QueenBigFat Posted December 3, 2023 Share Posted December 3, 2023 As to Mika’s belief system, let’s not forget that his view is that “there’s a little bit of god in everything. “ Not a song he sings much at concerts but a pretty overarching statement! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mer Posted December 3, 2023 Share Posted December 3, 2023 @crazyaboutmika Thank you so much i love it. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Posted December 5, 2023 Author Share Posted December 5, 2023 I think he was influenced by Harry Nilsson in the sound for this. Anyone else hear it? God it's fantastic. I just want to play it on full blast everywhere! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdeb Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 This is absolutely my favorite song on the album, with Moi, Andy et Paris a very close second. So beautiful. I've thought on the words a bit, and while initially I thought it could be about Mika's mother, the thing that confuses me about that is that he's said his mother understood that he was gay before he even came out to her, and that she urged him to get back together with Andy when they broke up. So it doesn't seem that he would be apologizing to her, and saying to her, if God abandons us, it's for you I stay. I mean, it doesn't sound like she was giving him guilt about his sexuality or his relationship at all. But what about his grandmother? I'm looking at the lyrics and thinking she was in a life that she didn't choose (married at 16 to a man old enough to be her father), and she was stuck, as she aged, living in a broken body... Did she play the victim, not taking responsibility for things that she did? I'm remembering the lyrics to Stuck in the Middle, which basically seemed to be a message to her, where he says, "This is just who I am, this ain't a greater plan to break your heart..." And "with your bitter words you kick me in the gutter... Ours is a family that's based upon tradition, but with my careless words I tread upon your vision." The idea of "tradition" seems like something his grandmother might cling to more than his mother, and his behavior might have been something his grandmother disapproved of, something that they had "bitter words" over. But then again, I guess that could all apply to his mother as well -- we don't know, probably will never know. And in the end it doesn't matter that much to me. I think it's a gorgeous song and it moves me, whatever might be behind the lyrics. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenBigFat Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 Everyone/anyone, I am overwhelmed by trying to track down a single site for a set of translated lyrics in all the discussions in the song forums. Is there such a thing yet? Could someone direct me please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellody Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 17 minutes ago, QueenBigFat said: Everyone/anyone, I am overwhelmed by trying to track down a single site for a set of translated lyrics in all the discussions in the song forums. Is there such a thing yet? Could someone direct me please? We will be collecting them in the comprehensive lyrics thread, but please give us a bit more time, we were away over the weekend and are only slowly catching up on things. 😅 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenBigFat Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 (edited) Oh, good! I can stop obsessively searching! I can give you as much time as you need. And as usual, of course, thank you so much. Edited December 5, 2023 by QueenBigFat 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Ko Kolkowska Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 50 minutes ago, dcdeb said: I've thought on the words a bit, and while initially I thought it could be about Mika's mother, the thing that confuses me about that is that he's said his mother understood that he was gay before he even came out to her, and that she urged him to get back together with Andy when they broke up. So it doesn't seem that he would be apologizing to her, and saying to her, if God abandons us, it's for you I stay. I mean, it doesn't sound like she was giving him guilt about his sexuality or his relationship at all. 50 minutes ago, dcdeb said: we don't know, probably will never know. And in the end it doesn't matter that much to me. I think it's a gorgeous song and it moves me, whatever might be behind the lyrics I agree with you that actually it doesn't matter if we know or not. I don't think that each word is reflecting the real life. it's not an autobiography. And looking for understanding of each word makes to loose the beauty of the whole song. It can be a song about "all" women in his family: mum, Paloma, grandma... And this line "may life forgive us if God abandons us".... When you are watching your beloved suffering and dying each day sometimes you loose your faith, you don't understand why it happens, you think that God left you with all this. So if God abandoned you (maybe does not exists) only life stays something to hold on. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlotteL Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 I mean I do feel like the lyrics could be about his mum who he did have a complicated relationship with (as he's explicitly said himself) but of course we don't know. Also a good guess that it's about his grandma or other people in his family, generational trauma in a way. The first verse implies that the person sees themselves as a victim so they were also hurt themselves and are now passing that on. Stuck in the middle and all she wants are songs with a similar theme I'd say. I don't think SITM is just addressed to his grandma, he is talking about the whole family being very traditional and him being the one who's rocking the boat. And in all she wants he expresses that he feels like his mum sometimes wished she had a straight son, but maybe not because that's what she wants but because it would be easier to explain to her own mum "Get her some adorable pictures done for her mother in Lebanon". 