04 Love Always Remains by MGMT Lyrics Meaning – Exploring the Timeless Search for Connection
Lyrics
It’s not specific, and the pictures show it best.
I know there’s trees I know there’s sand and I know there’s grass,
I know it’s somewhere in the past.
There’s a girl out there who’s lookin for it too,
She’s not sure when she’ll go or exactly what she’ll do.
If I am doomed am I the first on or the last?
Am I just someone from the past?
No one has to hear, the sound of people laughing at their fear, and the ocean and sun are always there, to make you happy if you’re feeling scared of the darkness.
If I ever saw a ghost it’d change the way I think.
I wouldn’t gasp for air if ever I did sink.
I wouldn’t struggle, I’d just let it all out fast,
And then start living in the past.
If we hold the hand that rapes the hand,
And everyone can feel the hand,
And nothing’s gonna change,
It could be the time we’re living in,
We’ll never feel so safe again,
But love always remains
MGMT’s ’04 Love Always Remains’ is a track that invites us to explore the uncharted territories of our own aspirations and the inherent desire for a connection that transcends time. While it nests within the band’s distinctive psychedelic pop ambiance, the song ripples out to touch the edges of existential wonder.
The lyrics found in this particular piece offer more than a simple melodic sojourn; they provide a canvas for internal reflection painted with the colours of nostalgia, longing, and the pursuit of meaning. The spiritual voyage that MGMT embarks upon in this song is a profound odyssey into the depths of the human condition.
The Geographic Canvas: Transcending Time and Space
The inaugural lines of ’04 Love Always Remains’ are less about a physical destination and more about a state of mind. The ‘place out west’ embodies the classic American motif of the frontier, the unknown that has historically promised rebirth and new beginnings. MGMT uses this imagery to evoke a sense of yearning for an idyllic state that seems to be both in the past and somewhere on the horizon of possibility.
In these lyrics, the west represents the ever-elusive space where dreams materialize, where nature’s beauty prevails uncontaminated, and where one can escape the vicissitudes of reality. It’s significant that the landscape is detailed through ‘pictures,’ suggesting a constructed reality or a memory frozen in time, as reliable as it is intangible.
The Seeker and the Sought: Companions in Quest
Much like the duality of the song’s physical and metaphysical spaces, the lyrics introduce two seekers: the protagonist and a kindred spirit ‘looking for it too.’ This mirrors the human propensity to search for others who share the same existential inquiries and to pursue connections that may anchor us within the vastness of experience.
The recurring theme where both parties are unsure of their journey’s specifics emphasizes life’s uncertainty and the shared experience of ambiguity. The ‘girl out there’ is not just another person but a symbol of the universal search for companionship and understanding, the belief that we are not alone in our quest for meaning.
Eternal Echoes: The Hidden Meaning in Melancholy
MGMT masterfully inserts a haunting interlude that confronts the listener with a stark reminder: ‘No one has to hear, the sound of people laughing at their fear.’ This verse cuts deep into the common vulnerability of anxious ridicule, suggesting that our deepest fears are often dismissed by others, yet the ‘ocean and sun’ remain constant, serving as comforting forces that outlast momentary darkness.
This segment reflects the hidden meaning within ’04 Love Always Remains’ — the endurance of elemental forces as metaphors for persistent love and the light that guides us through personal despair. MGMT encapsulates the assurance of nature’s mantle outlasting fleeting fears, positing that despite the transient nature of existence, something timeless persists to provide solace.
A Ghostly Revelation: Confronting Our Mortality
The prospect of encountering a ghost symbolizes a direct brush with the beyond, an event that would inherently reshape one’s worldview. The protagonist’s response, a declared willingness to ‘let it all out fast,’ is indicative of an acceptance of the futility in resisting life’s eventualities and a commitment to surrender to the flow of time.
Through this acceptance of the spectral and the surrender to the inevitable, there is a paradoxical liberation hinted at. The song suggests that through acknowledging mortality and impermanence, one can truly begin ‘living in the past,’ appreciating each moment as a precious artifact of memory and experience.
The Timeless Refrain: Love’s Enduring Anthem
The closing verse draws a somber picture of collective resignation to a world that’s unchanging in its capacity for apathy and harm: ‘If we hold the hand that rapes the hand, and everyone can feel the hand, and nothing’s gonna change.’ It’s a grim portrayal of human interconnectedness marred by destructive cycles.
Yet, it’s within this bleak landscape that MGMT weaves an optimistic thread—’love always remains.’ It is posited as the enduring counter to despair, an unshakeable belief that through societal hardships and the darkness of human nature, love survives as an unwavering force, an eternal touchstone that remains long after turmoil fades.
