"How Did I Get Here?"

As we were discussing the general malaise of the modern era in class, I couldn't help but think about the song "Once In A Lifetime" from the Talking Heads' classic 1981 album Remain in Light. In the song, David Byrne ponders the feelings of emptiness he experiences while living in suburbia; he has all of the conventions that our society dictates are necessary if we wish to obtain "happiness," yet something is still missing. This is a byproduct of the buffered self; the individual is protected from the enchanted world, but is unable to find meaning as a consequence. Even when one applies significance to temporal things (e.g. relationships, careers, etc.), there is still a sense of loss... And we may ask ourself, "Well, How did I get here?"

"Once In A Lifetime"

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack 

And you may find yourself in another part of the world 

And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile 

And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife 

And you may ask yourself 

Well...How did I get here? 

Letting the days go by

Let the water hold me down 

Letting the days go by

Water flowing underground 

Into the blue again

After the money's gone 

Once in a lifetime

Water flowing underground 

And you may ask yourself 

How do I work this? 

And you may ask yourself 

Where is that large automobile? 

And you may tell yourself 

This is not my beautiful house 

And you may tell yourself 

This is not my beautiful wife 

Letting the days go by

Let the water hold me down 

Letting the days go by

Water flowing underground 

Into the blue again

After the money's gone 

Once in a lifetime

Water flowing underground 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Water dissolving...and water removing 

There is water at the bottom of the ocean 

Under the water, carry the water at the bottom of the ocean 

Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean 

Letting the days go by

Let the water hold me down 

Letting the days go by

Water flowing underground 

Into the blue again

Into the silent water 

Under the rocks and stones

There is water underground 

Letting the days go by

Let the water hold me down 

Letting the days go by

Water flowing underground 

Into the blue again

After the money's gone 

Once in a lifetime

Water flowing underground 

And you may ask yourself 

What is that beautiful house? 

And you may ask yourself 

Where does that highway go to? 

And you may ask yourself 

Am I right?...Am I wrong? 

And you may say to yourself yourself 

My God!...What have I done?! 

Letting the days go by

Let the water hold me down 

Letting the days go by

Water flowing underground 

Into the blue again

Into the silent water 

Under the rocks and stones

There is water underground 

Letting the days go by

Let the water hold me down 

Letting the days go by

Water flowing underground 

Into the blue again

After the money's gone 

Once in a lifetime

Water flowing underground 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Look where my hand was 

Time isn't holding up 

Time is an asterisk 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Same as it ever was... 

Yeah, the twister comes 

Here comes the twister 

Same as it ever was…