La La La
Sam Smith Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na

Hush, don't speak
When you spit your venom, keep it shut I hate it
When you hiss and preach
About your new messiah 'cause your theories catch fire
I can't find your silver lining
I don't mean to judge
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Enough is enough

I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na

If our love is running out of time
I won't count the hours, rather be a coward
When our worlds collide
I'm gonna drown you out before I lose my mind

I can't find your silver lining
I don't mean to judge
But when you read your speech, it's tiring
Enough is enough

I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, oh
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
I find a way to block it, I go
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na

I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go

I'm covering my ears like a kid
When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
I'm turning up the volume when you speak
'Cause if my heart can't stop it
I find a way to block it, I go
La la, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na




La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na

Overall Meaning

The song "La La La" by Sam Smith is about blocking out negativity and toxicity from people or relationships that are draining and tiring. The repetition of "la la la" throughout the song emphasizes the desire to tune out and ignore the negativity to protect oneself. The lyrics express the frustration of dealing with someone who constantly speaks negative or hurtful things and the exhaustion that comes with it. The line "I can't find your silver lining, I don't mean to judge, but when you read your speech, it's tiring, enough is enough" highlights the frustration at constantly being bombarded with someone else's negativity without being able to see a positive side or way out.


The chorus of the song emphasizes the desire to block out and ignore the negativity: "I'm covering my ears like a kid, when your words mean nothing, I go la la la, I'm turning up the volume when you speak, 'cause if my heart can't stop it, I find a way to block it." The singer is taking control of the situation by blocking out the negativity and not allowing it to affect them anymore.


Overall, the song "La La La" is an anthem for those who have had enough of toxicity and negativity in their lives and are choosing to take control and protect their mental health by blocking it out.


Line by Line Meaning

La la, la la la la la na na na na na
The song starts with a simple tune that emphasizes the forgetfulness of problems at hand.


Hush, don't speak
The singer objects to the negativity in the speech.


When you spit your venom, keep it shut I hate it
The singer wants nothing to do with negativity and advises to be quiet when voicing such opinions.


When you hiss and preach
The singer denounces the tone of negativity that is often preached by people.


About your new messiah 'cause your theories catch fire
The singer mentions the danger of such negative and dogmatic theories, which would lead to the creation of a messiah without real merit.


I can't find your silver lining
The singer fails to find any bright or hopeful inspiration from such a negative mindset.


I don't mean to judge
The singer expresses no intention of attacking any individual personally.


But when you read your speech, it's tiring
The singer is bored with and tiresome of constant negativity being spouted.


Enough is enough
The singer has had enough negativity and desires to forget it.


I'm covering my ears like a kid
The singer is visualizing the act of blocking out negativity by covering their ears, as a child would.


When your words mean nothing, I go la la la
The singer no longer wants to hear such negative words and prefers to forget them and block them out.


I'm turning up the volume when you speak
The singer decides to take control and focus attention elsewhere by exercising their power of choice.


'Cause if my heart can't stop it
The singer acknowledges the negative effects of such speech and therefore wants to protect themselves.


I find a way to block it, I go
The singer decides to overlook negativity and focus on positivity instead.


If our love is running out of time
The singer gives an example of a difficult, potentially negative situation.


I won't count the hours, rather be a coward
The singer decides it is better to forget negativity and move on, rather than wasting time trying to fix it.


When our worlds collide
The singer expresses the understanding that sometimes differences collide and become negative.


I'm gonna drown you out before I lose my mind
The singer decides to stop such negativity before it affects them negatively.


La la na na, la la la la la na na na na na
The singer repeats the tune from the beginning of the song to signify forgetfulness and emphasize the importance of moving on from negativity.




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James John Napier, Samuel Smith, Shahid Khan, Al Hakam El Kaubaisy, Jonathan Charles Coffer, James Terence Murray, Mustafa Armando Ibrahim Omer, Frobyisher Mbabazi

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

@staceytate4758

For a better understanding, the mv is based on a bolivian legend. The real meaning behind the story is based solely around a 19th century legend which involves a young deaf boy who has fled from his home because he is being abused and as he left, he found a stray dog that kept him company since then. After living on the streets for a large amount of time he finds out that he has the ability to find out people’s troubles, he can then heal them by screaming, this screaming was rumoured to be as loud as an earthquake or even a tornado. The boy finds a man (The gray faced guy), who is being stoned by other villagers whilst being shouted at. The boy uses his ability to find out what is wrong with him and repairs the old man’s heart (this is the part in the video where he buys the man a heart). The boy and the old man then meet a disfigured man (Traffic guard guy aka sock monkey) who was abused and seen as a dodger of society. Using his powers the boy finds out that the man is a prophet who was cursed by El Tio because he simply didn’t worship him and left the area that the demon lived. El Tio was considered as a lord of the underworld, mortals offered him gifts for his protection and to lessen his anger. The prophet told the boy that anyone who could hear El Tio would immediately fall under his full control. He also tells him that El Tio could be found in the desert, where there used to be a small town that worshipped El Tio but he cursed them to kill themselves. As a group they all cross the desert and enter the mine in which holds the demon, however they didn’t want to be cursed so only the little boy entered and as he was deaf, he was unable to be controlled by El Tio and he used this special ability to over voice him and stop him from cursing others. Basically, the boy was a sacrifice

To answer a couple questions: One day, this song came up in my recommended. And I wanted to know the meaning, so I googled it and decided to share it here bc it's an interesting story.

The story is a legend, which means it all might not make sense. The boy makes a sacrifice bc he gives up his whole life, for eternity to keep a demon occupied.

Some fun facts:

Uyuni salt flats (El Salar de Uyuni) is shown in the video. They filmed there, as well as La Paz, and Cerro Rico.

It's told like a story, and it's part of Bolivian culture: "El Tío is believed in Cerro Rico, Potosí, Bolivia to be the "Lord of the Underworld". There are many statues of this devil-like spirit in the mines of Cerro Rico. El Tío is believed to rule over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction."



@davidgutierrez8804

Video Explanation : The music video is about a Bolivian 🇧🇴 legend that tells the story of a deaf boy who fled from his abusive home and found a stray dog 🐕 that accompanied him since then. After living on the streets. He discovers that he has the special ability of perceiving troubled people - which he can heal by screaming (screaming that its said to be as loud as an earthquake and a tornado🌪)

One day, he finds an old man who was being stoned by villagers while being taunted and ridiculed (hence why the old man has a dusty face) the boy intervened and by screaming, he resolved the situation and revived the old man’s heart (in the video, by buying him a new heart).

Old man and kid later meet a disfigured man who was abused, and was considered a leper by society (Called Kusillo in Bolivia). The disfigured man reveals that he is a prophet who was cursed by the devil 👹 (El Tio) because he didn’t worship him anymore and abandoned the town where the demon resided.

👹 El Tio is considered the lord of the underworld, to whom mortal people offer gifts in exchange for protection, or to ease his anger.

The prophet (masked man) said anybody who could hear the demon would fall under his control🌀. He told them that the demon could be found across a desert (Uyuni salt flats), where there was a town where people worshipped el tio 👹 - and the story said that el tio cursed the people in that town to kill themselves.

Together they start the journey to find the town, and arrive at a mine where the demon 👹 resided but they knew that everybody with their hearing intact could be cursed by el Tio👹 or be directed to kill each other.

That is why boy had to face the demon alone and over voice him with his scream to stop him from cursing others.(the ultimate sacrifice - and why the two man and the dog left- to avoid getting under el tio 👹 control 🌀)

The video has an open ending, considering that El Tio is the lord of the underworld who rules in the mines, and miners usually sacrifice a llama as a tribute from time to time to avoid being cursed. Sadly the boy could be seen as a big sacrifice to redeem the miners from El Tio’s undesirable influence.
I’m Bolivian and love this story 🇧🇴
Insta: @davidestebangg



@noflare1714

English translation of the video explanation: The music video is about a Bolivian legend that tells the story of a deaf boy who fled his abusive home and found a stray dog ​​that has accompanied him ever since. After living on the street, he discovers that he has the special ability to perceive people in trouble, who he can help by screaming (la la la) however the screaming is said to be as strong as an earthquake or tornado.

One day, he finds an old man who was being stoned by the villagers while they mocked and ridiculed him (hence why the old man has a dusty face) The boy intervened by yelling, solved the situation and revived the old man's heart (in the video , buying him a new heart).

The old man and the boy later meet a disfigured man who was abused and considered by society to be a leper (called Kusillo in Bolivia). The disfigured man reveals that he is a prophet who was cursed by the devil (El Tio) because he no longer worshiped him and left the town where the devil resided.

The Devil is considered the lord of the underworld, to whom mortals offer gifts such as often sacrificing a llama as a tribute from time to time to avoid being cursed. The devil would offer protection in return but it would often be from himself.

