Once in a Lifetime
the talking heads Lyrics


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And you may find yourself
Living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was

Water dissolving and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Under the water, carry the water
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again in the silent water
Under the rocks, and stones there is water underground

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? Am I wrong?
And you may say yourself, "My God! What have I done?"

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again in to the silent water
Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground

Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Look where my hand was
Time isn't holding up
Time isn't after us
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was

Letting the days go by (same as it ever was)
Letting the days go by (same as it ever was)
Once in a lifetime




Letting the days go by
Letting the days go by

Overall Meaning

The song "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads reflects the typical American Dream, and how it can become monotonous and unfulfilling. The lyrics describe the cycle of life, how one can start in a modest home, make a living, and then end up in a house and drive an expensive car, but somehow still feel lost and dissatisfied. The refrain takes on a deeper meaning, as it tells of the unstoppable nature of time and how life can pass you by if you do not take control of it. The imagery of water adds to this, as water can be both peaceful and destructive, and life can imitate these qualities.


The chorus repeated throughout the song asks the same question, "How did I get here?" as if the singer has been placed in a life they don't recognize or participate in. The verse that follows repeats the phrase "Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down" and this speaks to the idea of being passive, just watching life flow by, and not taking charge to change the situation.


Overall, the song is a commentary on the human desire for more success and attainment, but how sometimes that isn't enough. As one progresses, they find themselves detached and questioning whether it was worth it, leading to an existential crisis where they are left with nothing but the questions "Is this all there is?" and "How did I get here?"


Line by Line Meaning

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
You could find yourself living in a small, cramped and run down house


And you may find yourself in another part of the world
You could find yourself in a completely different part of the world, far from where you are used to


And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
You could find yourself driving a fancy and expensive car


And you may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife
You could end up in a gorgeous home and have a stunning and amazing spouse


And you may ask yourself, well How did I get here?
You could question how you ended up in this life you have that's different from before


Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down Letting the days go by, water flowing underground Into the blue again after the money's gone Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
As time passes by, it can be like treading water and getting pulled under by the current of life, until eventually when you get past a certain monetary point you realize that you're reaching some sort of new awakening.


And you may ask yourself How do I work this?
You could ask yourself how you should go about handling a new and unfamiliar situation


And you may tell yourself This is not my beautiful house!
You could talk to yourself and feel like your life has taken an unexpected turn


And you may tell yourself This is not my beautiful wife!
You could feel like you ended up with someone different from what or who you expected


Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was
Life could feel like it hasn't changed at all even though everything is different


Water dissolving and water removing There is water at the bottom of the ocean Under the water, carry the water Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!
These lines can be interpreted in different ways but it could represent the cycle of life or the struggle and effort to keep going and overcoming challenges or obstacles that keep coming up


Into the blue again in the silent water Under the rocks, and stones there is water underground
Returning to a peaceful state, but also revealing that there is something deeper beneath the surface


And you may ask yourself What is that beautiful house? And you may ask yourself Where does that highway go to? And you may ask yourself Am I right? Am I wrong? And you may say yourself, "My God! What have I done?"
You may start to ask yourself more questions about your life, including questioning your choices, your direction, and your understanding of right and wrong


Look where my hand was Time isn't holding up Time isn't after us Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was Same as it ever was
As time goes by, it makes you reflect on past experiences, choices, and memories, but time also keeps moving forward regardless of what you do or don't do


Letting the days go by (same as it ever was) Once in a lifetime Letting the days go by Letting the days go by
Again emphasizing the monotony of life, but also acknowledging the preciousness and rarity of certain moments or opportunities




Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN ENO, CHRISTOPHER FRANTZ, DAVID BYRNE, JERRY HARRISON, TINA WEYMOUTH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@trixie7759

This is definitely one of those videos that if you showed it to a poor Victorian era child they would disintegrate on the spot

@garybusey9941

What did he mean by this?

@toasternuke343

@@garybusey9941 he meant that this is so wholly separated from anything comprehensible from an 1800s person's perspective, as they couldn't even wrap their head around a single concept in this incredibly wild video

@garybusey9941

@@toasternuke343
I mean wouldnā€™t that apply to any video? Could you imagine showing a mukbang video to a child from America during the industrial revolution?

@johannaelloso9418

Show this to prince phillip

@somedude6833

@@garybusey9941 it would be an effective weapon to kill Victorian era orphans.

87 More Replies...

@atomix1876

0:55 me when the world is taken over by evil clones of myself and the only way to sneak past them is by doing the same dance as them

@KinoBarzo

1:06 when i'm trying to dig out the brain chip

@lerxst7344

2:16 me trying to convince the court that Iā€™m sane

@m5tigerman

3:15 Me when I practice massage methods on my arm in hope they spare me

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