1 hour ago, dcdeb said: I mean, it doesn't sound like she was giving him guilt about his sexuality or his relationship at all. And this is something I don't necessarily agree with. I don't want to speculate about his personal life too much, so I'm gonna try and keep this as a general statement: Just because someone doesn't actively reject you for your sexuality doesn't mean you feel accepted or supported by them. His mum knowing that he was gay isn't the same as him feeling accepted for it or like it didn't matter. Again, I don't want to speculate but what we know for a fact is that he only came out to his family about 20 years after he figured out his sexuality, and that doesn't speak for the fact that he was in an environment where it was seen as completely normal and acceptable. But to at least end this with the topic of the song, it is a very beautiful song and I think the lyrics (about a love that is complicated) work really well with the melody and waltz rhythm because it makes it sound sweet but also creates a certain urgency and tension. And the strings ahhh I love!! (The only thing I really can't get behind are the whispered "je sais que je t'aime"s in the pre-chorus ) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenBigFat Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 26 minutes ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said: 26 minutes ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said: I agree with you that actually it doesn't matter if we know or not. I don't think that each word is reflecting the real life. it's not an autobiography. And looking for understanding of each word makes to loose the beauty of the whole song. It can be a song about "all" women in his family: mum, Paloma, grandma... And this line "may life forgive us if God abandons us".... When you are watching your beloved suffering and dying each day sometimes you loose your faith, you don't understand why it happens, you think that God left you with all this. So if God abandoned you (maybe does not exists) only life stays something to hold on. I think I have come to the conclusion to not try to interpret Mika's lyrics in a totally literal or specifically applicable to his life way. Partly I think that because of the difference between what I —or others — think he is saying and what he reveals that the song was about at a later point, like Relax. Partly because he is not a concrete kind of guy, but a very symbolic thinker, his references oblique on purpose….In the beginning, to maybe be only alluding to his sexuality, disguising it from others—or even from himself! Then, later, because his songs can then be very layered, as I think his thought process is…and then the listener can apply his lyrics to their own lives. And finally, because he communicates so multi-lingually, cross culturally; how concrete can he be? I mean, look at the conversations here? How often is there really The Answer? . I do like his more direct lyrics best, like Good Guys and Let's Party, but that's just me —concrete. But so many of his fans, so many of you here, are so artistic in your own right….so he writes like someone with flowers sprouting —exploding— out of his head! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellody Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 12 minutes ago, CharlotteL said: The only thing I really can't get behind are the whispered "je sais que je t'aime"s in the pre-chorus I like this part, it transports a feeling of intimacy. There was some interview of all those of the last few days where he said that he says a lot about himself in the songs, for example in JSQJT. So I can relate to the idea that it might be about "generational trauma", that also is true for him. This "hurting the ones who are trying to help her" reminds me in a way of Who's gonna love me now. And, as I said before, this "open your heart anyway" is his wish to be accepted, I think. In all the generational trauma. There is also something very sensual to this song, that's one reason why I first thought it's about Andy. It's like this song makes me feel all the possible emotions at the same time, and it's overwhelmingly beautiful. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdeb Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 37 minutes ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said: I agree with you that actually it doesn't matter if we know or not. I don't think that each word is reflecting the real life. it's not an autobiography. And looking for understanding of each word makes to loose the beauty of the whole song. It can be a song about "all" women in his family: mum, Paloma, grandma... And this line "may life forgive us if God abandons us".... When you are watching your beloved suffering and dying each day sometimes you loose your faith, you don't understand why it happens, you think that God left you with all this. So if God abandoned you (maybe does not exists) only life stays something to hold on. I agree 100% that we shouldn't treat it as absolute autobiography. I think there are grains of truth in everything he writes, but it's never word-for-word, exactly as it happened. It's just that, as a writer, I guess I tend to focus more on the words than I should. 