(1) The Hippos were a th… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one band with this name.
(1) The Hippos were a third wave ska-punk band from Southern California. Unlike other typical bands of the genre, The Hippos employed heavy use of a Moog synthesizer.
The Hippos’s first full album release was Forget the World, released in 1996. Interestingly, many of the songs on Forget The World were written when Ariel Rechstaid, the band’s primary songwriter, was only 15 years old. This album employed traditional ska-punk songwriting, including upbeat tempos and heavy brass instrumentation. Additionally, various percussion instruments were used, such as bongos and wood blocks. The next album was Heads Are Gonna Roll, released in 1999. A transitional album, a balance of horns and synthesizers is found on this album. Commercially, this album was the band’s most successful; it is the only album to be fully produced by a large record label and thus is assumedly the most circulated and heard of the three albums.
The Hippos, a self titled final release, was released in 2003 after the band’s break-up. This album completed the gradual transition from traditional ska-punk to the unique, orginal synthpop sound exhibited here. Ties to the ska-punk scene from which they began had been all but completely severed. In fact, only one track from this album uses horns at all, an essential element of ska. Much of the Hippos’s fanbase was initially reluctant at such a different sound, but for the most part, this reluctance gave way to admiration. To many fans, the Hippos’s final album was their best written and most enjoyable, despite its limited commercial success.
(2) The Hippos are a blues band from Sydney, Australia. They enjoyed modest chart success with Dark Age in 1988, from the album Hippocracy.
When Will I Learn
The Hippos Lyrics
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I wasn't quite enough. I did everything that you asked me to, everything that I
could do, I guess I wasn't quite enough. I should have acted like a hopeless
pessimist, 'cause I know that you're a sucker for that type, and if I told you I
was gonna kill myself, maybe then you'd comfort me and hold me tight. I took you
every place that you wanted to go, every single place that I know, I guess I
wasn't quite enough. I told you everything that you wanted to hear, I said I
love you in your ear, I guess I wasn't quite enough. (Chorus)
The lyrics of The Hippos's song "When Will I Learn" describe a relationship that has failed despite the singer's best efforts to please their partner. The singer laments that they bought everything their partner asked for and did everything they asked them to, but it was never enough. The singer wished that they had acted like a hopeless pessimist, believing their partner would have been more interested in them. They also admit to taking their partner to every place they wanted to go, telling them everything they wanted to hear, and expressing their love, but again, it was not enough.
The chorus "When will I learn? When will I learn that you don't love me?" echoes the singer's confusion and frustration with the relationship, as they are unable to understand why they are not enough for their partner. Overall, the lyrics depict a sadness and a longing for love that isn't reciprocated, and the fear of not being enough for someone.
Line by Line Meaning
I bought everything that you asked for, everything but you wanted more, I guess
I tried giving you everything you asked for, but it wasn't enough for you. You always wanted more.
I wasn't quite enough. I did everything that you asked me to, everything that I could do, I guess I wasn't quite enough.
Despite doing everything you asked of me, I still wasn't enough for you.
I should have acted like a hopeless pessimist, 'cause I know that you're a sucker for that type, and if I told you I was gonna kill myself, maybe then you'd comfort me and hold me tight.
I should have pretended to be really sad and depressed, because I know that's what you're attracted to. Maybe if I threatened to kill myself, you would finally show me the love and affection I craved.
I took you every place that you wanted to go, every single place that I know, I guess I wasn't quite enough.
I took you to all your favorite places and even to places I knew you would love, but still it wasn't enough to make you happy.
I told you everything that you wanted to hear, I said I love you in your ear, I guess I wasn't quite enough.
I said all the things I knew you wanted to hear, including telling you that I loved you, but even that wasn't enough for you to stay with me.
(Chorus)
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Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ariel Rechtshaid, James Bairian, Louis Castle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind