Slippery People by Talking Heads Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Enigmatic Anthem of Inner Turmoil
Lyrics
You were rollin’ over
Fall on your face
You must be having fun
Walk lightly!
Think of a time.
You’d best believe
This thing is real
Put away that gun
And this part is simple
Try to recognize
What is in your mind
God help us!
Help us lose our minds
These slippery people
Help us understand
What’s the matter with him? (He’s alright!)
I see his face (The lord won’t mind)
Don’t know no games (He’s alright)
Love from the bottom to the top
Turn like a wheel (He’s alright)
See for yourself (The lord won’t mind)
We’re gonna move (Right now)
Turn like a wheel inside a wheel
I remember when
Sittin’ in the tub
Pulled out the plug
The water was runnin’ out
Cool down
Stop acting crazy
They’re gonna leave
And we’ll be on our own
Seven times five
They were living creatures
Watch ’em come to life
Right before your eyes
Backsliding!
How do you do?
These slippery people
Gonna see you through
Talking Heads’ ‘Slippery People’ is more than a toe-tapping groove; it’s a philosophical dive into the human psyche. The 1983 release, nestled within the album ‘Speaking in Tongues,’ stirs a concoction of funk, gospel, and new wave rhythm, enshrined with lyrical mystique.
Through the deliberate ambiguity of the Talking Heads’ lyrics, ‘Slippery People’ beckons listeners into a cerebral dance. David Byrne’s avant-garde wordplay, backed by the frenetic pulse of the band, echoes personal and societal reflections that resonate even in today’s digitized and disconnected world.
The Cosmic Dance of Conviction and Confusion
At the heart of ‘Slippery People’ beats a rhythm of human complexity. The song is an ingenious navigation through the contradictions of existence – a recognition of life’s tendency to knock you down (‘You were rollin’ over / Fall on your face’), countered immediately by an appeal to light-heartedness and enjoyment (‘You must be having fun’). This juxtaposition serves as a reminder of the resilience and humor needed to face adversity.
David Byrne’s vocals uplift these dualities. They both question and affirm, prod and soothe, as if embodying the spiritual journey from ignorance to enlightenment. It’s a serenade to human vulnerability (‘Think of a time. / You’d best believe / This thing is real’) and the shared, often slippery, quest for understanding.
Facing the Barrel of Reality: ‘Put away that gun’
In an era punctuated by Cold War paranoia and the looming threat of nuclear annihilation, the command to ‘Put away that gun’ resonates as a universal plea for sanity and peace. The Talking Heads weave this imperative seamlessly into the song’s fabric, urging listeners to disarm not just the physical weapon but also the metaphorical guns of ego, prejudice, and fear we aim at ourselves and each other.
This disarmament is not a sign of defeat but rather a call to inner strength. By examining ‘What is in your mind,’ Byrne challenges us to confront our own slippery thoughts – those that elude, deceive, and often control us.
The Divine Comedy of ‘Slippery People’: A Heavenly Inquisition
There’s an essence of gospel in the choral refrains (
Decoding the Hidden Meaning Behind ‘These Slippery People’
The term ‘slippery people’ can be seen as a metaphor for the elusive nature of truth and identity. In a world where facades are common and understanding is fleeting, these ‘slippery people’ may represent the facets of ourselves and society that are difficult to grasp and even more challenging to hold onto.
As the song progresses, the request for help (‘God help us! Help us lose our minds’) becomes a paradoxical plea to shed the confines of rationality in order to fully embrace the experience of being alive. It’s a nod to the ecstatic surrender found in spiritual and religious practices, a testament to the transformative power of losing oneself to find something greater.
The Memorable Lines That Define ‘Slippery People’
Few songs manage to implant themselves in the collective consciousness with a line as simple yet as powerful as ‘You must be having fun.’ It’s a lyrical motif that distills the essence of human pursuit into three words. Are we not all, in different ways, searching for enjoyment amidst the chaos?
‘Seven times five / They were living creatures,’ another enigmatic line, evokes biblical and natural imagery, hinting at a creation story reimagined. It’s the cryptic poetry of the Talking Heads that invites and defies interpretation, leaving it imprinted in memory and ripe for personal significance.
