe you see further than I can see, or maybe things just look differently," suggest a sense of disorientation and uncertainty about one's position in the world. This is reinforced in the next set of lines where the singer describes himself as nothing but a shadow on the wall.
As the song progresses, the sense of disorientation becomes even more pronounced, as the singer describes an eerie, surreal world where everything seems to be deformed and underhanded. References to a secret lab and Doctor Moreau add to the sense of unease and foreboding, while the repeated refrain "I don't see anything that I want" speaks to a sense of disillusionment and despair.
The repeated references to "the heart of darkness" suggest that the song is drawing on Joseph Conrad's famous novel of the same name. Like Conrad's protagonist, who journeyed into the Congo in search of ivory, the singer of the song is searching for something he cannot name amidst a world that seems to have lost its way.
Overall, Heart of Darkness is a powerful and haunting song that captures the sense of disorientation and disillusionment that many people feel in the face of an increasingly chaotic and uncertain world.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe you see further than I can see,
Perhaps your perspective is wider than mine, possibly you have an understanding that surpasses mine.
Or maybe things just look differently
Alternatively, it may be that you and I simply view events from different angles.
Maybe I'm nothing but a shadow on the wall
It's likely that I am nothing more than a mere reflection, a black figure imprinted on the surface of this room.
Maybe love's a tomb where you dance at night
Love is possibly a crypt, decorated with earthly delights, where you perform your nocturnal enthralling moves.
Maybe sanctuary is an electric light
Perhaps true refuge can be found in the comfort of an artificial luminosity.
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
Exhaustion engulfs me to such an extent that I feel like a different person, one who is tormented and beleaguered.
And everything I see seems so underhanded
Every aspect that I bear witness to appears to be deceitful, fraudulent and conniving.
I don't see anything that I want,
I am unable to discover anything of value that I desire.
And I don't see anything that I want
I have no sight of any possessions that I hanker for.
Image, object and illusion
Visual representations, material items, and delusions.
Go down to the corner
Go to the street corner.
Where none of the faces fit a human form,
A location where the countenances of individuals fail to resemble that of humans.
Where nothing I see there isn't deformed,
A situation where nothing I perceive appears non-distorted or undamaged.
Where in a secret lab works a Doctor Moreau,
In a clandestine laboratory, a practitioner named Doctor Moreau labors.
And no private eye's gotta tell me it's a long goodbye
I do not require the services of an investigator to comprehend that this farewell will endure for a prolonged period.
I get so tired it's like I'm another man,
I get so exhausted that it feels like I transform into an entirely different individual.
And everything I see seems so underhanded
My perception of everything appears to be deceitful, fraudulent, and insidious.
I don't see anything that I want,
I am unable to detect anything that I have a strong desire for.
And I don't see anything that I want
Again, I don't see anything that I am yearning for.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID THOMAS, PETER LAUGHNER, SCOTT KRAUS, TIM WRIGHT, TOM HERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
james goaway
The girls won't touch me
'Cause I've got a misdirection
Living at night isn't helping my complexion
The signs all saying it's a social infection
A little bit of fun's never been an insurrection
Mamma threw me out till I get some pants that fit
She just won't approve of my strange kind of wit
I get so excited, always gotta lose
Man that send me off
Let them take the cure
Don't need a cure
Need a final solution
Buy me a ticket to a sonic reduction
Guitars gonna sound like a nuclear destruction
Seems I'm a victim of natural selection
Meet me on the other side, another direction
Don't need a cure
Need a final solution
The Gryphons Treasure
This guitar solo is one of the most amazing I’ve heard. Rhythm track is absolutely astonishing. Vocal performance is hilarious, scintillating. Altogether, unbelievable rock song!
Carmela Albanese
Guitar solo trying to explain what's wrong.. getting more an more worked up.. and then completely falling to pieces.. lead vocal elbows him out of the way and screams "Solution!" .. brilliant..
Fizz S
I heard this on the John Peel Show in 1976 and I had never heard anything like it. I still haven't. It's a breathtaking piece of music.
alemmingsdeath
I saw Pere Ubu open for Pixies in '91 and they played this song. Amazing!!
UndergroundHero
The drums and bass are fantastic in this song. Driving rhythm force!
Zachery Allan Starkey
Pere Ubu makes me proud to be from Ohio. I grew up in Columbus, and before I moved to NYC I used to perform in Cleveland all the time (it still has a great music scene). We used to playa t the Pirates Cove and I always felt honored, playing the same stage that Pere Ubu had.
Tim Kelly
Me too
jackal59
"The girls won't touch me 'cause I've got a misdirection" is right up there with "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine" as one of the greatest opening lines in rock and roll history.
Chris Richards
Yes. Gargamel and Azrael like girls. Like either way but accepting Christian death songs and listening to this dogshit I'd the reason the west coast does nigga heroin. Please tell me this band didn't move to Seattle and know the shape of the parasite in shivers and the geoduck clam?
Johnny BushHogg
@Chris Richards dude you should most definitely join that church that's all into drinking bleach (I even think they use bleach enemas) because you's most def need some help. Probably start with the concentrated stuff🤔🤘