Alien Days by MGMT Lyrics Meaning – Exploring the Psychedelic Odes to Change and Perception

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for MGMT's Alien Days at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

Sometimes the windows combine with the seams in a way
That twitches on a peak at the place where the spirit was slain
One foot leads to another
Night’s for sleep, blue curtains, covers
Sequins in the eyes
That’s a fine time to dine
Divine who’s circling, feeding the cards to the midwives
Who love those alien days
The nonstop alien days
Ooh the alien days

Must’ve skipped the ship and joined the team
For a ride
A couple hours to learn the controls
And commandeer both my eyes
Hey!
Be quick dear, times are uncertain
One month crawling, next year blurring
Decades in the drain
Monograms on the brain
Decide what’s working and what’s moved on
To the last phase
The floodgate alien days
I love those alien days
Mmm… the alien days

When the peels are down, it feels like traveling in style
You don’t need wings to hover forty ton stones for a mile
And in the summer, virgin visions
Mindless humming
Numbers can’t decide if the day’s supposed to smile

Today find infinite ways it could be
Plenty worse
It’s a blessing but it’s also a curse

Those days taught me everything I know
How to catch a feeling
And when to let it go
How all the scheming, soulless creatures
Can’t find dreamer’s honey in the hive
If it’s right beneath the nose

And when the light is new
The sky shows trembling cartoons
You don’t need smoke to cover
Most of the world in a gloom
But here comes racer number 7
Watch my fingers ripping out the lines

If it looks like we could lose
If it looks like we could lose
If it looks like we could lose
If it looks like we could lose

MGMT, the American duo known for their unorthodox and psychedelic approach to music, delivers an enigmatic and textured tableau in their song ‘Alien Days.’ The track, a mix of obscure lyricism and mellow yet captivating soundscapes, serves as a portal to the inner machinations of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, the minds behind the music. ‘Alien Days’ is a part of the band’s self-titled third album, showcasing their continued evolution in sound and philosophical introspection.

The song is an intricate tapestry of ideas, weaving together themes of nostalgia, existentialism, and the human condition through its cryptic lyrics. The use of the word ‘alien’ suggests both a feeling of estrangement and the exploration of unfamiliar territory, raising questions about both societal constructs and personal experiences. This analysis aims to demystify the track, illuminating the hidden depths within its eclectic verses.

A Gateway to the Unfamiliar: Alien Days as a Metaphor for Change

The title ‘Alien Days’ itself is a metaphor that opens a plethora of interpretative doors. It hints at times of strangeness, moments of transition where everything familiar seems to twist into the unrecognizable. The lyrics evoke a scenario of discomfort and the growing pains of adaptation. Through ‘windows’ that ‘combine with the seams in a way,’ MGMT expresses how perception can warp and challenge reality, resulting in a metamorphosis of the everyday into something alien.

This theme resonates with the array of changes one faces through life, from the simple shift of day to night encapsulated in ‘Night’s for sleep, blue curtains, covers’ to the broader strokes of personal development and societal shifts. The band cleverly uses this dissonance to delve into the tension between the past and the present, suggesting that growth often comes hand-in-hand with feelings of detachment from previous norms and selves.

Surreal Sequins and Mindful Midwives: Deciphering the Imagery

MGMT doesn’t shy away from surrealism, painting landscapes with fascinating imagery such as ‘Sequins in the eyes’ and ‘feeding the cards to the midwives.’ These phrases, though obscure, evoke a mingling of the mundane with the magical. Eyes sparkle like sequins when dining, perhaps implying the infatuation with life’s simpler pleasures, while midwives, the caretakers of birth, feed off what is arbitrary and left to chance, signifying new beginnings shaped by randomness and fate.

In deciphering MGMT’s visual lexicon, we venture into an exploration of how captivating and confounding life’s journey can be. The sequins and midwives are not just random choices, but rather deliberate selections illustrating how the normal and the bizarre coexist, and how we find and lose meaning in the patterns of existence.

Through the Looking Glass: Alien Days and the Perception of Time

‘One month crawling, next year blurring,’ the song narrates, capturing the relativity of time. MGMT portrays time as a malleable entity, where moments can crawl with painstaking detail or blur into indistinct decades. The notion that time can drain away, leaving only the imprint of ‘Monograms on the brain,’ encourages a reflection on the fleeting nature of our years and the legacy they etch within us.

In MGMT’s world, time is not a linear progression but rather a labyrinth of experiences where the alien days serve as critical junctures, shaping our individual narratives. Each ‘last phase’ represents both an end and a beginning, a transition into new layers of understanding or fresh chapters of existence.

The Song’s Hidden Meaning: Learning to Let Go and Embrace Change

Beyond the psychedelic veneer, ‘Alien Days’ harbors a profound message about acceptance and the fluidity of life. The lines ‘Those days taught me everything I know / How to catch a feeling / And when to let it go’ pacify the alienation with a gentle acceptance of change and the inevitability of evolving perspectives.

MGMT imparts wisdom about the importance of seizing the moment while also recognizing when a phase has passed. The song urges listeners to discern when to hold on to the essence of an experience and when to permit its journey through the sieve of memory, allowing us to engage with the constant flux of identity and environment.

Memorable Lines: ‘The Sky Shows Trembling Cartoons’

In a song brimming with enigmatic phrases, one of the most vivid lines is ‘the sky shows trembling cartoons.’ This striking image serves as a reminder of the ever-evolving canvas of our lives, a display so lively and fluid that it can only be compared to the tremulous nature of a cartoon. It speaks to the essence of perception—how the external world can be a reflection of the internal state, vibrantly alive and ever in motion.

It is in these memorable lines that MGMT encapsulates the essence of ‘Alien Days’—a song about the alienness of the evolving self and the surreal journey through times that feel disjointed from the norm. In these trembling cartoons, we find our fears, hopes, and the recognition that even in the strangest of days lies the potential for beauty and understanding.