After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope, which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23 on the Billboard 200.
Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
Reading Time With Pickle
Regina Spektor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stop at the supermarket
The condiment aisle
A jar of pickles catches the eye
Made eye contact with a solitary pickle
But the jar took it home
Then made up the stairs
And made it through the doorway
Tried to head in the general direction of the bathroom
The truest room in the whole damn hous
saying love is the answer to a question that I
Have forgotten
And I know I've been asked
So the answer's got to be love
so feeding time with TV
Then sleeping time not sleepy so reading time with pickle
But where the bedside lamp had been
Is now emanating soft soft green
Has it always been this way?
Is it possible that all this magic went unnoticed?
maybe now things will start to change,
And life will turn a better page
No more rage.
saying love is the answer to a question that I
Have forgotten
But I know I've been asked
And the answer's got to be love
Love
Tomorrow back to work again
But run to the supermarket
Running hopeful through the aisles
Haven't been this happy in a long time
But not a single jar will smile
After hours
Man pickle jars are just pickle jars
And pickles are just pickles
Ingredients: water, salt, cucumbers, garlic, and pickling spices
But love is the answer to a question that I
Have forgotten
And I know I've been asked
And the answer's got to be love
Love is the answer to a question that I
Have forgotten
And I know I've been asked
And the answer's got to be love
And the answer's got to be love
And the answer's got to be love
And the answer's got to be love
The lyrics of Regina Spektor's song "Reading Time With Pickle" revolve around a mundane event of buying pickles from the supermarket and the joy it brings to the singer's life. The lyrics describe how she makes eye contact with a solitary pickle in the condiment aisle, and though she takes the jar home, it is the pickle that catches her attention. The song then depicts her routine of feeding time with TV, sleeping time, and reading time with pickle. However, the setting changes during "reading time with pickle" when the singer discovers the presence of soft green light that emanates from the space occupied by the bedside lamp. The lyrics end with the realization that while life might seem mundane and ordinary, love is the answer to the question that she has forgotten but knows she has been asked.
The song seems to be about finding happiness in small things in our lives that we often overlook. The pickle signifies that something un-noteworthy can bring immense joy and happiness in life. The solitary pickle represents the possibility of finding happiness in isolation, and the soft green light signifies the presence of magic in everyday life that we often fail to notice. The song emphasizes that the answer to the question that we have forgotten but know we have been asked is always love. The song portrays a message of hope, change, and love in our daily routine of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking home from work
The singer is leaving work and walking home.
Stop at the supermarket
The singer has decided to stop at the supermarket on their way home.
The condiment aisle
The singer has arrived in the aisle of the supermarket that holds condiments.
A jar of pickles catches the eye
The artist sees a jar of pickles and is drawn towards it.
Made eye contact with a solitary pickle
The artist looks at one specific pickle in the jar.
But the jar took it home
The singer purchases the jar of pickles and takes it home.
Then made up the stairs
The singer climbs up the stairs in their home.
And made it through the doorway
The artist enters a room through a doorway.
And waded through the floor
The artist crosses the room and possibly reflects on how it feels like they're walking through the floor.
Tried to head in the general direction of the bathroom
The artist is trying to find their way to the bathroom.
The truest room in the whole damn house
The singer considers the bathroom to be the most genuine room in their home.
saying love is the answer to a question that I
Have forgotten
And I know I've been asked
So the answer's got to be love
The artist believes that the answer to a lost question is love.
so feeding time with TV
The singer watches TV while eating.
Then sleeping time not sleepy so reading time with pickle
The singer reads and eats pickles because they're not ready for sleep yet.
But where the bedside lamp had been
Is now emanating soft soft green
Has it always been this way?
Is it possible that all this magic went unnoticed?
The singer notices the green light given off by an object, but wonders if it was always there and they just never noticed it before.
maybe now things will start to change,
And life will turn a better page
No more rage.
The artist is hopeful that things will improve and they will no longer be angry.
Tomorrow back to work again
But run to the supermarket
Running hopeful through the aisles
Haven't been this happy in a long time
But not a single jar will smile
The artist is going back to work but is excited to go to the supermarket. They are happy, but aware that the jars of pickles won't actually smile at them.
After hours
Man pickle jars are just pickle jars
And pickles are just pickles
Ingredients: water, salt, cucumbers, garlic, and pickling spices
The singer reflects that after a while, the novelty of pickles wears off and they become just another ordinary item with a list of basic ingredients.
