Gotye: Somebody That I Used to Know Meaning
Somebody That I Used to Know Lyrics
Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember
You...
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This song is about a guy who would not accept that he had made the bad decision of letting the girl he loves go.
I see a man who entered a relationship with a girl whom he saw loved him-a lot ('Like when you said you felt so happy you could die. Told myself that you were right for me'). In the relationship itself, he might have felt 'lonely' or 'isolated' at the time; contemplating how her enthusiasm towards the relationship did not match his uncertainty. But in the next line itself, he finally admits that he did love her after all and he ironically says he ‘remembers’ the ache but he uses the present tense-it obviously 'still' hurts i.e. he still loves her.
He refers to a sadness you can get addicted to. I see this line as a follow-up to the last one. He just says it's something he's addicted to but he just doesn't want to admit that he still loves her-which is what fuels this addiction. In this sense, the 'resignation' he speaks of, is a reminder to himself. He resigned on his love for her so he must stay 'addicted' to it i.e. stay in this cycle of giving up on his love-especially when she's already cold to him. Hence he repeats to himself again, 'always the end'. Pretty much telling himself to lay in the bed he made.
Back when they had the 'talk', he continued to resign his love for her. Not even defending his feelings when they said how they 'could' not make sense and continued to give up when she broached about being 'friends'. In this flashback, we can figure that the talk was just a discussion of where they were going as the word 'could not' was used not 'did not' nevertheless, he didn't give the girl enough reason to stay.
This makes sense when the girl's part comes on. Every time she wanted to work on their relationship, he 'screwed her over' with his indecisiveness. To the point that she's made a habit in trying to read between the lines with this guy which is unnatural in a relationship. You're supposed to communicate clearly, that's why she said she doesn't' wanna live that way'. And to prove her point about him going around in circles, she quotes him 'You said that you could let it go.
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know' but the reality was, here he was singing about how hung up he was about her. And she knows better because she's so used to 'reading into every word' he says.
And right after she finishes, the guy says 'but you didn't have to cut me off' this response shows that the girl was right in thinking the way she does. When she presented her argument; instead of confessing his true feelings, he chooses his ego over his love for her and he decides to argue that he was still in the right, keeping up the facade that she was just somebody that he used to know... -
I think he wouldn't admit to himself or to her that he loved her as much as she loved him. He acted the martyr in the relationship. He stayed with her, not because of any deep feelings on his part, but only out of pity because of her feelings for him. He took her for granted and was emotionally abusive to her. He told her that if they broke up, he would move on and wouldn't be hung up on her. In fact she would just become somebody that he used to know.
Despite the emotional abuse she loved him and tried to get past the walls he put up and make the relationship work. Working on the relationship was all one sided on her part so he could blame her for everything that was wrong with him or went wrong in the relationship. He probably felt that she either didn't love him enough or love him the right way. I think eventually she gave up and she told him that it was done but they would still be friends. He being an egomaniac and in denial, pretended that it was not her decision but a mutual decision. He was relieved that he didn't have to pretend anymore.
Because he had such a hold over her before, now that she's away from him, she's doesn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. In his head he's telling himself that he doesn't need her and never did. The reality is, now that she's gone and taken her love with her, he's hurting bad. For someone whose company he felt lonely in, why would he want to stay friends with her? Because he is still and always was in love with her. Even though he tells himself that it doesn't matter, he's deeply upset that he doesn't get the chance to see her because she's sending friends to pick up her belongings. Also, now that that she changed her number, he doesn't know how to contact. He never admits to his feelings for her or his bad treatment of her. Now that he's become somebody that she used to know, it's killing him. -
Ok, I love this song because I fully have cut some guy off before. I can just hear that loser singing this and being like, "oh this is so true." Shut up. Nobody thinks to ask what Gotye has done to be cut off! Maybe he deserved it. Why the hell would she have to change her phone number? Obviously he can't understand that "screwing" someone over, like Kimbra says, is grounds for cutting him out. He deserves to not exist perhaps.
:) ANYWAY. I still love love love this song. -
Gotye is getting over a break up, and obsessing over the fact that his ex no longer talks to him. Kimbra is his new girlfriend, who is upset that he's so obsessed with his ex (he's still "caught up with somebody that he used to know, the ex he's singing about).
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He was in a relationship that he was forcing himself to make work, while all the time he was still in love with an ex. He tried to play the break up off as being a mutual decision, but it's a lie. Even though he knows the truth is that his heart still belongs to another, he makes the most recent ex feel like it was her fault that he was so separated from the relationship. She finally realizes his secret, and leaves him abruptly...severing all ties with him. He is bitter that his secret is found out and tries to make out like his recent ex is nothing but somebody he used to know.
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This song is about a couple who broke up and is first told from the man's perspective, then from the woman's. The relationship seemed right at first for the man, but then he became "lonely" in her company, and was glad when it was over. The woman tells the man that they can still be friends, but then instead of coming over to pick up her belongings herself, she has her friends do it. He obviously tries to call her and she has changed her number. Now he becomes upset because he realizes the finality of this relationship, and that she has completely cut him out of her life. He is lamenting this situation, and comes to the realization that the woman is now merely "sombody that I used to know". His ego is bruised. When the woman tells her side of the story, she has a different version. Obviously, he was unfaithful in some fashion during their relationship, and feels that she was screwed over many times by him. (He had evidently been in a previous relationship and told her that he could let it go, but he couldn't.) She would question him and read into what he told her. Also, he would make her feel that things were always her fault and their problems were because of something that she had done. She is glad that the relationship is over and doesn't want to "live that way", and wants absolutely nothing else to do with him.
