It’s Working by MGMT Lyrics Meaning – Decoding the Psychedelic Tapestry of Sound and Word
Lyrics
So I can see your faces
The eyes are wrong
How will I know if it’s working right?
Light confuses
The tiny isles of bruises
The mangled lines
I see the signs of aging
But if I try to feel at all I am deceived
My mind’s affected
It’s empty now
As I lay down
I feel alright
My heart is racing
Turn the noise on
I’d like to feed my poison
Assembly lines
Carry a velvet warning
To the yard
It’s just like striking matches
The polish lies
But it’s working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind
And not your heart
No, it’s working
It’s working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
It’s working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
It’s working in your blood
Which you know is not the same as love
Love is only in your mind and not your heart
As we dive into the kaleidoscopic world of MGMT’s ‘It’s Working,’ a track lifted from their sophomore effort ‘Congratulations,’ we unravel a tapestry of sound and lyricism that is as bewildering as it is mesmerizing. With its synth-tinged layers and an undercurrent of dream-like sequences, the song leaves us oscillating between reality and an altered state, all while probing the deepest corners of consciousness.
There is no simple feat in dissecting the complex nature of this track. It beckons with its cryptic narrative and the ever-present question – ‘How will I know if it’s working right?’ This elusive query serves as a consistent pulse throughout the song, evoking a sense of internal struggle and the search for verification in the midst of life’s chaotic play.
A Psychedelic Inquiry into Self-Perception
The eyes that focus ‘so I can see your faces’ immediately transport us into an intimate tussle with perception and self-awareness. It’s as though the song is an internal dialogue, with the ‘I’ grappling to understand the reflection staring back from the mirror. Are these ‘eyes’ that behold life correctly interpreting the world, or is there a fault in the lens through which they peer?
MGMT nestles this question in a canopy of psychedelic sound, perhaps signifying the disorienting and often unreliable nature of human perception. The inquiry becomes a pilgrimage through the mind, asking not just about the song’s effectiveness, but probing deeper into whether our experiences and understandings are ‘working right’ as well.
The Mangled Lines: Wearing Signs of Aging
In the ‘mangled lines’ that bear ‘The signs of aging,’ we see an acknowledgement of time’s unforgiving march. It’s a universal affliction, one that does not spare even the most spirited. The ‘tiny isles of bruises’ could signify the small, yet poignant, hurts that life bestows upon us – battles scars from the relentless tides of existence.
Yet, MGMT doesn’t rest on simply stating this fact. There’s an attempt to feel, an effort to engage with this aging, which ultimately seems deceitful. The mind feels affected, drawing attention to the chemical and psychological changes that come with time, often leading us to a state of nostalgia or denial about the current self.
A Sonic Velvet Warning: The Allure and Danger of Nostalgia
The song carries a ‘velvet warning’ to the listeners – a soft yet serious caution. Nostalgia often has a seductive pull, much like ‘striking matches.’ It illuminates and warms but can also burn and destroy. There’s a fine line between cherishing memories and being consumed by them, and ‘It’s Working’ seems to tread this line with a mix of apprehension and acceptance.
The soundscape of the track supports this by juxtaposing soothing melodies with undercurrents of tension, mimicking the dichotomy of retrospection. The notion that such reflection is working within us, enhancing or corroding, rings clear and underscores a potent, hidden narrative.
Deceptively Simple Yet Profoundly Resonant: The Memorable Lines
Amidst the complexity of the song, a set of lines cut through with a kind of haunting clarity: ‘Love is only in your mind and not your heart.’ These words paradoxically contradict and cement the age-old belief that love is a matter of the heart, not the cerebrum.
Yet, the assertion that love is not in the blood but an abstract mental construct resonates deeply, suggesting that the intensity of feeling often attributed to heartstrings is, in truth, a psychological occurrence. It’s a bold statement, challenging the listener to rethink preconceived notions of emotion and affection.
Unveiling the Veiled: The Hidden Meaning of ‘It’s Working’
‘It’s Working’ can be interpreted as a commentary on the artificiality that pervades our lives. From ‘assembly lines’ producing our daily needs to striking matches that are eventually snuffed out, there’s a persistent tension between the manufactured and the organic.
The song might just as well address the fabricated nature of modern love and how it is systematically replacing heartfelt connections. The blood, symbolic of life and passion, is differentiated from love, alluding to the idea that what runs through us might fuel our lives but doesn’t necessarily equate to the love we fabricate in our thoughts. MGMT invites us to ponder whether the lives we lead and the feelings we experience are genuinely heartfelt or simply a sequence of conditioned responses.
