The View

Album: Good News For People Who Love Bad News (2004)
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Songfacts®:

  • The message of this song: Making mistakes and learning from them is part of life. You want something, you think it's great, but then realize that someone else has something better. Beauty is everywhere but painful experiences must be endured in order for one to feel that the beauty is really there. Life goes on, strife is endured, but in the end everything turns out how it is supposed to be. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Robin - Huntertown, IN

Comments: 4

  • Sarah from Dublin, Ohi think it's about the view
  • Michael from Lexington, KyThe 'tl;dr' version: if it weren't for all the bulls--t in life, we couldn't appreciate the beauty nearly as much.
  • Jess from Kannapolis, Nc"As life gets longer, awful feels softer.
    Well it feels pretty soft to me.
    And if it takes s--t to make bliss,
    Then I feel pretty blissfully. "

    - This is oh so true. You get really used to bad sh*t happening and eventually, you just get used to it.
  • Conrad from Austin, TxI respectfully disagree with Robin's interpretation of "The View." I don't think Modest Mouse believes that everything turns out as it is supposed to be. After all, the album is called "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" not just a clever paradox, but also a spin on the concept of Christ's gospel as the "Good News." The lyric that I find most profound is "If life's not beautiful without any pain, well I'd just rather never ever even see beauty again." In this line, Isaac Brock is conveying not only that it might be possible to have beauty without pain, but he'd prefer nothing to the dual reality we currently have. When he sings that he feels blissfully, he truly means that he's gone through pain. I think he ultimately comes out with the belief that all the progress, all the beauty, is meaningless.
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