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.
www.flaminglips.com
Nobody Told Me
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody's making love and no one really cares
There's Nazis in the bathroom just below the stairs
Always something happening and nothing going on
There's always something cooking and nothing in the pot
They're starving back in China so finish what you got
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- strange days indeed
Everybody's runnin' and no one makes a move
Everyone's a winner and nothing left to lose
There's a little yellow idol to the north of Katmandu
Everybody's flying and no one leaves the ground
Everybody's crying and no one makes a sound
There's a place for us in the movies you just gotta lay around
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama
Everybody's smoking and no one's getting high
Everybody's flying and never touch the sky
There's a UFO over New York and I ain't too surprised
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama
The Flaming Lips's song Nobody Told Me is a commentary on the absurdity and confusion of modern life. The lyrics describe a world where people are talking but not listening, making love without emotion, and neglecting the suffering of others. The mention of Nazis in the bathroom is a reference to the rise of far-right extremism, while the line about something always cooking but nothing in the pot is a metaphor for a world where there is always activity and busyness, but no real substance or progress.
The chorus of the song, "Nobody told me there'd be days like these, Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama," expresses the idea that life is unpredictable and full of surprises. This sentiment is echoed in the rest of the lyrics which describe a world where everyone is running, but no one is making a move, and where people are crying without making a sound. The line "There's a place for us in the movies you just gotta lay around" is a nod to the idea that success and fame can often come to those who appear to be doing nothing.
Overall, the song is a poetic and satirical reflection on the strange state of the world, and the way that human beings often seem to be disconnected from each other and from reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's talking and no one says a word
People are always chatting without actually communicating.
Everybody's making love and no one really cares
Sex is common and people are being more promiscuous.
There's Nazis in the bathroom just below the stairs
There are hateful people existing in the society.
Always something happening and nothing going on
There is constant action but no progress.
There's always something cooking and nothing in the pot
Plans are always being made but they never come to fruition.
They're starving back in China so finish what you got
There are people who are suffering so make the most out of what you have.
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Unforeseen events can occur that we have no preparation for.
Strange days indeed -- strange days indeed
The world is an unpredictable place.
Everybody's runnin' and no one makes a move
People are always in a hurry but accomplish nothing.
Everyone's a winner and nothing left to lose
Everyone is trying to come out on top, but in reality, everyone is losing.
There's a little yellow idol to the north of Katmandu
There is a religious symbol that is idolized but potentially false.
Everybody's flying and no one leaves the ground
People are living in their own fantasies and refuse to face reality.
Everybody's crying and no one makes a sound
People are struggling but refuse to express their pains and sufferings.
There's a place for us in the movies you just gotta lay around
Society is obsessed with entertainment and the easy way out.
Everybody's smoking and no one's getting high
People use substances but don't feel the effects.
There's a UFO over New York and I ain't too surprised
The world is full of mysteries and the unexpected can happen.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind