Your Bats
The Flaming Lips Lyrics

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Saw your nightmare bat go by my window
Saw them two lingering
Couldn't be a rabbit
Flying like usual
Couldn't be the habit
You saw them, too
Oh, every evening

So oh, goes
Oh, into the nightmare
Sun rising black instead of gold

Now or never
Saw your nightmare bat go by my window

Overall Meaning

Upon first listen, "Your Bats" by The Flaming Lips may seem like a nonsense song with random lyrics. However, upon closer inspection, it seems to be referencing a recurring nightmare or fear in which bats fly by the singer's window every evening. The line "Sun rising black instead of gold" could be interpreted as the fear feeling all-consuming and taking over the singer's life. The repetition of "So oh, goes" and "Now or never" could represent the urgency and need for the singer to overcome this fear before it's too late.

Overall, the lyrics seem to be about facing one's fears and overcoming them before they consume everything. The imagery of bats adds to the overall eerie and unsettling tone of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Saw your nightmare bat go by my window
I caught sight of your terrible fear flying past my window

Saw them two lingering
I noticed two of them hanging around

Couldn't be a rabbit
It surely isn't a harmless creature like a rabbit

Flying like usual
It's moving around as it usually does

Couldn't be the habit
It's not just a routine or mundane thing occurring

You saw them, too
You also witnessed it happening

Oh, every evening
It occurs every single evening

So oh, goes
Now, it's happening again

Oh, into the nightmare
It's transforming into a waking nightmare

Sun rising black instead of gold
Even the sunrise seems eerie, like something out of a horror story

Now or never
It's a pivotal moment, the time to take action is now