Are We Ready? (Wreck) by Two Door Cinema Club Lyrics Meaning – Unpacking the Anthem of Discontent
Lyrics
Stand up, take a bow
You’re wonderful
You should be comfortable, don’t think at all
Just don’t think at all, think at all
Now, now you’re digging a wreck
What will you write about?
How did you find that out?
You get paid, don’t need any respect
Senses fading, she’s no lady
Oh, we’ve made a mistake
We’ve lost our minds
We’ve lost our memory
Oh, what’s it gonna take?
There’s always something else
Waiting on the shelf
You could be president
You never paid the rent but I don’t mind
You got no reason to learn what came first
It can’t be good enough
(Good enough)
Now, now you’re throwing the stone
You never simplify
Somebody stretch your eye
What will you say
With that mind of your own
Are we ready?
Hold it steady
Oh, we’ve made a mistake
We’ve lost our minds
We’ve lost our memory
Oh, what’s it gonna take?
There’s always something else
So occupy yourself
I saw the world today
It comes in green and gray
Refrigerator humming
Chewing gum and instant karma
The wars are whoring
All the stores are bored with all your money
We follow what’s to come
That’s what they sold to me
Now, now you’re throwing the stone
You never simplify
Somebody stretch your eye
What will you say
With that mind of your own
Are we ready?
Hold it steady
Now, now you’re throwing the stone
Oh, we’ve made a mistake
We’ve lost our minds
You never simplify
We’ve lost our memory
Somebody stretch your eye
What will you say
Oh, what’s it gonna take?
With that mind of your own
There’s always something else
Are we ready?
Waiting on the shelf
Hold it steady
In the cacophony of modern music, Two Door Cinema Club’s ‘Are We Ready? (Wreck)’ resonates as a sharp critique of societal woes, wrapped in the band’s signature indie pop veneer. At first listen, the track from the band’s 2016 album ‘Gameshow’ might come off as another catchy tune, but a closer dissection reveals layers of introspective thought perfect for the pensive listener.
The song maneuvers through the complex labyrinth of contemporary life, dropping existential questions and commentaries like breadcrumbs along the path. It’s a song that thrives on its energetic contradiction, urging us to dance on the surface while imploring us to delve deeper into the murky waters of our shared reality.
An Invigorating Cry Against Complacency
The opening line, ‘Beyond a sacred cow, stand up, take a bow, you’re wonderful,’ sets the stage for an ironic takedown of society’s veneration of the mundane and mediocre. Two Door Cinema Club doesn’t just rally against societal norms; they poke fun at the herd mentality that applauds simply existing without questioning or challenging the status quo.
‘You should be comfortable, don’t think at all,’ the song continues, a satirical pat on the back for those who turn a blind eye to the chaos around them. This comfort in ignorance is depicted as a wreck we ourselves dig, a clear warning against intellectual apathy.
The Identity Crisis Epidemic
In the lines, ‘We’ve made a mistake, We’ve lost our minds, We’ve lost our memory,’ we find a haunting echo of a generation’s collective amnesia. The song suggests a loss of historical consciousness, a forgetting of the events and mistakes that shape our present landscape.
It’s a powerful reminder of how disconnected we can become from our past and, as a result, from our own identity. Two Door Cinema Club probes at the listener, querying what it will take for us to break the cycle and truly find the will to remember and learn.
Dismantling the Illusion of Success
‘You could be president, You never paid the rent but I don’t mind,’ the song taunts, shredding the fallacy of meritocratic triumph. It’s a critical nod to how societal metrics of success no longer correlate with the traditional paths that once dictated them. In a world where image trumps substance, the song dares to ask: is anything we strive for truly substantial?
‘It can’t be good enough’ is the almost-despairing admission that what we have set before us as achievements, as markers of a life well-lived, might not be satisfying after all. This line is a powerful embodiment of the disillusionment many feel in their pursuit of prescribed dreams.
A Lament for Materialism and War
Profoundly, the song doesn’t just limit its gaze to internal struggles but paints a broader picture of the external forces shaping our dystopia. ‘The wars are whoring, All the stores are bored with all your money,’ is the biting commentary on the commercialization of conflict and the unsatisfying hunt for happiness through material wealth.
Two Door Cinema Club weaves a narrative of a world so consumed by consumerism that even our actions of buying and selling have become numb, routine, and insensitive to the more significant plight surrounding us.
Diving into the Song’s Most Memorable Lines
‘I saw the world today, It comes in green and gray,’ is a visceral mirror to our own reflections on modern life, where nature (‘green’) is continuously overshadowed by the concrete and digital (‘gray’). The song evokes powerful imagery of a world struggling to balance technological advancement with environmental consciousness.
Further, the refrain ‘Are we ready? Hold it steady,’ almost taunts the listener with its rhythmic urgency. Are we prepared for the consequences of our choices? Can we maintain our stance amidst the tremors of change? These resonating questions in ‘Are We Ready? (Wreck)’ linger long after the music fades, compelling a thoughtful examination of ourselves and the society we inhabit.
