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.

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Speak To Me / Breathe
The Flaming Lips Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years,
Been over the edge for yonks,
Been working me buns off for bands"
I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us,
Very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad"

Breathe, breathe in the air.
Don't be afraid to care.

Leave but don't leave me.
Look around and choose your own ground.

Long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be.

Run, rabbit run.
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down it's time to dig another one.

For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide

And balanced on the biggest wave
You race towards an early grave.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the song, "Speak to Me/Breathe" by The Flaming Lips & Stardeath And White Dwarfs is a poignant reflection on the human condition. In the first part of the song, the lyrics convey madness and chaos, as the singer has been "mad for fucking years." The song goes on to acknowledge that madness is difficult to explain even if you're not. The second part of the song advocates living life and giving it your all, despite recognizing the inevitability of death. The lyrics encourage the listener to choose their own ground and leave their mark on the world while also acknowledging that the work will never truly be finished.

The song is a reflection on the human condition, the struggles we all face, and the need to find meaning and purpose in life. The lyrics are a call to action for living life on your terms, taking risks, and making the most of every moment.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years,
I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us, Very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad

Breathe, breathe in the air.
Take a deep breath and inhale the air

Don't be afraid to care.
Don't hesitate to show your love and concern

Leave but don't leave me.
You can leave, but don't forget me

Look around and choose your own ground.
Observe everything and make your own path

Long you live and high you fly
You can live long and rise high

And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
You'll experience both happiness and sorrow

And all you touch and all you see
Everything you touch and everything you see

Is all your life will ever be.
That's all there is to your life

Run, rabbit run.
Hurry up, run fast

Dig that hole, forget the sun,
Start digging a grave and forget about the sun

And when at last the work is done
When the task is finally complete

Don't sit down it's time to dig another one.
Don't rest, it's time to start digging another grave