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Brian Eno Lyrics

So tired
Soul searching
I followed the sounds to a cathredal
imagine my surprise to find that they were produce by Brian Eno

past the gates
quite stark
the roses trimmed and the windows dark
I see the walls through a limestone crack
not red not blue not yellow but black
and all the space left for you
if the sky was synthesized you'd probably know

he taught me many things
the wisdom of oblique stratagems
the prophet of a sapphire soul
presented through creative freedoms
and everything i say is true
cuz if i was telling lies it'd probably show

i can tell that he's kind of smiling
but what does he know?
we're always one step behind him, he's Brian Eno
Brian Eno

when I was stuck he'd make me memorize elaborate curses
tinctures and formulas to ditch the chori and flip the verses
my whole foundation came unglued
when i tried to humanize by ambient light
dipping swords in metaphors yeah but what does he know?
he's go the whole world behind him he's Brian Eno
Brian Eno!

he promised pretty worlds and all the silence I could dream of
Brian peter George St John Le Baptiste De La Salle Eno

well all alone by the oldest stone where the shade trees grow
the creature by the water feature with a ghostly glow
making sure that time's preserved well we reap what we sow
he's go the whole world behind him he's Brian Eno etc. etc.
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19 Meanings

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Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

I think this song might be about Brian Eno.

Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

Let it be known that I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG.

I would like to second this opinion.

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Third

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Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

What this song means to me is that I have found a new band that I can listen to with my teenage and 20-something friends and not be biting my tongue the whole time, worried that an honest appraisal or, God forbid, a petulant facial expression might slip out between my strained foot tapping and insincere smiling.

I do so very much love the youth of today, and with all the crap they have to put up with in the hellscape of a world we people over 40 have created or allowed to be created while we stood by and did nothing, I don't want to begrudge them a moment of joy with what passes for talent in the music industry these days.

MGMT, on the other hand, makes the unbridled mockery that I would perpetrate against so many of today's pop-punk and whine-rock bands so very very justifiable.

With this song alone, MGMT has shown what can be done when a group of insightful, lucid, yet mildly mentally unstable young people come together to make a joyful noise unto the world.

Brian Eno was a legend even when I was a kid, and his legend will grow, amplify and reverberate even more as time goes on. His resonance in the annals of musical history will echo through the chambers of time.

I agree with every positive comment I have read so far about this song, especially those of "modernRock" that this is a quite literal song (perhaps a pun, since it could mean both that it expresses musical literacy as well as lyrics that mean exactly what they say on the surface) and, perhaps ironically, "Yeahbrandon" who quite innocently admits that he doesn't know who Brian Eno is. Aside from what we know on a historical level, what do we REALLY KNOW about this genius? The question Brandon asks is more profound than he might know. His question will undoubtedly continue to be asked for many decades, if not centuries, to come. MGMT does a great service to today's youth by raising the question with this tribute to this great man.

Also, I think I have a huge man crush on Andrew VanWyngarden. He's half my age, but I want him to feed me milk from a bottle and sing me to sleep in his arms. OMFG, did I just say that?!?

My Opinion

you got a "+" from me, until i read that last part. creepiest thing i've read all year...

Not Valid

you got some problems dude i mostly agree with you and thats fu--ing hilarious 'i want him to feed me milk and sing me to sleep?' i dont blame you sh-t if i was your age and liked mgmt id like him to fu--ing take me to the moon while singing sh-t

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Trololo this made my day, yes, all of it.

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Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

This, to me, is the funnest song on Congratulations. I see a bunch of madmen having fun, bothering people, poking out from behind this thing or that with wild hair, and guys that have lost their marbles just having gleeful fun and no one else knows what they're laughing at, but their good mood is still infectious.

p.s. I think it was NME that had their recent MGMT cover story sub-titled, "Their Madcap Return!" - and 'madcap' totally made me think of this one song. =) If they make a video for this song - and they indicated that's the plan - it'd be perfect to have them both in the outfits they wore on that NME cover. Maybe with funny hats.

One step behind Brian Eno. <3

Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

QUOTE (Andrew): "It's kind of a vampire-punk-rock song about finding Brian Eno in like a cathedral in Transylvania. He's like a dark wizard." I read too that at the end of the song he ran away from the cathedral into the forest.

It kinda makes sense if you read the lyrics after him saying that lol. Awesome song, awesome lyrics

Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

There's a few things wrong with this I think, but the main one I can say with certainty is that it would actually be "the wisdom of oblique stratagems" - look up "Oblique Strategies" on wikipedia and it'll make more sense - they are basically a series of cards with instructions meant to help you along if you get writers block while trying to compose a song.

Lyric Correction

right, but i think this was taken directly from the lyric book by the people who won the fan capture so the stratagems could just be a little word play on their part

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Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

nahhhhh, definitely not about Brian Eno.

Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

Who the he'll is Brian Eno?! I don't get this song at all.

Listen to 'The Big Ship' from "Another Green World" (1975) and I think you'll start to understand why modern bands are naming songs after him.

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A great and recent piece of Brian Eno work is the album Everything that Happens Will Happen - co-written with David Byrne (Talking Heads). A great album although a bit more laid back than this MGMT album. Then again - Brian and David are old enough to have spawned MGMT. Go to http://everythingthathappens.com/ for a legal free download. MGMT on SNL last night was incredible - which is why I was checking out some of the lyrics here tonight. So far - what I did hear of this album... fantastic.

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Founding member of Roxy Music Producer and Co-writer of Bowie's Low, Heroes and Lodger Producer of U2's Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby etc. Producer of Talking Heads Fear of Music, Remain in Light His own records include, Here Come the Warm Jets, My life in the Bush of Ghosts (with David Bryne), Before and After Science, Apollo Inventor of Ambient Music including The Windows 95 microsoft sound Artist, Thinker....Genius...and quite funny as well. Someone you really need to listen to.

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Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

It also acts as a great follow up to epic nature of 'Siberian Breaks'. It has an inherently happy quality to it.

*to the epic nature of...

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Cover art for Brian Eno lyrics by MGMT

i think maybe they were inspired by Brian Eno's way of composing ambient music well not just ambient he did other types like glam rock etc