Things to do by Alex G Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Complex Layers of Existence
Lyrics
Yeah, only the cheapest things left there for you
And the only thing I learned from you is that there's nothing left
To look forward to
I was asleep for days and now you're the only thing
Keepin' me awake
The calculator will make the same mistakes
Yeah, I see it in its face
Hold on tight to this time, this place cause
Everything you know will be erased
You were born inside your head and
That is where you'll be when you are dead
You are just a boy you are no man and
Nobody you know will understand
You are just a boy you are no man and
Nobody you know will understand
Welcoming you back home
The only one that you have ever known
Welcoming you back home
The only one that you will ever know
In the reflective corners of indie music, Alex G’s song ‘Things to do’ emerges as a haunting reverie on life’s existential treadmill. With its subdued melodies and introspective lyrics, the track invites listeners into a world where the mundane and profound coalesce.
This track, part of Alex G’s discography, serves as a canvas for the artist’s intimate musings on the inevitable passage of time, the weight of expectation, and the solitary journey of self-discovery. It’s a lyrical introspection that both comforts and discomfits, as familiar as it is alien.
Unraveling the Tapestry of Life’s Cheap Thrills
The opening lines of ‘Things to do’ evoke images of an individual scraping at the bottom of life’s barrel, left with only ‘the cheapest things’ as sources of amusement. Alex G taps into a universal feeling of searching for meaning in a world that often presents us with uninspired options.
It’s a poignant reminder of our society’s tendency to fill voids with the ephemeral, the material, and the inconsequential. As listeners, we’re invited to question our own pursuits: Are we truly living, or just ticking off items on a list of ‘things to do’?
Awakening from Apathy: The Stimulus of Sorrow
Amidst the lethargy conveyed by ‘I was asleep for days,’ there is a shift when the protagonist identifies a source of wakefulness — a muse, possibly tinged with melancholy. There’s an implied reliance on others to jolt us from the numbing routine, to keep us ‘awake’ in a world that sedates.
This wakefulness comes at the cost of vulnerability as emotional attachments expose us to the risk of repetition — a ‘calculator’ doomed to repeat its ‘same mistakes.’ There’s a tragic beauty in our futile attempts to find solace in systems designed to falter, essentially humanizing our mechanized helpers.
The Ephemeral Hold of Here and Now
The impermanence of life echoes in the haunting reminder that ‘everything you know will be erased.’ It is a humbling call to grip tightly to the present, recognizing that the certainty of death renders much of our struggles and structures transient.
Alex G juxtaposes this unsettling truth with a revelatory counterpoint — the realization that the self is both the origin and conclusion of our journey. Our existence bookends within the realm of our consciousness, from birth to the inevitable silence of mortality.
Embracing the Isolation of Individuality
Perhaps the most gripping element of ‘Things to do’ lies in its stark portrayal of isolation: ‘Nobody you know will understand.’ It’s a line that resonates the intrinsic loneliness of the human condition, where even surrounded by others, one’s inner world remains a secluded sanctuary.
This solitude underscores the futility in seeking validation or comprehension from external sources. Instead, Alex G invites embrace of the individual path, where growth and understanding emerge from self-reflection rather than societal approval.
Homecoming to the Self: The Song’s Hidden Heartbeat
The song circles back to a place of introspection with the repetitive closure, ‘Welcoming you back home,’ signifying a return to the essence of being. In this homecoming, Alex G might be insinuating that the ‘only one’ is not a person or place, but an acceptance of the self.
Here lies the crux of the song — a realization that despite life’s search for external anchors, it is within the chambers of the mind that we find our truest sense of home. It’s a home that remains forever unchanged, unaffected by the world’s volatility.
