Joking Aside
Pulp Lyrics

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I hate to complain, you know, but then again
I cannot pretend nothing's wrong
Looking at my present situation, the act cannot last for long
Viewed from outside these pursuits I might try
Seem possessed of a certain allure
Now they're no longer a source of mystery my faith in them's more unsure

Now the time to play is over

Time to dispose of the lies
Time to show what's really
On my mind
Yes I'd like to turn you over
To see what's on your other side
To see if the problem's
In my mind
In my mind

The choice is quite clear, to move on or stay here
Decision is harder to take
Reject what I have for something unstable could easily be a mistake
So I walk round the place with a smile on my face
Pretending the best that I can
Hoping to lose the inclination to desire what I can't understand

And the time to play is over
Time to dispose of the lies
Time to show what's really
On my mind
Yes I'd like to turn you over
To see what's on your other side
To see if the problem's
In my mind
In my mind
La la la la la
La la la la la

Now the time to play is over
Time to dispose of the lies
Time to show what's really
On my mind
Yes I'd like to turn you over
To see what's on your other side
Like to turn it over
In my mind
In my mind
In my mind

In my mind
In my mind.

Overall Meaning

The song "Joking Aside" by Pulp explores the singer's feelings of dissatisfaction and uncertainty in their current pursuits. The singer acknowledges that from an outside perspective, their pursuits might seem alluring, but they are no longer mysteries and the singer's faith in them is dwindling. The time for playing pretend is over and it is time to dispose of the lies and show what is truly on their mind.

The singer is faced with a difficult decision of whether to move on from their current situation or stay and possibly make a mistake by rejecting what they already have for something unstable. They continue to put on a façade, pretending to be happy and hoping to lose their desire for what they cannot understand. The repeated lyric "time to dispose of the lies" emphasizes the need to be truthful with oneself and others.

Overall, the song seems to be about the internal struggle of discontentment and the difficulty in making decisions that could potentially lead to even more unhappiness. The repeated phrase "in my mind" shows that the singer's turmoil is internal and not easily solved.

Line by Line Meaning

I hate to complain, you know, but then again
Although I don't like to sound like a complainer, there's something wrong that can't be ignored.

I cannot pretend nothing's wrong
It's impossible to ignore that there's an issue.

Looking at my present situation, the act cannot last for long
The current situation can't continue the way it is, changes need to be made.

Viewed from outside these pursuits I might try
From an external perspective, the things I pursue may seem attractive.

Seem possessed of a certain allure
They have a certain charm.

Now they're no longer a source of mystery my faith in them's more unsure
Now that I understand more about these pursuits, I am less sure of their value.

The choice is quite clear, to move on or stay here
The decision is straightforward, stay or leave.

Decision is harder to take
Despite the clear choice, the decision is still difficult to make.

Reject what I have for something unstable could easily be a mistake
Rejecting what I currently have for something unpredictable could lead to regrettable consequences.

So I walk round the place with a smile on my face
I try to maintain positivity even though I'm uncertain about what to do.

Pretending the best that I can
Putting on a facade of happiness as best as possible.

Hoping to lose the inclination to desire what I can't understand
Trying to get over the desire to pursue things that are hard to comprehend.

Now the time to play is over
It's not a time for games anymore.

Time to dispose of the lies
It's time to move on from the deceit.

Time to show what's really
It's time to reveal the truth about how I feel.

Yes I'd like to turn you over
I'd like to see the other side of things.

To see what's on your other side
To see what's behind the facade.

To see if the problem's
To see if there's something I'm missing.

In my mind
It's all in my head.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JARVIS COCKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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