Modest Mouse: Float On Meaning
Song Released: 2004
Float On Lyrics
Well he just drove off, sometimes life's OK.
I ran my mouth off a bit too much, oh what did I say?
Well you just laughed it off, it was all OK.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation: -
i think it's ment to be taken at face value: life might suck (it mighg not it might be great it just depends on the person either way it will feel like life sucks) but it's ok because right now in this exact moment in time you don't have to worry about that report, stress about that test (even if you already failed it), or feel anxious about asking out that girl across the bar or the one already at your table. right now right this second there are only 2 things you need to do breath and continue floating on and you'll somehow be ok
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It’s about the afterlife. He doesn’t believe and he feels the constant push by other to keep quiet about it. The sheep in the video are Christians. After being pushed by society, he’s sarcastically saying “alright, already we’ll all float on” The part about a cop car is about sexual freedom and promiscuity. The “cop car” is a person who isn’t “hip” and the drive off is them parting ways without calling him out or victimizing him.
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What do they chant in the background? Its like "something, something, I can't something" and then goes to the chorus... Any thoughts?
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Not sure if this has been pointed out yet but Im pretty sure the words are "a fake jewel maker took ever last dime with that scam. It was worth it just to learn from slight of hand". That makes much more sence then a fake Jamaican which just sounds kinda silly and slightly racist.
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Float On by Modest Mouse "A Private and Anonymous Song Review which has NOTHING to do with my Virtual Life"
I backed my car into a cop car the other day
Well he just drove off sometimes life's ok
I ran my mouth off a bit too much oh what did I say
Well you just laughed it off it was all ok
In BusyTown, the mouse backed his car into a policeman the other day.. The cop didn't get mad or give him a ticket or use his "authority" in any way. He just let him off the hook. Then the mouse ran his mouth off and no one became angered by it. They let him spout off about nothing for hours and no one judged him and said, "Mouse, man. You are crazy & you are not doing well & get a bloody-ass grip." Instead, his friends aka "you" just laughed it off. You didn't contact his therapist and this was sooo healthy and wise of you. The mouse is saying that these were examples of Floating On and allowing a person to make mistakes and be himself. Crashing cars and blabbering on are human traits. We all do both. He is happy that no one told him he was an auschfart and that made him feel OK.
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on any way well
We will all rise above the "concern" and attempts to control which we sooo often throw in our friends' faces, behind their backs. We are all OK.
Well, a fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam
It was worth it just to learn from sleight-of-hand
Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands
Good news will work its way to all them plans
We both got fired on the exactly the same day
Well we'll float on good news is on the way
The imposter/fraud Jamaican stole the mouse's money. The mouse learned a lot from being screwed over so blatantly. He never realized how deceitful inauthentic Jamaicans could be and he was shocked and hurt. Bad news always comes at us from all directions and in a steady spout but we mustn't use our "worry" muscle. We should not freak on bad news. We must rise above it all and Float On. Good news will come around eventually. Good things are certainly bound to happen. (I mean, look at Adele's life.) If we all got fired on the exact same day we would throw a party & cry tears of joy. WHY? Because we are all in this together... Even the shifty "Jamaicans" with their savage tans. We need to support each other and lift each other up. We don't need to tear each other DOWN. This mouse is singing about bonding together and transcending terrible experiences. It is a tune reminding us that authority; a punitive grandpa, a distracted cop, a bully of a doctor, a slimy-faux-islander and/or an angry mob of townees need to relax. They need to stop creating damaging scenarios for mice and show love.
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Now don't you worry we'll all float on
Alright already we'll all float on
Alright don't worry we'll all float on
The mouse is chanting: We are all OK and we will Float On and rise above oppression.
And we'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Aliright don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy
We'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Alright already we'll all float on
Ok don't worry we'll all float on
Even if things get heavy we'll all float on
Alright already we'll all float on
Don't you worry we'll all float on
All float on
The mouse is telling us to recite this 500 times: "No one has power over me." When people say you are an addict, or you are delusional, or you are too skinny or you run too much or your father smells of elderberries, whatever you are doing "wrong" in their opinion at that given moment >> BLAAAHHHH TO THEM. Float on. Rise above the chaos they are attempting to create in your life. Our reactions & attachment to their "attempts to control" cause us the most suffering. Attempts to control another mouse are futile in HELPING him.. Acceptance means taking responsibility for our own behaviour. We all have problems in our lives. When people become SOOO involved in a loved one's behaviour it strips the controlled mouse of both self-respect and self-esteem. The one being controlled wants to shout "Back The Fuck Off. Seriously." This would only anger the controlling mice or mob. It would do no good. The mouse being oppressed realizes that it is so much easier for the controlling ones to focus on him rather than looking in the mirror at their own lunacy.
