It is one of the band's signature songs and has inspired a multitude of covers. It ranked No. 493 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Where is My Mind?
The Pixies Lyrics
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With your feet on the air
And your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse
If there's nothing in it
And then you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water
See it swimmin'
I was swimmin' in the Caribbean
Animals were hiding behind a rock
Except the little fish
Bumped into me
I swear he was trying
To talk to me coy koi
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water
See it swimmin'
With your feet on the air
And your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse
If there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Where is my mind?
Way out in the water
See it swimmin'
Ooh
With your feet on the air
And your head on the ground
Ooh
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh
The Pixies’s song Where Is My Mind? is a surreal and enigmatic exploration of the human mind and its ability to lose itself in various states of consciousness. The song starts with the cryptic lyrics “with your feet on the air and your head on the ground, try this trick and spin it”, which is likely an allusion to the mind being turned upside down, allowing one to see the world from a different perspective. The lyrics then describe the potential dangers of this, as the brain may collapse if there is nothing inside it. The chorus repeats the question “where is my mind?” while also describing something swimming in the water, an image that may represent the subconscious mind.
The second verse tells a surreal story of the singer swimming in the Caribbean and encountering animals hiding behind a rock, except for a little fish that seemed to be trying to communicate with him. The chorus then repeats again, suggesting that the singer’s experience in the water has some significance in his search for his own mind. The final lyrics return to the idea of spinning and turning one’s world upside down, as the chorus ends with “with your feet on the air and your head on the ground”.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, stop
Pause and take a moment to reflect
With your feet on the air
Feeling a sense of disorientation or being ungrounded
And your head on the ground
Feeling overwhelmed and confused
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Attempting to find a way to cope with the disorientation and confusion
Your head'll collapse
Feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted
If there's nothing in it
If there is no sense of clarity or direction
And then you'll ask yourself
Being introspective and questioning one's own state of mind
Where is my mind?
Asking the question of where their mental and emotional state is at
Way out in the water
Feeling like their mind is far away or detached
See it swimmin'
Visualizing their state of mind as something that is moving and changing
I was swimmin' in the Caribbean
Reflecting on a past experience of feeling lost or disoriented
Animals were hiding behind a rock
Other aspects of their life or self are being hidden or obscured
Except the little fish
One small aspect of their life or self is still visible
Bumped into me
Encountering something unexpected or sudden
I swear he was trying
Interpreting the situation as having intent or meaning
To talk to me coy koi
Feeling like there is a deeper message or connection in the encounter
Ooh
Expressing an emotional response to the experience being described
With your feet on the air
Repeating a similar feeling of disorientation and lack of grounding
And your head on the ground
Repeating that same sense of being overwhelmed and confused
Ooh, ooh
Continuing to express that emotional response
Ooh, ooh
And again
Ooh
And again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Charles Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind