Talking Heads first appeared on the New York music scene as a trio in 1974. At the time, the band consisted only of Byrne and Frantz, and was initially called The Artistics. By 1975, the band had recorded a demo album for CBS Records and landed a gig opening for the Ramones at CBGB in June 1975, which was the first time the band used the name Talking Heads. The band was signed to Sire Records in late 1976 and the group released their first single, "Love → Building on Fire" in February 1977. In March 1977, the band added Jerry Harrison, formerly of Jonathan Richman's band The Modern Lovers.
Their first album, Talking Heads: 77 was released soon afterward and did not contain the earlier single, although it did include the underground singles Psycho Killer and Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town. Despite being regulars at New York's legendary CBGB, the band only began to break through further with the landmark Brian Eno-produced, 1978 album More Songs About Buildings And Food, an album which continued in the same vein, but with a more accessible style, wittier lyrics, and ultimately better songs. It was a great critical hit with subject matter ranging from home movies to the art world. It also included their cover of Take Me To The River. On the following year's Fear Of Music the band started to dabble in African rhythms, notably on I Zimbra, and more straightforward pop styles, on Life During Wartime and Cities.
1980 brought the band's fourth and most innovative effort Remain In Light. Notable for the single Once In A Lifetime, which became an early MTV staple, Remain In Light saw the band experiment with ambient sounds, fugal structures, polyrhythms, and about everything under the sun to make the body groove. Following this, the group split with Brian Eno, enjoying greater commercial success with 1983's Speaking In Tongues. It took the musical innovations of its predecessor and refined them into pop songs, most notably Burning Down The House, Girlfriend Is Better and This Must Be The Place. This period was topped off with a live album, from Jonathan Demme's documentary, Stop Making Sense. The documentary, with its name taken from a line in Girlfriend Is Better, was a great success, and took their inimitable style to a wider audience.
1985's Little Creatures was an even bigger hit, and exhibited another stylistic shift for the band. It saw the punk styles of '77 almost completely abandoned for simple, three or four chord pop songs. The album produced the singles And She Was, and Road To Nowhere. The following two albums, True Stories and Naked, were both moderate successes, the former producing their biggest radio hits, Love For Sale and Wild Wild Life, and the latter focusing more on Latin influences with hits like (Nothing But) Flowers. After this, a long quiet period followed, with the band eventually officially announcing their break up in 1991. Since the split, Byrne continued his solo career and Weymoth and Frantz continued to record and tour as Tom Tom Club. Weymouth, Harrison and Frantz reunited for an album, "No Talking, Just Head", recorded under the name The Heads in 1996.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. The band reunited for a three song performance at the ceremony. Due to personality conflicts between Byrne and the other members, further reunions are unlikely.
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Once In A Lifetime
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?"
And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house"
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean
Water dissolving and water removing
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?"
You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"
And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?"
And you may say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?"
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was and look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us
Same as it ever was, the same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Here a twister comes, here comes a twister
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was (letting the days go by)
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was (letting the days go by)
Once in a lifetime, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again
The lyrics of Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" present a series of contradictory images and ideas, prompting the listener to ask themselves, "How did I get here?" The opening verse presents various scenarios of living situations, from a rundown shack to a luxurious home, and asks the question of how we ended up in those situations. The second verse builds on this theme of confusion as the singer asks themselves how to navigate their current standing, unsure of where they are and how they got there. The chorus emphasizes the passage of time and the inevitability of change, with the metaphor of water representing the unstoppable flow of life. The final verse touches on the idea of regret and realization, with the singer questioning their actions and realizing the consequences of their decisions.
The lyrics of "Once in a Lifetime" reflect the sense of disorientation and alienation that many people feel in modern society. The song was released in 1980, a time of economic uncertainty and political upheaval, and its message of confusion and uncertainty resonated with audiences. The hypnotic melody and repeated refrain of "Same as it ever was" create a sense of numbness and repetition, highlighting the monotony of daily life.
Line by Line Meaning
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
You might end up living in a small or low-quality house due to various circumstances.
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
You might find yourself living or working in a completely different place than where you started.
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
You might find yourself owning or driving a luxurious or expensive car at some point in your life.
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
You might find yourself living in a grand and beautiful home with a stunning wife by your side.
And you may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"
You may question how you reached your current position in life, wondering how it all came to be.
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
As time passes, the singer is allowing themselves to simply go with the flow and not focus on the passing of time.
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
The days just seem to pass by, with the singer’s focus underlying and being pushed under the surface.
Into the blue again after the money's gone
After the money is lost or spent, the artist goes back to the way things were before– perhaps feeling a bit blue or sad.
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
This moment of time passes fleetingly and cannot be repeated, as water flows relentlessly underground.
And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?"
In a moment of panicked confusion, you may ask yourself how to navigate through a difficult situation.
And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?"
You may find yourself lost or confused about the whereabouts of something or someone that was once important to you.
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house"
You may come to the realization that the grand home that you inhabit is not truly what you want or where you belong.
And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"
You may realize that the person you are with is not who you want to spend your life with.
Water dissolving and water removing
Water is powerful, dissolving anything in its path and removing all parts of obstacles from its way.
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Even after overcoming immense obstacles, there are complications or emotions lingering beneath the surface.
Under the water, carry the water
The water serves as both an obstacle and a solution simultaneously, with the artist working to manage it in a way to ultimately succeed in life.
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean
Take care of the obstacles and emotions under the surface that may still need attention to move forward completely.
You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?"
You may get serious about questioning what you want in life and re-evaluating what would make you truly happy.
You may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"
You may begin to ponder where your own life journey will take you and what your destination will be or where you might find happiness.
And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?"
At times, you may feel unsure of the path you're on and question whether or not it's the right one for you.
And you may say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?"
You may come to the realization that the decisions you have made in your life may have not led you where you truly want to be.
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Things continue to be the same and not change, despite the passage of time.
Same as it ever was and look where my hand was
Despite nothing altering or changing, the singer is finally realizing their own reality and perhaps seeing things in a way they never have before.
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us
The passing of time is not waiting for anyone, and it may not fall in line with what you had planned in your life.
Same as it ever was, the same as it ever was
Nothing ever changes, even after a long period of time has passed.
Here a twister comes, here comes a twister
A disaster, change, or disruption is approaching and will potentially turn your life upside down.
Once in a lifetime, let the water hold me down
During this extremely rare moment of life, let everything go and just let the water of life take over for a minute.
Into the blue again
Going back to an uncertain or ambiguous position once again.
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
There are always layers of the unknown and unexplored to peel away before finding out what lies beneath the surface.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Brian Eno, Christopher Frantz, David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
not a dolphin
And you may find yourself
Living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!
Water dissolving and water removing
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again into silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
You may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
You may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? Am I wrong?
And you may say yourself
"My God! What have I done?"
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again into the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up
Time isn't after us
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Letting the days go by
Same as it ever was
And here the twister comes
Here comes the twister
Letting the days go by (same as it ever was)
Same as it ever was (same as it ever was)
Letting the days go by (same as it ever was)
Same as it ever was
Once in a lifetime
Let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by
Di H
Sacred Mother Earth! Love her with all your heart!!!
Narran Radd
Thank you