But love is the answer to a question that I
Have forgotten
And I know I've been asked
And the answer's got to be love
Love is the answer to a question that I
Have forgotten
And I know I've been asked
And the answer's got to be love
And the answer's got to be love
And the answer's got to be love
The singer repeats that love is the answer to a forgotten question that they know they have been asked. They emphasize that the answer is love.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: REGINA SPEKTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juliana Benetti
Voltando para casa do trabalho
Walking home from work
Pare no supermercado
Stop at the supermarket
O corredor do condimento
The condiment aisle
Um pote de picles chama a atenção
A jar of pickles catches the eye
Fez contato visual com um picles solitário
Made eye contact with a solitary pickle
Mas o frasco levou para casa
But the jar took it home
Então fez as escadas
Then made up the stairs
E conseguiu passar pela porta
And made it through the doorway
E andou pelo chão
And waded through the floor
Tentou ir na direção geral do banheiro
Tried to head in the general direction of the bathroom
O quarto mais verdadeiro de toda a maldita casa
The truest room in the whole damn hous
dizer amor é a resposta para uma pergunta que eu
saying love is the answer to a question that I
Esqueceu
Have forgotten
E eu sei que me perguntaram
And I know I've been asked
Então a resposta tem que ser amor
So the answer's got to be love
tempo de alimentação com TV
so feeding time with TV
Então o tempo de sono não está com sono, então leia o tempo com picles
Then sleeping time not sleepy so reading time with pickle
Mas onde a lâmpada de cabeceira estava
But where the bedside lamp had been
Agora emana verde suave e macio
Is now emanating soft soft green
Tem sempre sido desse jeito?
Has it always been this way?
É possível que toda essa mágica tenha passado despercebida?
Is it possible that all this magic went unnoticed?
talvez agora as coisas vão começar a mudar,
maybe now things will start to change,
E a vida vai virar uma página melhor
And life will turn a better page
Chega de raiva.
No more rage.
dizer amor é a resposta para uma pergunta que eu
saying love is the answer to a question that I
Esqueceu
Have forgotten
Mas eu sei que me perguntaram
But I know I've been asked
E a resposta tem que ser amor
And the answer's got to be love
Ame
Love
Amanhã de volta ao trabalho
Tomorrow back to work again
Mas corra para o supermercado
But run to the supermarket
Correndo esperançoso pelos corredores
Running hopeful through the aisles
Não são tão felizes há muito tempo
Haven't been this happy in a long time
Mas nem um único frasco sorri
But not a single jar will smile
Depois de horas
After hours
Os frascos de pickle do homem são apenas frascos de pickle
Man pickle jars are just pickle jars
E picles são apenas picles
And pickles are just pickles
Ingredientes: água, sal, pepino, alho e especiarias em conserva
Ingredients: water, salt, cucumbers, garlic, and pickling spices
Mas o amor é a resposta para uma pergunta que eu
But love is the answer to a question that I
Esqueceu
Have forgotten
E eu sei que me perguntaram
And I know I've been asked
E a resposta tem que ser amor
And the answer's got to be love
O amor é a resposta para uma pergunta que eu
Love is the answer to a question that I
Esqueceu
Have forgotten
E eu sei que me perguntaram
And I know I've been asked
E a resposta tem que ser amor
And the answer's got to be love
E a resposta tem que ser amor
And the answer's got to be love
E a resposta tem que ser amor
And the answer's got to be love
E a resposta tem que ser amor
And the answer's got to be love
Pandamonium
"Has it always been this way? Is it possible all this magic went unnoticed?" I love that lyric. It's like talking about finding poetry in simple things like pickles.
Yassine Barhoumi
still after 11 years !!
Fernanda Amira Palacios
@Olivia Garden what the heck, no
Austin Ivey
@Fernanda Amira Palacios mhm
Austin Ivey
@Fernanda Amira Palacios it is, among other things
Ashleigh Johnson
“Love is the answer, to a question that I have forgotten, but I know I’ve been asked. And the answer’s got to be love.”
So many good lines in this song.
Sabrina
this is one of my favorite songs by her and i'm not even sure why myself. it's just so — perfect.
klachopis
Sabrina A SO perfect.
Edandush
This is so beautiful, and I don't even know why. One of Regina's best (and underrated) songs.
Patricia Lovell
i love listening to this song as loud as i can while eating an entire jar of pickles which is exactly what im doing rn ^_^