The Flaming Lips is an American neo-psychedelic band, formed in Oklahoma Ci… Read Full Bio ↴The Flaming Lips is an American neo-psychedelic band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States in 1983. Throughout their career, band members have come and gone, but currently The Flaming Lips consist of original members Wayne Coyne (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Michael Ivins (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), along with members Steven Drozd (drums, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), and Derek Brown (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals). Former members include Mark Coyne (lead vocals), Richard English (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), Nathan Roberts (drums), Jonathan Donahue (guitar, backing vocals), who went on to form Mercury Rev, Ronald Jones (guitar, backing vocals), and Kliph Scurlock (drums).

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

Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand
The Flaming Lips Lyrics

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Okay I'll admit that I really don't understand
Okay I'll admit that I really don't understand

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Flaming Lips's song Okay can be interpreted in a few different ways, but one possible interpretation is that the singer is acknowledging their own limitations and lack of understanding about something. The repeated phrase "Okay I'll admit that I really don't understand" could suggest a sense of vulnerability or humility, as the singer is willing to admit their own ignorance or confusion. This could be a reflection on the human condition more broadly, as we all have moments of not understanding things, whether they be emotional, intellectual, or spiritual.

The song could also be read as a meditation on the concept of surrender or acceptance. The singer seems to be saying that it's okay not to understand everything, and that perhaps this acceptance of our own limitations can be liberating in some way. The repetition of the phrase "Okay I'll admit" could be seen as a kind of mantra, a way of embracing uncertainty rather than fighting against it. In this sense, the song could be seen as a call for humility and openness in the face of the unknown.

Overall, the lyrics to Okay are simple and repetitive, but they offer a few different ways of interpreting the song's message. Whether read as an expression of vulnerability or surrender, the song conveys a sense of acceptance and peace in the face of life's mysteries.

Line by Line Meaning

Okay I'll admit that I really don't understand
I am willing to acknowledge that there are things that I simply do not comprehend

The complexities of life and death, of what makes the sky so grand
Life and death are intricate matters that I cannot fully grasp, and the majesty of the sky eludes my understanding as well

And why loneliness is something we all experience, but can't tolerate or stand
Although we all feel loneliness at times, it is a feeling that we struggle to endure

Okay I'll admit that I really don't understand
Once again, I confess that there are many things that remain beyond my comprehension

And all the mysteries of love, what makes us crave another's hand
The enigma of love, and why we yearn for physical connection with others, is something that eludes my understanding

And why war is something we willingly give ourselves to, even though it's not what we actually want
It is puzzling why we engage in wars and conflicts, despite the fact that it goes against our true desires as human beings

Okay I'll admit that I really don't understand
Once again, I must recognize that there are complexities in this world that I cannot fully comprehend

And why our days seem to be numbered, but those numbers we can't understand
Although it is clear that our time on this earth is finite, why exactly that is the case is unclear to me

And why folks do the things they do when others don't stand a chance
It is perplexing why some individuals choose to act in ways that hurt or disadvantage others, even when there is no apparent reason to do so

Okay I'll admit that I really don't understand
Once again, I must concede that there is a great deal in this world that remains beyond my comprehension

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL IVINS, STEVEN DROZD, WAYNE COYNE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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