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I have a diffrent twist on the song. I think it is about a man who broke up with someone he was in an unhealthy relationship with. Even though he was happy it ended he is obsessed with the fact that his ex has cut him out of her life. He is "addicted" to the saddness. He now has a new love, but he is treating her like crap because he is still obessed with his ex. She sings "You said that you could let it go, and I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know." She sings to him with the things he is doing to her and he just looks forward and keeps singing about the ex. She finally sees he is not going to let go of his obession. So she also walks away and becomes someone he used to know.
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It's a story of a relationship that had a lot of emotion between the pair of them. There was definitely love and caring, but their personalities conflicted. So much so, that he felt lonely when he was with her. Possibly a reason for him seeking company of other girls "he used to know" before her.
The sadness he feels is the combination of all the conflicting feelings. He loves this girl, but can't get along with her. I picture them fighting most of the time, making up, and then repeating the process. The up and down of emotions can become like an addiction. When it's bad, you crave the good, and when it's good, you can't get enough. Finally, enough is enough, and they part ways with a promise to remain friends.
The chorus shows that the girl for whatever reason didn't want to be friends anymore.I can only speculate that it hurt too much and brought back too many memories, but the question as to why isn't directly answered. He shows that he is tired of how he's been treated, and that he doesn't need her anymore.
The girl chimes in with her side of the story. The way she was always blamed for things that he did; that his actions were directly her fault. She started picking apart anything he said to her to find alternate meanings out of mistrust. He also cheated on her at least once.
The last part is when, despite the girl's side of the story, he is still upset that she cut him off and disappeared from his life in a blink of an eye, like it meant nothing to her. So now he is cutting her out of his life for good. Putting her in the category of people he used to know. He washes her from his memory as the paint coming off her at the end of the video symbolizes her leaving his picture. -
The first verse is about a man who just broke up with his girlfriend, and he is reminiscing in all of the good times. Then, in the second part of the first verse, he describes all of the bad things his ex has done and how he felt when she pretended nothing was between them.
In the second verse, the female is describing "all the times you screwed me over", meaning that he had done some things wrong also. But when she says,
"But I don't want to live that way
Reading into every word you say"
she is trying to explain that she is sorry for what she's done, and that she still wants to be close to him. But when the guy sings the verse (as seen in the music video), telling her that she's just somebody that he used to know, she backs off and they remain separate. -
The beauty of the song lies not just in its wonderful lyrics and melody, but in the symbolism of the video. They are naked, stripped of all pretense, as lovers invariably become; stripped, in fact, of their defenses.
As the relationship develops, the fractures you see in paint, on the walls and his body, begin to develop. But they aren’t just fractures, but also shattered glass – the mirror with which he sees himself, and the prism through which he views her.
When her visage comes alive, voicing her grievances, watch how she rolls her shoulders to steel herself for the confrontation, and how his shoulders shrink from the pain. Like him, she too is painted to reflect the fractures in their relationship and in themselves.
And once they have voiced their reasons for leaving, she returns to her corner, the schisms leaving her body because he no longer sees her through the shattered illusions of the relationship. She has now become “just somebody that [he] used to know.” Meanwhile, the paint on him remains fractured, even as hers retreats, because she still views him that way. It is she who holds the grudge.
But all of it is his daydream: She left him and changed her number. They have no contacts. There is no reconciliation of grievances. Has he really let her go? -
He's bitter because she pulled away, he got fed up and broke it off. Then the girl comes out with the real truth....he's a control freak and a total jerk because of her comment "all the times you screwed me over." Not to mention her getting her stuff back via her friends. And he's trying to convince her that he doesn't want anything to do with her when in fact he loves her and doesn't want it to end.
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she breaks up with him
he loved her but only because he had made it in his mind and she wasnt as perfect as he first thought and when they break up he feels broken and tries hard to fix it but she totally cuts him off and hides behind her friends leaving him hurt and feeling as if he never knew her and her part is saying that if he hates her so much why would she ever want him getting hung up on her -
I think he let his guard down. he's naked in the beginning. As their two worlds came together they became a bond like paint. Addicted to each other. He thought he would never lose her.the way they have her open her mouth while singing seems like it portrays all lies coming out her mouth..I think she lead him on saying that he wud be the only one ever.. the paint going away was every moment she erased..want to give the guy a hug.. ha awesome song anymore good videos songs? gerrshow20@gmail..
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The man in this song is reflecting on a relationship he once had with a woman. The relationship had a mutual ending, but he was hurt by it (referring to the ache in his heart). What he is really hurt about, is that the woman completely cut him out of her life instead of remaining friends as she said they would. He evidently thought it was a casual breakup, but the woman is bitter because she felt that he had screwed her over during the relationship, and made her feel like things were always her fault. She reminds him that he said he "could let it go". The intensity of his words reveals that the relationship meant more to him than he was willing to admit.
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In the beginning we hear just his story.
the hurt SHE caused. how she was the one messing up. she's a stranger to him.
but...
Her verse brings a little light to the situation. His betrayal to her. "hung up on somebody you used to know". Which I read as cheating, or what have you...so in the end it was a blame game and both had their hand in the process.
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