16 minutes ago, CharlotteL said: I mean I do feel like the lyrics could be about his mum who he did have a complicated relationship with (as he's explicitly said himself) but of course we don't know. Also a good guess that it's about his grandma or other people in his family, generational trauma in a way. The first verse implies that the person sees themselves as a victim so they were also hurt themselves and are now passing that on. Stuck in the middle and all she wants are songs with a similar theme I'd say. I don't think SITM is just addressed to his grandma, he is talking about the whole family being very traditional and him being the one who's rocking the boat. And in all she wants he expresses that he feels like his mum sometimes wished she had a straight son, but maybe not because that's what she wants but because it would be easier to explain to her own mum "Get her some adorable pictures done for her mother in Lebanon". And this is something I don't necessarily agree with. I don't want to speculate about his personal life too much, so I'm gonna try and keep this as a general statement: Just because someone doesn't actively reject you for your sexuality doesn't mean you feel accepted or supported by them. His mum knowing that he was gay isn't the same as him feeling accepted for it or like it didn't matter. Again, I don't want to speculate but what we know for a fact is that he only came out to his family about 20 years after he figured out his sexuality, and that doesn't speak for the fact that he was in an environment where it was seen as completely normal and acceptable. But to at least end this with the topic of the song, it is a very beautiful song and I think the lyrics (about a love that is complicated) work really well with the melody and waltz rhythm because it makes it sound sweet but also creates a certain urgency and tension. And the strings ahhh I love!! (The only thing I really can't get behind are the whispered "je sais que je t'aime"s in the pre-chorus ) Well, he has said several times over the years specifically that SITM was about his mother and grandmother, but again, I'm sure there are elements that might apply to other family members. And I guess that you're right -- not being actively rejected is not the same as acceptance. I say that all the time, in fact -- tolerance is a good starting point, but acceptance is better. But musically speaking -- the melody, the arrangement, everything about it, it all works for me. I love the "je sais que je t'aime" repetition, too, even though it's so hard for me to say. In fact, I find it easier if I treat it as a name -- Jessie K. Jatem. For some reason, I can say that more easily and I guess that will be close enough when we're all singing together at a gig! 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyLove_CJ Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 14 minutes ago, mellody said: It's like this song makes me feel all the possible emotions at the same time, and it's overwhelmingly beautiful. That's it! That's exactly how I would describe it when I listen to this song. There's so many emotions going on in this song that it can be hard to describe, but it really is the beauty that you can just FEEL! I find as well that the music adds to the beauty, I absolutely love the drums that start around 1.23 into the song, I feel like the beats have a hold on me as much as the words! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffeandy Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 16 hours ago, dcdeb said: I find it easier if I treat it as a name -- Jessie K. Jatem. Thank you, I'll definitely use it! I need this kind of alternative lyrics for all the songs. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) (Sorry I'm so late. It is about his mum imo and so sad and so beautiful and it cuddles you at the same time) A huge thanks to @kreacherfor pointing out my spelling mistake and fixing it right now I KNOW I LOVE YOU She thinks she is the heroine of her cause In a life She didn't even chose She imagines she's the only victim Doesn't accept responsability for the crimes she has committed Open your heart Anyway, anyway I know I love you I know I love you Magical love, bleeding love Tragical love, yet love You who are leaving me, you who are making me sad You who are hurting me even if I love you And I love you I love you more than myself And I don't want life to hurt you Oh I love you, and I love you I love you all the way to hatred And if one day Gods abandon us I'm staying for you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us She is taken back to The wounds of the past Each time she tries to move forward She is stuck Lives in a broken body And destroys everyone who Wants to help her Open your heart Anyway, anyway I know I love you I know I love you Magical love, bleeding love Tragical love, yet love You who are leaving me, you who are making me sad You who are hurting me even if I love you And I love you I love you more than myself And I don't want life to hurt you Oh I love you, and I love you I love you all the way to hatred And if one day Gods abandon us I'm staying for you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us Edited December 21, 2023 by crazyaboutmika Typo: it is heroine not heroin 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenBigFat Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) 21 minutes ago, crazyaboutmika said: Sorry I'm so late I KNOW I LOVE YOU She thinks she is the heroin of her cause In a life She didn't even chose She imagines she's the only victim Doesn't accept responsability for the crimes she has committed Open your heart Anyway, anyway I know I love you I know I love you Magical love, bleeding love Tragical love, yet love You who are leaving me, you who are making me sad You who are hurting me even if I love you And I love you I love you more than myself And I don't want life to hurt you Oh I love you, and I love you I love you all the way to hatred And if one day Gods abandon us I'm staying for you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us She is taken back to The wounds of the past Each time she tries to move forward She is stuck Lives in a broken body And destroys everyone who Wants to help her Open your heart Anyway, anyway I know I love you I know I love you Magical love, bleeding love Tragical love, yet love You who are leaving me, you who are making me sad You who are hurting me even if I love you And I love you I love you more than myself And I don't want life to hurt you Oh I love you, and I love you I love you all the way to hatred And if one day Gods abandon us I'm staying for you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you I know I love you May life forgive us If God abandons us Wow. He knows how to demonstrate a broken heart, doesn't he? Edited December 19, 2023 by QueenBigFat Spelling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) 14 minutes ago, QueenBigFat said: Wow. He knows how to demonstrate a broken hear, doesn't he? I took so long to translate it because it makes me cry. But now I can find the music is soothing the pain because it's so beautiful. I lost my aunt and took care of her the last years and I think of her when I hear this song. I can relate and it makes me feel so sad for Mika and for his mum. Edited December 19, 2023 by crazyaboutmika Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenBigFat Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) It also makes me so very curious about their relationship and her “crimes” and why he asks for God to forgive “them”. We are supposed to respect his privacy but what he exposes invites us to want to know. Edited December 19, 2023 by QueenBigFat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, QueenBigFat said: It also makes me so very curious about their relationship and her “crimes” and why he asks for God to forgive “them”. We are supposed to respect his privacy but what he exposes invites us to want to know. My guess is that when a person has a brain cancer it is a bit like dementia consequences. The person becomes someone else, is very confused, will sometimes be very rough with the care takers and family. They suffer and they make people around them suffer. Or simply they forget who people are, forget words and it is painful to see someone you love and that raised you become a child in a way with tandrums, and tellling things that have nothing to do with the truth. Sometimes you can end up laughing about it with the person you care for but sometimes they might say things to you fhat are rough simply because they are in pain and lost. That's only my two cent.... Edited December 19, 2023 by crazyaboutmika 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara penny Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 What if the song was dedicated to Lebanon instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 1 minute ago, Sara penny said: What if the song was dedicated to Lebanon instead? If Lebanon was personified in this song it would be "he", not "she" in the song because in French we say "Le Liban" Of course only Mika could give us the proper answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreacher Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sara penny said: What if the song was dedicated to Lebanon instead? I was thinking this too, or Beirut specifically, ever since the first time i read the translation on google, but didn't want to say it because I thought people would think it was a dumb idea. Especially these lines: She is taken back to The wounds of the past Each time she tries to move forward She is stuck Lives in a broken body And destroys everyone who Wants to help her BTW @crazyaboutmika heroin is a drug, perhaps he means heroine (a female hero)? Edited December 20, 2023 by kreacher 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) On 12/20/2023 at 2:16 AM, kreacher said: I was thinking this too, or Beirut specifically, ever since the first time i read the translation on google, but didn't want to say it because I thought people would think it was a dumb idea. Especially these lines: She is taken back to The wounds of the past Each time she tries to move forward She is stuck Lives in a broken body And destroys everyone who Wants to help her BTW @crazyaboutmika heroin is a drug, perhaps he means heroine (a female hero)? Yes he meant a female hero. Did I forget the "e"? Sorry about that. Yes it could be about Beirut but my instinct is yelling to me it's about his mum. Or about both? There is a parallel and Beirut is femine in French. Edited December 21, 2023 by crazyaboutmika 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreacher Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 3 hours ago, crazyaboutmika said: Yes he meant a female hero. Did I forget the "e"? Sorry about that. Yes it could be about Beirut but my instinct is yelling to me it's about his mum. Or about both? There is a parallel and Beirut is femine in French. yeah, I wouldn’t have mentioned it except without the e the meaning changes massively xD I agree, I definitely don’t think it’s only about Beirut 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyaboutmika Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, kreacher said: yeah, I wouldn’t have mentioned it except without the e the meaning changes massively xD I agree, I definitely don’t think it’s only about Beirut Thank you so much for pointing out my spelling mistake and much love to you I edited my translation Edited December 21, 2023 by crazyaboutmika 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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