This mouse is telling us that to truly love someone we must detach from them>>as in never try to control them. Any attempts to control a mouse might have the best of intentions, but the rodent being manipulated is experiencing this as harm. It reminds me of certain friends I've known who struggle with their own addictions and prostitution problems yet choose to ignore their issues. Instead they look at other mice around them and they judge. When people judge a mouse they have spent actually NO face time with in AGES, this is upsetting. "You are sick and you need serious help and we are all caring about you-- so in order for you to be OKAY in our book you need to do this or do that." Stop. Everyone look in the mirror. Groom your whiskers. (I do.) Read "I'm OKAY you're OKAY".. When people try to control.. it is much more revealing of the "helpers" character than it is of the "sick" one's character. Certain people when giving their "help/advice" send out an "I'm ashamed of you cuz you are such a mess" vibe. They cajole and coax from all directions and think they are being "thoughtful", when quite the contrary. The bruised mouse experiences it as oppression. If the "sick mousie" stays in the dynamic/relationship it can actually cause the "sick mousie" to plummet into a downward spiral unless he DETACHES from their attempts to control. He can say "Thank you very much for your concern, but actually I am doing very well. Good luck to you too, Nutjob." He needs to simply detach and take care of himself and not give one flying fuck at a rolling donut what people think about him or say about him. Besides, what they think of him is none of his business. The people talking and conspiring and gossiping are not aware of the theory of detachment so he can't argue with them or judge them. They simply can't help being dense & he certainly wouldn't critique them for it. They haven't yet learned that the best way to love a mouse is to support him (IE spend quality face time with him) and tell him they care about him, THEN promptly go to al-anon. We must try not to judge other mice and tell them that we think they need help because honestly, we have NO real clue as to what they have ACTUALLY been through over the past several years and what they are going through now. If the mouse's friends continually tell him that he is not "OK" in their book, maybe he just has friendship problems, for which of course he should take full blame and responsibility, because everything is his fault. His role is the CULPRIT/SCAPEGOAT for each and every sad problem in the world and NOW we can all relax because he is the one who wrecks everything, and we are- all the rest of us micies- "perfect". If this is the case, & one mouse doesn't Float On because everyone else smooooshes him, this song is IMMENSELY similar to their song, Jesus Christ Was An Only Child. And one they have in the works called, Everyone On Earth Is An Asshole Except For Me.
I mentioned a self-help book called, "I'm OK, You're OK" written by Thomas A Harris, MD. Below paragraph is from Wiki: The phrase I'm OK, You're OK is one of four "life positions" that each of us may take.
The four positions are:
I'm Not OK, You're OK
I'm Not OK, You're Not OK
I'm OK, You're Not OK
I'm OK, You're OK
Some smarty-pants wrote a book called, "I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional" and THAT is the truth to life. Either we are ALL OK or we are ALL NOT OK. We must never rush a mouse to actually "get well" on our terms. We need to allow "addicts" & trauma victims the space and dignity to "recover" at their own pace. Every mouse's business, whether "recovering" or not, is to work his own program. We are powerless to fix another person and our actions can cause QUITE the opposite effect. This part is from Wiki, "The final chapter of I’m OK, You’re OK refers to social issues contemporary at the time of writing, including the Cold War, Vietnam war and the contemporary controversial research of individuals’ response to authority conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram. Harris hopes 'that nations will soon gain the maturity to engage in Adult to Adult dialogue, rather than conducting diplomacy in the collective archaic ego states of Parent or Child, which he sees as causing war and disharmony.' " OkeeyDokeey? The number one thing to do to "help" someone we love is to become honest about our own actions and our feelings face to face. If Buckminster Fuller was right and "god is a verb" then we are all the "adult" children of an imperfect addict. Now face it.
Hence the Moral: It sounds as of this mouse is singing, "I'm OK & You're each OK individually, but NOT when you behave as a team of oppressive parents". Of course, if you think I am wrong you may squash me at any point in time. Eek. I'm scared. -
This song explains that even when you think that you can't do anything right and you think your life sucks, everyone thinks that about themselves. We are all in the same boat, but no matter what happens, everything will be alright. This song is very inspirational and lets you put into perspective that life doesn't suck. Sucky things will happen to everyone, but even if things get heavy, we'll all float on.
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I think of floating on a sea of white lilies as the water tickles me
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I always think of graduating high school and everyone floating on okay, no matter if you got into college or not :]
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The fake jamician is Miss Cleo.
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"Fake Jamaican"... Miss Cleo?
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Song means exactly what it says. The only thing up for debate is exactly what kind of scam a fake jamaican would pull. Any thoughts?
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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