“Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men

“Little Talks” by Icelandic indie band Of Monsters and Men was released in 2011 and was their debut single. It’s a song about love and loss, and the memories that love can create. And like all great works of art, it’s open to numerous interpretations.

Of Monsters And Men.
Credit: metrolyrics.com

The song is sung by two members of the band, one female and one male. The characters portrayed in the song appear to be married lovers, perhaps elderly. Their ages are not revealed in the lyrics.

The first stanza’s lines alternate between the two characters. The first and third lines are spoken by the woman, and lines two and four by the man:

I don’t like walking around this old and empty house
(So hold my hand, I’ll walk with you, my dear)
The stairs creak as you sleep, it’s keeping me awake
(It’s the house telling you to close your eyes)

Here it appears that the husband has died. The woman doesn’t like being alone in the house. She hears the stairs creak, symbolizing that the ghost of her husband is still with her. The conversation seems to be happening inside her head. She’s still in contact with her husband despite his departure, and, as he probably did in life, he’s trying to console her and put her mind at ease.

Much of the song relates to the state of turmoil that the death of a loved one can bring. The song plays out as a conversation, though when looking through the interpretive lens that includes the person who recently died, it seems that we’re inside the head of the widowed woman. Screams of “Hey!” are peppered throughout the lyrics, perhaps the “ghost” of her husband reaching out, as evidenced in the chorus:

Hey!
Don’t listen to a word I say
Hey!
The screams all sound the same
Hey!
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

We really can’t tell if the conversation is real. Perhaps it occurred before the man died, or it’s all happening in the woman’s head. People who’ve lost a loved one can still maintain internal relationships with that person. Talking to the deceased is not uncommon; in fact it can help with the grieving process. There are even times when the still-living have “post-bereavement hallucinations,” sensing the presence of their loved one or engaging in conversation.

Lyrics later in the song point more directly to the death of the husband.

You’re gone, gone, gone away,
I watched you disappear
All that’s left is a ghost of you

Now we’re torn, torn, torn apart,
There’s nothing we can do
Just let me go, we’ll meet again soon

Here it is more obvious that the woman is internalizing her grief, talking to her deceased husband. She was there to see him go, and is disturbed that they’re no longer together. There’s nothing that she can do to change things. He’s gone. But they will “meet again soon.”

“Little Talks” is a musically uplifting song despite its sometimes morose lyrics. The instrumentation is great, with the trumpet really dominating the chorus. When listened to it with the idea that it’s about a woman whose husband has died, it is an emotional journey through the mind of the bereaved.

A Different Interpretation

There are, of course, many ways to interpret “Little Talks.” It’s a work of art, and people should be able to take away whatever they can, however outlandish their conclusion may seem to others.

Credit: boston-theater.com

Another way to think about “Little Talks” is to envision the woman as someone with dementia. Much of the lyrical content would make sense if, say, the woman had Alzheimer’s. The following stanza would be particularly poignant if dementia was taking over her mind (lines in parentheses are the man speaking):

There’s an old voice in my head that’s holding me back
(Well, tell her that I miss our little talks)
Soon it will be over and buried with our past
(We used to play outside when we were young
And full of life and full of love)

This dialogue would certainly be a possibility if the woman has some form of dementia and the husband is actually still alive. There’s a voice inside her head that is keeping her from being the person she truly is. Her husband is reminiscing about the past, and remembers how they spent their youthful years.

The words “Though the truth may vary” also appear throughout the song. If “Little Talks” was about dementia, then this idea would also be appropriate. Those suffering from dementia live in an alternate reality, sometimes unable to live entirely in the moment.

“Little Talks” is an emotionally provocative song, regardless of how the lyrics may speak to you. At the least, the song is about love and loss and the pain that loss can inflict. It’s open to numerous interpretations; as all works of art should be.

Find the full lyrics to “Little Talks” here.

Check out a live performance of “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men below: