(Please don’t) Use Somebody!

Commentary on Kings of Leon’s song, Use Somebody

All the world is a stage, we are merely ‘performers’. We look down to see a real face amidst all the ‘painted faces’ and ‘plastic smiles’. We ‘play’ to the galleries and the ‘painted faces’ dance to our music.

We both perform our parts to perfection and yet there is a longing for the real, the excellent and the delightful.  We hate ‘painted faces’ and ‘plastic smiles’. We want to meet real people – those who will like us for who we are. We want to experience true love. We want to be truly happy. W want to live, love and laugh far removed from the synthetic world.

Unfortunately, contemporary culture has demonized the real, the excellent and the delightful and so we are scared when they stare us in the eye. We prefer to look the other way. We look into the dark, to find someone (amidst the ‘painted faces’) who can be ‘used’.  We desperately try to get noticed and invite attention, just to find someone who can be (ab)used.

We are all used and abused and now we are more than confused. We confuse lust with love love with sex, and sex with instints. After all, its use and throw world. We long to be loved but we don’t want to love. We long to be listened to. But, we don’t want to listen. We long to live. But, we don’t want to let live.

We only look to ‘use’ people to fit our flights of fancy. It’s all about I-me-myself and how ’somebody’ fits in. We look for ‘trophy partners’ not soul-mates. Waging wars to shake the poet (in us) and/or conquer the beat is not enough to help us (particularly when we wake up). It’s doing the right thing and not speaking the right words that will help us live, laugh and love.

When we use somebody we loose our humanity. To truly find meaning in life, love and laughter we need to regain our humanity. Who or what can help us?

Video

Use Somebody lyrics (Kings of Leon)

I’ve been roaming around always lookin down at all I see.
Painted faces fill the places I can’t reach.
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
And all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers undercover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
Off in the night while you live it up I’m off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it’s gonna make you notice
I hope it’s gonna make you notice
Someone like me
Someone like me
Someone like me
Somebody
(Go and let it out)
Someone like you
Somebody
Someone like you
Somebody
Someone like you
Somebody