The prophet (masked man) said that anyone who could hear the devil would fall under his control. He told them that the demon could be found on the other side of a vast desert (Salar de Uyuni), where there was a town whose people refused to worship the Devil, and due to this the demon cursed the people of that town with madness, ordering them to kill themselves .

Together they continued on their journey to find the city and they arrived at a mine where the demon resided. They knew that anyone with their hearing intact could be cursed by the Devil but the boy is deaf hence negating any power over him.

That is why the boy had to face the demon alone and defeat it with his cry to prevent him from cursing his fellow humans ,the ultimate sacrifice(hence why the two men and the dog left, to avoid being under the control of the devil).

The video has an open ending, unsure whether the boy survived or not but considering that El Tío is the lord of the underworld who rules the people of that town in Bolivia... . The child could be seen as a great sacrifice to redeem the people from the undesirable influence of El Tío.



All comments from YouTube:

@staceytate4758

For a better understanding, the mv is based on a bolivian legend. The real meaning behind the story is based solely around a 19th century legend which involves a young deaf boy who has fled from his home because he is being abused and as he left, he found a stray dog that kept him company since then. After living on the streets for a large amount of time he finds out that he has the ability to find out people’s troubles, he can then heal them by screaming, this screaming was rumoured to be as loud as an earthquake or even a tornado. The boy finds a man (The gray faced guy), who is being stoned by other villagers whilst being shouted at. The boy uses his ability to find out what is wrong with him and repairs the old man’s heart (this is the part in the video where he buys the man a heart). The boy and the old man then meet a disfigured man (Traffic guard guy aka sock monkey) who was abused and seen as a dodger of society. Using his powers the boy finds out that the man is a prophet who was cursed by El Tio because he simply didn’t worship him and left the area that the demon lived. El Tio was considered as a lord of the underworld, mortals offered him gifts for his protection and to lessen his anger. The prophet told the boy that anyone who could hear El Tio would immediately fall under his full control. He also tells him that El Tio could be found in the desert, where there used to be a small town that worshipped El Tio but he cursed them to kill themselves. As a group they all cross the desert and enter the mine in which holds the demon, however they didn’t want to be cursed so only the little boy entered and as he was deaf, he was unable to be controlled by El Tio and he used this special ability to over voice him and stop him from cursing others. Basically, the boy was a sacrifice

To answer a couple questions: One day, this song came up in my recommended. And I wanted to know the meaning, so I googled it and decided to share it here bc it's an interesting story.

The story is a legend, which means it all might not make sense. The boy makes a sacrifice bc he gives up his whole life, for eternity to keep a demon occupied.

Some fun facts:

Uyuni salt flats (El Salar de Uyuni) is shown in the video. They filmed there, as well as La Paz, and Cerro Rico.

It's told like a story, and it's part of Bolivian culture: "El Tío is believed in Cerro Rico, Potosí, Bolivia to be the "Lord of the Underworld". There are many statues of this devil-like spirit in the mines of Cerro Rico. El Tío is believed to rule over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction."

@brunomagnifico

daaammnnnn wtf!

@kidnotfound164

Wow, thank you very much

@PyschopathNoob

I didn’t understand this video until now

@dwisuryanto4603

@@PyschopathNoob watch n reread, sir.

@brunomagnifico

@@PyschopathNoob facts bro

529 More Replies...

@ferendara1222

This song its about a legend from Bolivia (a latin american country) the kid is deaf and his father is bad,so the kid run away. He finds the dog, and help a old man (en the legend,a bullies were hitting him) then, both of them find a guy who was in a satanic group but he desert and "el tío" (satan,in Bolivian culture) disfigurement his face,thats why hi is cover it. They go to the cave of "el tio" and the legend said that "el tio" sing all the feelings of hate and that kind of thing,and the people get corrupted and kill each other. Its then when the old man,the dog and the guy with a mask say goodbye to the kid, so as not to get corrupted they leave. And the kid stay, because he is deaf so he cant get corrupted,and he begans to sing to "el tio" to keep him calm for the whole eternity

I am from Bolivia, in the city were this was filmed, i like this video and i wanted to share the legend with you, sorry if I have a bad english,in the best i can do :)

@deardaisyy9791

Thank you so much for this explanation, it makes the video so much better <3

@deardaisyy9791

beautiful country, beautiful people!

@spiritanimal3162

TWW this is beautiful

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