Depeche Mode: Enjoy the Silence Meaning
Song Released: 1990
Enjoy the Silence Lyrics
Come crashing in into my little world
Painful to me, pierce right through me
Can't you understand, oh my little girl?
All I ever wanted, all I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:The author of this song believes that love cannot be found in the words that you say to someone, but rather in the physical and sexual experiences you share with them. He is deeply in love with his partner, whom he calls his "little girl", as evidenced by how he calls her "all I ever wanted, all I ever needed". He simply wants to enjoy holding her and being with her and doesn't want either of them to speak, for fear of disturbing the mood. In the song, he is simultaneous hushing her while, ironically, telling her how much he loves her.
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2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:This song has at least two levels to it. The entire violator album is about their addiction to heroin, every single song. Give it another listen. They are all odes to heroin and how it is all-consuming of their lives. Your own personal jesus? Heroin. Policy of truth (never again is what you swore, the time before)? Heroin.
Enjoy the silence intrigues me the most because it is eerily beautiful beyond belief, technically perfect in the same sense as Beethoven's 9th. It is lyrically 2-fold, on one level being a love story - any words will trivialize the beauty of this moment of love we share. But on another, saying how words will ruin the high - which if you've ever done heroin, rings very true. Painful to me, pierce right through me is a direct reference to words being painful in his "little world" aka perfection he feels with his lover, indirectly to his perfect heroin high, and then on a third level, also a stark reference to the needle piercing him when he injects heroin.
And of course, the subtle refrain, all I ever wanted, all I ever needed, is here in my arms, is fucking perfect, because on one hand it refers to his perfect embrace with his lover, but on another, refers to the heroin he has just shot into his arms. Perhaps in a deeper sense, his lover is like heroin to him, and heroin is like a lover to him. He is equally in love with both, and managed to write a song that gives equal tribute to his deep undying feeling towards them both simultaneously. Fucking Depeche Mode, rocking my world. Also, in the video, though some say it is a solitary rose that keeps flashing, I'm pretty sure it's a poppy flower- an obvious metaphor for all opiates. -
It just came into my mind when I woke up today: he is cheating his wife!
So he's going out with his lover and telling her to be quiet about what they are doing. In the first verse he is telling how bad it would be for him that he wants no trouble and "words" (expose the relationship) "can only do harm". Later he says that the pleasure (of being with her) and the pain (of telling about them) are equally great, so they don't need the later. He even tries to convince her that it's all right as (wedding) "vows are spoken to be broken". He just wanted to enjoy his moment with his lover (little girl) as she's all he wanted in that moment, in secret, in silence.
By: @emptyneverending -
Occam's razor. Heroin.
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Someone in a bar said son of a b*tch after hearing this song that I played on the player. It could be me I felt but later I realized that the lyrics are saying something this little girl who is more probably his daughter and she is all he needed. Not her mother who is probably a b*tch. Words are very unnecessary they can only do harm if used to describe.
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It is funny to see the tries to involve DM in a primitive drug propaganda, especially after all these problems, which almost killed Dave and ruined DM. Actually, there is no single word about drugs. Even in "Clean". Of course, there is a lot of transparent references on band members personal life and history. About drugs, sex, inner conflicts e.t.c. It is obvious and particularly humorous or sarcastic, giving a lot of pleasure for any DM devotee. In Dave's replying lyrics especially. But all that stuff NEVER was a main theme. "Enjoy the Silence" impossible to interpret adequately because it is about silence. And not only about physical shut ups during sex with - again - "my little girl" for having more pleasure. It is a silence of mind. Total meditative calm, bringing a soul (a "little girl") close to heaven and salvation. It is very easy - there is just no any secret or hidden meaning for serious guys seen tons of heroin everywhere. Even if there is no trace of it. The song suggestion is literal and direct - Enjoy The Silence.
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Ok I learned that this song is all about drugs. Dave took heroin. He held a gun in his pants looking out for drug dealers. There’s a pictorial reference to this. I’ve even come along as to find that the band members have said that this was about drugs too. But wait a minute. My interpretation has nothing to do at all with drugs as I was drug free for my entire life. So I never listened to this album that way at all. No mine was on a beautiful heavenly religious spiritual bend. The many ah’s that define this song sounds like nuns chanting in a church bringing me to many dreamy spiritually high vistas. And the lyrics-“words are very unnecessary”-sound like nuns having to go around church grounds in utter silence all of the day to command peace. Or monks having to practice daily silence for very long hours followed by prayer. It’s a prelude of peace to get to God. The ah’s also signify the peace you get when you get to heaven. -“they can only do harm”- is the telepathy you use when you’re in heaven no words are used. It takes a lot of effort to talk here and it can be loud. A look will suffice too. We on Earth have to learn to talk and it’s not easy just think if u had to relearn how to talk as an adult how difficult the process can be so u need to use simpler things before u can talk again like silence etc. -“all I ever needed is here in my arms”-God is hugging u in his arms. “-oh my little girl “- I was 16 at the time of this songs release so I thought he was talking to a girl of age like it was meant for us but more for an innocent nun to go to God. This song is steeped in the feeling you get when you go to church. The combo of holy water and everything you feel there. It’s a very heavy feeling and it’s safe and good and pure and very innocent.
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It's about heroin.
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It is about a father's relation to his daughter. As simple as that. This is also love...
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I have a personal interpretation what I used to keep to myself. Depeche Mode didn't mean it like that but I'm recently very interested in serial killers. And when I was dreaming someday I had the feeling that the song could be fitting to an abduction of a girl. The murderer is singing this song to the girl he already killed. (Sorry for my bad English, but that was always an interpretation of me) this has of course nothing to do with the real meaning of this beautiful song, but it's a possibility of how I imagined this song.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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You can have it all but, at the same time have nothing.
Let's say that the life of a rock star looks fulfilling from the outside but, is rather tenuous on the inside.
Perhaps there is a loneliness that transcends the life of fame and fortune. Maybe there is a love that is found, an embrace, a split-second in time that it appears the signer has peace of mind only to have that moment shattered once again.
It was said that Elvis Presley as well as many other stars were surrounded by many people and still found themselves to be lonely. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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there's a remix and it details how in silence you can display true feelings for this one important person in your life they both do. and the quote 'words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm.' translates to don't speak just let me see you and enjoy being with you. 'words like violence.' says words are violent and they shouldn't be involved in deep and true love. and 'painful to me, pierce right through me.' means the words pierce him deeply. and he just wants quietness so he can enjoy being with this girl. and in the moment. this song along with precious is my favorite.
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I think this song is about depeche not wanting to go through talking. All he wants is silence because all talking causes is harmand nothing. When he talks about vows being spoken to be broken he means that whenever people in relationships go through and argument. They end up breaking all the vows they said when getting angry.
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