The Flaming Lips are known for their lush, multi-layered arrangements, spacey lyrics and bizarre song titles. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which typically feature animal suits, puppets, streamers, video projections and complex stage light configurations.
In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". In 2006, Oklahoma City named a street Flaming Lips Alley in their honor.
The group recorded several albums and EPs for Restless Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they scored a #9 hit on the Billboard Alternative charts (and #55 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart) in 1994 with "She Don't Use Jelly". Although it would be their only hit single, the band has maintained critical respect and, to a lesser extent, commercial viability with sonically majestic albums such as 1995's Clouds Taste Metallic, 1999's The Soft Bulletin, 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and 2006's At War with the Mystics. The Flaming Lips' 12th studio album, Embryonic, was released in October of 2009. A complete cover of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was released in May 2010. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, their collaborative album which features artists like Ke$ha, Bon Iver, Nick Cave and Erykah Badu, was released on Record Store Day, April 2012.
Their next studio album, tentatively titled The Terror, will be released in January 2013.
Their song "Do You Realize??" is the official State Rock Song of Oklahoma.
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Man from Pakistan
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He had lost his saddle in the mud.
This guy was crying, tears from his eyes,
Part of his body was paralyzed.
[Chorus]
I thought it was a dream.
Strangest thing I've seen.
So I went up to him, and asked him what
He was doing, and who he was.
He said his memory had been diluted,
He said he once was electrocuted.
[Chorus]
He said he'd come from Pakistan,
Where he was beaten by a policeman.
That's why he walked, a duty crawl.
And acted like he knew it all.
[Chorus]
The Flaming Lips's song "Man From Pakistan" features poignant lyrics that offer a vivid image of a man who has been through a lot of hardship. The opening lines describe the man as walking down by the curb, having lost his saddle in the mud. This can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically - the saddle could represent a symbol of stability or of a sense of control over one's life. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the man has lost a part of himself, as evidenced by the fact that one part of his body is paralyzed.
The singer of the song goes up to the man and asks him about his situation. The man says that his memory has been diluted, which can be taken to mean that he has forgotten a lot of things due to the traumatic experiences he has been through. He also mentions that he was once electrocuted, which adds another layer to his suffering. It is clear that this man has been through a lot, and his struggles have left him feeling disconnected from reality. This is expressed in the chorus, where the singer says that the whole encounter feels like a dream - something so strange that it almost feels unreal.
The last lines of the song reveal that the man is from Pakistan and that he was beaten by a policeman. This adds a political dimension to the song, as it speaks to the violence and oppression that can be present in certain parts of the world. The fact that the man has to crawl and act like he knows it all is a testament to the resilience and strength that people can possess, even in the face of extreme adversity. Overall, "Man From Pakistan" is a moving and thought-provoking reflection on the human experience and the struggles that people can face.
Line by Line Meaning
This man was walking, down by the curb,
There was a man who was walking alongside the road.
He had lost his saddle in the mud.
The man's belongings were in disarray and he may have been struggling.
This guy was crying, tears from his eyes,
The man was visibly upset and was was shedding tears.
Part of his body was paralyzed.
A part of the man's body was not functioning and had become paralyzed.
I thought it was a dream.
The artist didn't believe what they were seeing and thought it must be a dream.
Strangest thing I've seen.
The situation was very peculiar and the singer had never seen anything quite like it.
O'er and o'er and over, 'til I think I don't exist.
The situation was so overwhelming that the singer felt like they were losing touch with reality.
So I went up to him, and asked him what
Out of curiosity and concern, the artist approached the man and asked him some questions.
He was doing, and who he was.
The artist inquired about what the man was up to and his identity.
He said his memory had been diluted,
The man's recollection of events was a bit hazy and uncertain.
He said he once was electrocuted.
According to the man, he had experienced an electric shock at some point in the past.
He said he'd come from Pakistan,
The man claimed to have come from Pakistan.
Where he was beaten by a policeman.
He told the singer that he had been beaten by a law enforcement officer in Pakistan.
That's why he walked, a duty crawl.
The man's physical condition compelled him to move with difficulty or crawl along the ground.
And acted like he knew it all.
Despite his condition, the man seemed confident in his beliefs and carried himself with assurance.
O'er and o'er and over, 'til I think I don't exist.
The artist's sense of reality began to slip away as the strange encounter persisted.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FLAMING LIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind