Imogen Heap: Hide and Seek Meaning
Hide and Seek Lyrics
the dust has only just began to fall
crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling
spin me around again and rub my eyes
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people would stop to...
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I think that she got dumped and she wants him to still love her.In the end,it doesn`t work.She stops believing him.
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"Hide And Seek"
Is ultimately about a woman who fell for a married man, and realizes too late that he has used her, her feelings for him were painfully real, his feelings for her were convenient.
Where are we? What the hell is going on?
The dust has only just begun to fall,
(after the first break up he seeks her out for sex but she was just getting settled into being without him and accepting she needed to move on)
Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling.
Spin me round again and rub my eyes.
This can't be happening.
(crop circles in the carpet is code for sex on the floor, regrets the physical weakness, spin me around again, this can't be happening, she knows it's wrong and that she is being taken advantage of but because she loves him far more than he ever loved her, she can't resist)
When busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy.
(can't be seen in public, relationship is wrong so has to be hidden, stop to hold their heads, stop and look, heavy is result of fallout of illicit relationship coming to light)
Hide and seek (secret affair)
Trains and sewing machines.
All those years they were here first.
(reference to his home with his wife and children)
Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before.
(the marks on the walls where photos used to hang)
The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this
still life.
(he dumps her, uncaring, she has to take down the photos and puts in their place a still life... Ie... Her life without him)
Hide and seek.
Trains and sewing machines. (Oh, you won't catch me around here)
(reference to his home with his wife and children, and he won't catch her around him anymore, she realizes he's a selfish womanizer, and she is truly done with him)
Blood and tears,
(her pain)
They were here first.
(his family)
Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that you only meant well? Well, of course you did.
(his explanation when he is dumping her)
Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that it's all for the best? Because it is.
(her response, she is agreeing with him but not for the same reasons... She knows who he is now and she realizes truly she is better off without this man in her life)
Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that it's just what we need? And you decided this.
(He is in control of the relationship, he made the decision, he took advantage that she loved him far more than he loved her)
Mmm what you say?
What did she say?
(he came back looking for her... SEEKING... like in the game hide and seek... and she is asking "what did she say?" .....as in.......what is she herself, the girlfriend going to say to his new line of empty charm?
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth.
(ransom note is in its nature if you give me this then I’ll return your loved one safely, basically he is saying if you comply I‘ll return your love)
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs.
(mid-sweet, not fully or truly sweet, newspaper word cut-outs are reference to cut and paste, he’s using a line on her)
Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you.
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.
(she is telling him, don’t talk about feelings, I don’t believe what you say about your feelings, she has discerned he doesn’t really care )
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth.
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs.
Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you.
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
Wikipedia
In a 2005 interview, Heap stated that the song's lyrics, ultimately about having painfully lost a loved one and met with a selfish and uncaring response to her loss,
……I think it is obvious ….. She is explaining to the man about the painful loss of him, he is not concerned with her pain……… -
I Think it means in the early days, when the women had to sit in factories chained at their sewing machines.Oil is still on women's hands, when the boss could have their way with their women workers, somewhere like hidden room somewhere in the factorie or, possibly a washroom or boss's office blinds are down. At those times no harrasment charges. To keep your job you did what you had to do.As you may have young mouths to feed.Need to keep your secret from your husband(playing hide and seek)J.Georgieff
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All these interpretations are very creative but I personally thought it was about the holocaust. I could be very wrong but I thought the sewing machines mentioned were about the different shapes were stiched on the uniforms in the concentration camps
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All these interpretations are very creative but I personally thought it was about the holocaust. I could be very wrong but I thought the sewing machines mentioned were about the different shapes were stiched on the uniforms in the concentration camps
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This song I believe is actually about ghosts, and being haunted.
"Hide and Seek"= to be haunted by something is like a game of hide seek
where are we?
what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just begun to form
crop circles in the carpet
sinking feeling
(describes the feeling when one feels a ghostly presence, ie crop circles, sinking feeling.)
spin me round again
and rub my eyes,
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy
(disbalief, once again the feeling of being haunted, ie a "mess with people would stop to hold..their heads heavy")
hide and seek
trains and sewing machines
all those years
they were here first
("hide and seek trains and sewing machines" are referring to Victorian era ghost trains and sewing machines that operate without a human running it [probably has a personal meaning to Imogen Heap]. "all those years they were here first" is the most obvious giveaway...the ghosts were there before you)
oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life
("oil marks appear on walls" refers to oil marks left when a human touches a wall, them just 'appearing' shows that it must have been a ghost. "pleasure moments hung" ie pictures on the wall, that were there to remember happy memories which were forgotten when the "sweeping insensitivity of still life" "tookover" aka, before the ghosts began to haunt her/them.)
hide and seek
trains and sewing machines (oh, you won't catch me around here)
blood and tears (hearts)
they were here first
("oh, you won't catch me around here" means she is leaving the place that is haunting her. "blood and tears, they were here first" refers to the ghosts deathly experiences in the place they are now haunting, also may mean that she believes they deserve to stay there, there were there first)
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well?
well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmmm that it's all for the best?
of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say?
Mmmm that it's just what we need
you decided this
whatcha say?
Mmmm what did she say?
(this whole stanza is her conversation with the spirits that she believes are telling her to leave, and that they won't be upset if they just do what they have been told. The ghosts want her to believe its fo ethe greater good.)
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs
speak no feeling no I don't believe you
you don't care a bit,
you don't care a bit
(She does not believe the ghosts are peaceful,it is all just "sweet talk", she thinks they are holding her for "ransom". The "newspaper word cut outs" refer to the newspaper headlines that will cover her death, she doesn't belive them, "they don't care" whether she lives or dies)
The rest of the song repeats the lyrics in the stanza above until eventually fading out. It reflects her experience being haunted, showing a sense of fear and paranoia.
The song could be used as a metaphor for something else related to something that happened to the artist, like being haunted by a boyfriends ex girlfriend(ie the pictures on the wall and the whole "what did she say?" stanza)or a dead relative. However, I think the song is literally about ghosts, haunting, and death. The instrumentals in the song are also very creepy and quiet, much like a ghost is. The song is also used on tv and in movies a lot in moments where death is prevalent (ie in the television show "The O.C." the shooting of Trey and Calebs Nichol's funeral) -
To be honest with everyone I thought the woman made this song trippin freakin balls on acid.
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After two years of lingering pain from a hurtful and confusing blindsided breakup. I feel this song in may ways.
---Where are we? What the hell is going on? The dust has only just begun to form.
I believe Imogen is speaking to the feeling of complete betrayal of trust felt when someone cheats on you for no good reason at all. The end result is no rational understanding of what has just happened and why?
Disbelief and denial sets in. How to make sense of this. The death and mourning process begins, does it ever end? ---The sweeping insensitivity of this, still lies in my memory.
---Hide and Seek, You won't catch me around here.
I feel that once this pain is felt, we become closed and are now hiding from the pain of this ever happening again. Seek or lack of seeking the possibility of putting your love, trust, your heart on the line again.
---You don't care a bit. Ranson notes
The reality that our love was untrue and not real and only one-sided. Devastating and real pain sets in.
The interpretation can mean many things to many different people. The best we can do is try to heal and learn to trust again. Thank you Imogen, poetry in motion. Wish I couldn't relate but thank you for this beautiful song. -
To be honest, I agree with mpete77317 on his interpretation. I don't really think it is about 9/11. She is Brittish born and as much as 9/11 was a horrible disaster...it didn't affect the Brittish the same way it affected Americans. With the simple reason that it was not in our country. And I'm not sayin that we didn't watch the news and feel completly shocked and appauled at what happened. As well as having the deepest sympathys to those who died or were hurt and to their familys. But without trying to sound harsh I don't think a Brittish singer/songwriter would writen a song about it. And if she did I think she is probably one of the first. As a singer songwriter you are going to write about things that are more close to home, things that may affect you in some way. Which is why I think she wrote it about a break up. The way she sings with such sorrow in her voice as if she is actually reliving the split that she had.
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It is definitely about 9/11.
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I think this song is about the Holocaust. "Where are we? What the hell is going on?" is pretty much the reaction of the Jewish people. "Trains and sewing machines" is self-explanitory. They were all brought on trains and the women were forced into sewing. "Hide and seek" because the children would hide and try not to get caught by the Nazis. "Oily marks appear on walls where pleasure moments hung before the takeover" is again self-explanitory. The song is basically just representing her emotions about what Hitler did and said (the "What did you say? part), the Jewish people's reactions, and essentially what happened.
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I can't remember where I heard this, but it made sense when I heard it. That the song is about a woman who finds out that her 'boyfriend' already had a family.
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Some friends and I felt that the meaning of this song wasn't personal, yet more historically rooted. We felt that this song was the Native Americans point of view when British settlers took possession of the land which we now call America.
The first stanza explains how the Natives just realized what had happened to them and their lively hoods.
Second Stanza: settlers industrializing and bringing European inventions to America.
Third Stanza: Hiding from the settlers, being killed, and being lied to.
Fourth: The settlers trying to rid the natives of their culture and force European beliefs on them, the contacts stating that they would keep their land but in actuality the land was being signed away, and how the settlers were inconsiderate toward them and their livelihood.
Tell us what you think. -
Despite my *initial*- innate naivety in terms of comprehension in terms of it's actual symbolic meaning- I have always *loved*(no ADORED!!) this song.... and yet now...several years after its unveiling...I feel as though I've finally come to grasp its true meaning....hear me out.
I believe that "hide and seek" gives personification to the *emotional turmoil* that's masked ("hidden") and then painstakingly realized (and often at a point of no return) endured by a couple (a committed couple) who have decided to welcome a "third-party" into their lives.
I believe Imogen Heap is referring to what its like to have a *threesome* while in a quote-unquote *monogamous*relationship....What perhaps seems adventurous and exciting in the beginning, too quickly reveals our human tendencies towards feelings of jealously and possession.
As disturbing as it may be, if you were to google "hide and seek" you would immediately find yourself engulfed in a world saturated by explanations of games pertaining to "sex"-the likes of which predominated by tellings of situations involving more than one partner-
And to boot-Imogen's tirade (the one riddled with sarcasm) further implicates the presence of an unwelcome "third party".... The following is my own interpretation:
where are we? (How did you and I find ourselves in this situation?)
what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just begun to form (I was living this lifestyle in a sense of *denial*...and am only just now beginning to grasp the meaning/consequences)
crop circles in the carpet
sinking feeling (your furniture is gone. You are gone. How did "we" ..."I"?? Let it get to this point?!)
spin me round again
and rub my eyes,
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy (I'm still in disbelief myself...and yet the shame I feel is even more overwhelming. My family...my friends...if they only knew the truth...they would be so ashamed.)
hide and seek (hide from normalcy- seek unconventional pleasure)
trains and sewing machines (Trains= boys. Sewing machines= girls.-- seek both. Enjoy both)
all those years
they were here first (the innocence of those correlations (trains and sewing machines) were once just that- innocent times that rendered themselves prelude to the "upheaval")
oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before (the evident streats upon the walls in the bedroom are reminiscent of "pleasures" once felt during acts of love) The takeover (we knowingly "let someone infiltrate *our bond*"...only to eventually find ourselves surrendering our power (our special love) over to them)
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life
hide and seek
trains and sewing machines (oh, you won't catch me around here)---(Been there. done that. Have learned my lesson. Will lever go there again!)
blood and tears (hearts)
they were here first (The core of our relationship that took time, understanding, and unconditional love (aka trials and tribulations) to establish)
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmm that you only meant well? (you thought our love could withstand it)
well of course you did
Mmmm whatcha say,
Mmmm that it's all for the best? (you thought it'd bring us closer)
of course it is
Mmmm whatcha say?
Mmmm that it's just what we need (to add adventure and a new sense of passion to our dynamic)
you decided this (you went through with initializing *it*)
whatcha say?
Mmmm what did she say? (she's now come between us... you value her word more than my own- despite our vows to put each other first)
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth (ultimatums...aka "you agreed and wanted this just as much as i")
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs (sentiments far too sweet to be believable- an attempt to cover up "new feelings of likenless" for the third party)
speak no feeling no I don't believe you (your over exaggeration is palpable and doesn't help to convince me that my biggest fear isn't turning to reality)
you don't care a bit,
you don't care a bit (your sights are no longer set on just the two of us - *you and I*...but on *we*...you can see that I regret this and want no part in it any longer- but it's already done. This new reality is all you care about ...you no longer care about *us*)
(hide and seek)
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut outs
(hide and seek)
speak no feeling no I don't believe you
you don't care a bit,
you don't care a (you don't care a) bit
(hide and seek)
oh no, you don't care a bit
oh no, you don't care a bit
(hide and seek)
oh no, you don't care a bit
you don't care a bit
you don't care a bit -
This song is about injustice - specifically, the Holocaust of WWII. But in may also refer to 9/11.
"what the hell is going on - the dust has only just begun to fall" I think this refers to all the ash that fell after the WTC towers collapsed. I don't think there are any other obvious references to 9/11.
"busy streets amass with people would stop to hold there heads heavy" I think this is about people seeing some injustice being committed (such as Nazis attacking Jews)out in the street during the day, but were too cowardly to do anything to help; so they "hold their heads heavy" which basically means to look down at the ground and move along.
"hide and seek" Jewish families on the run had to tell their children that they were playing a game of hide and seek, hiding from the scary men with black uniforms and red arm bands (Nazis), because children were too young to understand what was really going on (that they would be killed if the Nazis found them.)
"trains and sewing machines" Jews were shipped to concentration camps on packed train cars. Sewing machines could refer to tattoo guns which have a needle, similar to a sewing machine, used to tattoo concentration camp numbers on Jewish prisoners. Or, it could be that Jews were put to work with sewing machines making Nazi uniforms, etc.
"oily marks appear on walls were pleasure moments hung before" When you shoot someone, the blood splatters on the wall and then dries. Dried blood has a brownish color, like oil. Instead of family portraits of happy times on the walls, now there are blood stains.
I think the "whatcha say" part is about people's excuses and how they were willing to look away while this genocide occurred. I think maybe it refers to non-Jewish Germans.
"you only meant well, well of course you did" Maybe someone who had good intentions but lacked the courage to help Jewish refugees by hiding them in their basement or something like that.
"it's all for the best" Perhaps this person didn't agree with what the Nazis were doing but figured it was in the best interest of their country.
"it's just what we need" Someone who disliked Jews might say something along these lines.
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