Superman

Album: All The Time In The World (2002)
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  • Out the door just in time
    Head down the 405
    Gotta meet the new boss by 8 A.M.
    The phone rings in the car
    The wife is working hard
    She's running late tonight again

    Well, I know what I've been told
    You gotta work to feed the soul

    But I can't do this all on my own
    No, I know, I'm no Superman
    I'm no Superman

    You've got your love online
    You think you're doing fine
    But you're just plugged into the wall
    And that deck of tarot cards
    Won't get you very far
    There ain't no hand to break your fall

    Well, I know what I've been told
    You gotta know just when to fold

    But I can't do this all on my own
    No, I know, I'm no Superman
    I'm no Superman

    That's right

    You've crossed the finish line
    Won the race but lost your mind
    Was it worth it after all?
    I need you here with me
    'Cause love is all we need
    Just take a hold of the hand
    That breaks the fall

    Well, I know what I've been told
    Gotta break free to break the mold

    But I can't do this all on my own
    No, I can't do this all on my own
    I know that I'm no Superman
    I'm no Superman, I'm no Superman

    (Someday we'll be together)
    I'm no Superman
    (Someday)
    (Someday we'll be together)
    (Someday)
    I'm no Superman Writer/s: Chad B Fischer, Chris Link, Roy Hammond, Tim Bright
    Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Walt Disney Music Company
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Joel from Columbia, ScTheme from the medical comedy program "Scrubs".
    I think that there are a lot of people out there in society who can identify with the song. I know I can. In fact I have used "Superman" as my very own personal theme song off and on again for many years now. Now that Scrubs is off the air and I do not watch the repeats this song is not nearly as annoying as it had been when it was constantly being played.
  • Sean from Sydney, AustraliaI did a talk on this song at school and heres what I think it's about:
    Superman is the name of a song by Laslo Bane that featured on the album All the Time in the World which debuted in 2002. The songs verses and chorus interlock as the man talks to himself, trying to figure what to do because he is always rushing around, doing things for work, and never seems to be able to make time for his wife, and due to this they are both growing apart. The song tells this person to admit he's stressed and ask for help (most presumably from his wife) and say "I'm no Superman", meaning that he's not perfect and that he want to make up. Using a Superman reference helps us realize that none of us are Superman and that none of us are perfect, unlike the real Superman.
    The first verse describes this man's frantic morning. He rushes out the door "just in time [and] head[s] down the 405" to meet "the new boss by 8am". His phone rings and it's his wife. She's working hard also, and will be "running late tonight again". The chorus is in first person so the audience is to assume that it is what is on the man's mind. He says that he works because a saying he heard once; "You gotta work to feed the soul". This saying could be interpreted as you need to work and earn your keep in life to be fulfilled. Though he does contradict himself by admitting that it is hard to work all the time and he would like to admit that he can't do this all on his own, because, as he says, "I'm no Superman".
    In the second verse, the song describes his communication skills with his wife. He has his "love online, [he] thinks [he's] doing fine". But then it is said that even though he may be talking to his wife over the phone or through email, he is still not with her is "just plugged into the wall". As an excuse to this, the man says that he's planning on making time for his family, he just doesn't know when. The voice in his head then argues that "that deck of Tarot cards, won't get you very far", meaning that he can't hope that he will have an opportunity to see his wife, he has to go out and make it happen. He then says that "there ain't no hand to break [my] fall" meaning that if he loses his job, he'll have no-one to turn to for support because he wife doesn't seem to be there. He then contemplates that he may have to "fold" meaning: give up this routine (or hand to keep with the analogy) and see his wife and tell her, "I'm no Superman".
    He makes it back to his wife and is scared that he might've ruined his career ("won the race, but lost your mind"). The man seems to get tired of the voice in his head contradicting everything he does and ignores it. He finds his wife and tells her everything. He says, "I need you here with me, cause love is all we need". He reveals that he also knows that his wife is going through the exact same thing by repeating a line heard earlier; "Just take a hold of the hand that breaks your fall". And finally, his journey is complete as he tells his wife what he wanted to tell her. "I can't do this all on my own," he says, "I know... that I'm no... Superman." This rekindles their love and they both return to their daily routines, and know that someday, when all the work is finished, they will be together.
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