Sleeping in the Flowers
They Might Be Giants Lyrics


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I got a crush
Copy shop clerk
But she won't look up at me
Don't want to be known as the freak
Who just comes around to catch her eye

We could be sleeping in the flowers
We could sleep all afternoon
You'd proclaim that you're an island
I'd proclaim that I'm one too
Then we float into the harbor
With just piers and boats around
I declare that I am England
You declare that I have drowned

I got a ride
Home with a drunk guy
How ungrateful I must have seemed
He showed me how
To spin my head round and round

We could be sleeping in the flowers
We could sleep all afternoon
You'd proclaim that you're an island
I'd proclaim that I'm one too
Then we float into the harbor
With just piers and boats around
I declare that I am England
You declare that I have drowned

We could be sleeping in the flowers
We could sleep all afternoon
You'd proclaim that you're an island
I'd proclaim that I'm one too




Then we float into the harbor
With just piers and boats around
I declare that I am England
You declare that I have drowned

We'll be sleeping in the flowers
Tell my boss that I've been fired
We'll be sleeping in the flowers
Tell my boss that I've been fired
We'll be sleeping in the flowers
Tell my boss I'm fired
We'll be sleeping in the flowers
Tell my boss I'm fired

Overall Meaning

"They Might Be Giants" song "Sleeping in the Flowers" is an interesting tale of unrequited love, but the singer is afraid to make his affections known. He has a "crush" on a "copy shop clerk" but is unable to make eye contact with her to avoid any suspicion that he's a "freak." The song seems to suggest that the risk of revealing his true feelings to her would be too great, so instead, he imagines a world where he and the clerk can sleep in flowers, surrounded by only the natural beauty of the world around them. The singer is concerned with the feelings of the object of his desire and has created an imaginary world where he won't make her uncomfortable.


Line by Line Meaning

I got a crush
I have feelings for someone


Copy shop clerk
The person I have feelings for works at a copy shop


But she won't look up at me
She is not interested in me and doesn't acknowledge my presence


Don't want to be known as the freak
I don't want to be seen as weird or abnormal


Who just comes around to catch her eye
I don't want to be seen as someone who only comes around to get her attention


We could be sleeping in the flowers
We could lay down among the flowers


We could sleep all afternoon
We could sleep for a long time


You'd proclaim that you're an island
You would declare that you are self-sufficient and don't need anyone else


I'd proclaim that I'm one too
I would declare that I am also self-sufficient and don't need anyone else


Then we float into the harbor
We would drift into the port or dock


With just piers and boats around
There would be only structures for boats and boats themselves nearby


I declare that I am England
I claim that I am England, possibly referencing colonialism or identity


You declare that I have drowned
You assert that I am no longer afloat or have sunk


I got a ride
I was given transportation


Home with a drunk guy
I was taken home by an intoxicated person


How ungrateful I must have seemed
I must have come across as unappreciative or unthankful


He showed me how
The person who gave me a ride taught me how to do something


To spin my head round and round
To spin my head in circles, likely referencing drunkenness or confusion


Tell my boss that I've been fired
Inform my employer that I have been terminated from my job


We'll be sleeping in the flowers
We will rest or nap among the flowers


Tell my boss I'm fired
Notify my employer that I am no longer employed




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN FLANSBURGH, JOHN LINNELL, JOHN C. FLANSBURGH, JOHN S. LINNELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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