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

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.