Automatic Flowers

Album: Clumsy (1997)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lead singer Raine Maida started writing this by thinking about a woman who lived alone in her apartment. She had little going on in her life, and the apartment was dingy, without much of a view. She had boxes from her childhood, and one day she took out a pop-up book and opened it to a garden with pop-up flowers. Whenever she wanted to cheer herself up, she opened the book. He didn't put the entire history in the lyrics, just traces of it - "Crying, crying/She couldn't afford the view/Crying, crying/These automatic flowers won't do." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Chrissy - Vancouver, Canada

Comments: 4

  • Ashley from Moncton, CanadaThis is my favourite song from Clumsy, partly because it brings back a lot of memories anywhere from a couple months ago to five years ago. The best vocals out of anything Raine Maida has done is from Car Crash, also from Clumsy. it is my all-time favourite CD.
  • Tras from Cleveland, OhI had heard once that women get flowers as they leave abortion clinics, and thought this song was a tale of such an incident.
  • Jer from London, CanadaI always thought this song was about a woman who was incapible of feeling love or loving any thing so, to her giving or receving flowers is just automatic and with out meaning. oh well OLP IS AWSOME!!!
  • Kristen from Campbellville, CanadaI love his songs, there meanings are a little hard to figure out, but when you do its amazing. Just the songs are all so different, you like each one for different reasons.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.