Tears For Fears: Mad World Meaning

Song Released: 1982

Covered By: Gary Jules (2003), Jasmine Thompson (2013), Taylor John Williams (2014)

Mad World Lyrics

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my...

1. TheAdicts

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   Nov 14th 2006 !⃝

   Great job explaining it!! By the way, this is a great song!
2. anonymous

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   Oct 29th 2006 !⃝

   I think you cannot understand the true meaning of the song unless you personally have experienced this type of empty and painful childhood. Here's my interpretation.
   
   "all around me are familiar faces
   worn out places
   worn out faces"
   
   this expresses how everything and all people no matter how grand do not cause any emotional reaction even though he knows it should. Just emptiness.
   
   "bright and early for the daily races
   going no where
   going no where"
   
   this states that he feel he wakes up for nothing. No matter what he does good or bad has no meaning. Just emotional emptiness.
   
   "their tears are filling up their glasses
   no expression
   no expression
   hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow
   no tomorrow
   no tomorrow"
   
   he sees others in there sorrow and how much they hurt and feels that all experiences even the good ones always lead to ruin. So he thinks what is the point of anything. Tomorrow holds no good because it will always end badly. Just emotional emptiness.
   
   "and I find I kind of funny
   i find it kind of sad
   the dreams in which i’m dying are the best i’ve ever had
   i find it hard to tell you
   i find it hard to take
   when people run in circles its a very very
   mad world
   mad world"
   
   because all is empty only extreme emotions exist, there are no gray areas. So its a little funny (an extreme emotion) a little sad (the opposite extreme emotion). This kind of emotional turmoil is hard to talk about and hard to endure. Because of this emptiness all he can see is endless pointless behavior (no real impact on anything). Just emotional emptiness.
   
   "children waiting for the day they feel good
   happy birthday
   happy birthday
   and I feel the way that every child should
   sit and listen
   sit and listen
   went to school and I was very nervous
   no one knew me
   no one new me
   hello teacher tell me what’s my lesson
   look right through me
   look right through me"
   
   this describes how he started with this blissful innocence and then as time goes he trys to fit in, to be part of the social groups. But he always fails. He sees innocence, eagerness to fit in and then a need guidance to help him. But the help never comes "look right through me" indication that he is transparent empty. Just emotional emptiness.
   
   It is a song completely unrelated from a book character, etc. It is a song to describe how truly hard childhood can be for thoughs who never really fit in. Never really belonged to anything for whatever reason. This depression to apathy emotional flux is very bazaar at times you feel happy that you are sad because at least that gives you some emotion to feel other then that horrible emptiness and at other times you feel sad that the only time you are happy is when you feel sadness.
   
   I'm sorry if this is hard to grasp. But in a way that is the point. You can only experience it to understand it. The behavior and emotion is crazy thus making life a very "mad world".
   
   When in that state you cannot look at the future the present is so painful that there is no tomorrow. It fit the donnie darko character so perfect in the movie. But it isn't about the movie or a book it is just about how horrible life can be when you get stuck inside yourself.
   
   However I do like the quote that has been relay concerning the interpritation of this song "life is a comedy to those that think and a tragedy to those that feel." this quote is totally off base when related to this song. Those that feel also do think, that is what makes the empty emotion that much more painful.

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