They Might Be Giants - Answer (official video)

[@trafficcat]

You wanted tall I came in under 5’4” And you asked for dark I tend to sunburn a lot As for handsome, well. Can’t help you there!

[@beck_luv]

TraficCat my boyfriend did a musically to this part and I just fangirled

[@people6117]

So make of it what you will

[@ejeshsu7902]

@@people6117 it may take an ocean of whiskey and time

[@senrioflove]

I always fancied John L as a kid (like 1997?) but I swear the first time I heard those lines, I cried because just want to give him a hug.

[@10brokenradios]

A song about how no one in the world ever gets what they want... And that is beautiful.

[@maryericson5599]

Excellent callback

[@stevie2.040]

Everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is BEAUTIFUL!

[@ronan-outoftime]

so you're saying, they want what they're not?

[@Thignot]

​​@@ronan-outoftime and maybe you wish they would stop saying deputy-dog-dog-a-ding-dang-depadepa, deputy-dog-dog-a-ding-dang-depadepa?

[@doublepinger]

My favorite line has to be "As for handsome well... can't help you there!" Us ugly people are people too smh

[@teiladnam]

This reminds me of an Onion headline. "God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy: 'No,' Says God"

[@williamharker5464]

Thanks for the Hard Laugh...

[@melodyjlustig]

i don't think this a a creepy stalker song, I think this is about a guy saying that life is full of disappointments, and that even though he's not a perfect model boyfriend he wont disappoint her. I think the surveillance part is about her overanalyzing every bad thing that happens.

[@melodyjlustig]

new idea, maybe this is the girl being tempted by drugs, thinking it's finally something that cant disappoint her

[@lyinsroar9637]

Melody Lustig Isn't the surviellance thing supposed to be him talking about heaven answering her prayers? Like they're watching her

[@motty32]

interested agents have been eavesdropping upstairs. Pretty sure it's about a creepy dude who spies on her in her attic...

[@foxhoundfrolic]

I've always just seen it as a song about irony. She's so used to never getting what she wants, and the singer thinks he can be the change for her not knowing that by trying to get her to accept him even with all the features she doesn't like that he's just another case of having to accept what she doesn't want.

[@animationinc3189]

#deep

[@tfavors28]

It may take an ocean of whisky and time, to wash all of that let down out of your mind. I love that line

[@levwhitelaw5561]

its a doublle meaning as well!! cos whiskey and thyme is a popular cocktail

[@alexcarter8807]

Wow this is a hell of a band. For so many years I thought they were just about birdhouses and Mesopotamians. There is so, so much in this band!!

[@Jameskoek]

Sever Tire Damage, The Spine, and Nanobots I recommend all 3 of these albums.

[@reginalynnbush]

Love these guys.

[@drummyt7166]

Welcome to the fold. Their discography is extensive. I mean, maybe only zappa has them beat on number of songs or albums released per year.

[@drrocketman7794]

@@Jameskoek Factory Showroom, Flood, and Join Us

[@LuKaSiSnT]

Lol did you just start listening to them ? There's a lot between Flood and Join Us

[@gigiratliff5801]

It was the first time either of us had heard this song, and in the moments we danced, I felt that this was where I belong. I want to wrap myself tightly in this feeling, build a cozy home for it, and keep it close to me until I grow weary and saggy and confused and wither away, knowing I always loved and was loved.

[@musicXisXforever44]

Plot twist: He is the unicorn she kept asking for every year...

[@AshenCrow]

But she asked for a pony... free upgrade!

[@william_williams]

Lyrics and melody are consistently on point. It's been a great year for TMBG.

[@AbandonedVoid]

Why do you keep popping up everywhere I go

[@william_williams]

+Abandoned Void why you going through year old TMBG songs? Great minds think alike, I suppose

[@SarahZ]

to me, this song reads as being about the partner someone "settles" for

[@ZandoFox]

I just watched your video about My Immortal, and now I see you in TMBG comments? No choice but to subscribe now. (I thought I already had!)

[@arikthenot-so-redasericthe1838]

Not to me. I believe it’s that love (and answers to prayers) sometimes can be found in unlikely places, where we would be least likely to search.

[@thatguyglenn7558]

What is this HIMYM

[@EveyDeevey]

Did NOT expect to spot you here, wild. love your work

[@mrnobody-unowen]

The entire concept of "settling" frustrates me. It implies that there's automatically true love, which I don't believe in. I think we all need to work for what we want, relationships included - people don't tend to be the same person 10 years into a relationship than they are at the start.

[@LazyDogJumper]

I feel like a LOT of this song comes down to how you view the narrator. If they are omniscient, they know everything going on, they are cynical but realistic. "I am the answer to all your prayers". Life is cruel but I am the result you have been seeking, despite your hopes and dreams. I am what you truly seek. If they are not omniscient, they are a super duper creep. "I am nothing like what you wanted but you don't realize that I'm actually what you want." And it keeps harping on the fact that "you'll be REMEMBERED for your persistence". They stuck to their guns and they still believe "I am the one you ACTUALLY want.". I absolutely love TMBG songs because you can interpret them in so MANY different ways.

[@mirandagodbey9293]

A special guy I know sent this to me..i listen to it often now.. I smile everytime, even a tiny one on bad days like right now. I think he's amazing in every way. I hope he knows that. I "like" you love more than you think. Always have, always will no matter what ❤.

[@drummyt7166]

Friendzoned... ouch.

[@mirandagodbey9293]

@@drummyt7166 more like dumped, he was my friend and for almost 2 years I thought he was the one. He was the one to tell me to go live my life, that he couldn't be "responsible for others right now"... He just got a new house and a new promotion... I was just a fun time. This song makes me cringe now.

[@ArkThePieKing]

@@mirandagodbey9293 I'm really sorry to hear that dude. I've been through it, it's hard. I hope you find someone who appreciates you for who you are, and until then I hope you manage to live your best life.

[@mirandagodbey9293]

@@ArkThePieKing thank you that's a really kind thing to say! And your so right, it is hard. I hope the same positive outcome for you too.

[@franklott834]

TMBG, the greatest American songwriters of our time.

[@Delleis4u]

I'm pretty sure I think the same thing every week," ooh this is my favorite DAS this year so far!". This week is no exception, except I mean it EVEN MORE.

[@reginalynnbush]

I keep coming back to it myself.

[@brendankeller1523]

Year after year, Though every dream of a pony would end in tears, The cake was lit and as you blew the candles out, Your heart refilled, And every year your dream was killed. It may take an ocean of whiskey and time To wash all of the let-down out of your mind, And this may not be the thing you requested, But I am the answer to all your prayers. All this time Interested agents have been eavesdropping upstairs, When will you recognise that I am the answer to all your prayers? You ordered well - They brought you medium-rare, You were promised fair, And in response a clap of thunder broke the air, The weather changed, the sky went black, And then it rained. It may take an ocean of whiskey and time To wash all of the let-down out of your mind, And this may not be the item you selected, But I am the answer to all your prayers. All this time The surveillance machine has been all up in your affairs, When will you realise that I am the answer to all your prayers? It might seem like a thankless existence But don't lose hope just yet, You'll be remembered for your persistence, And this is the thanks you get. You wanted tall, I came in under 5'4, Then you asked for dark, I tend to sunburn a lot, As for handsome, well, Can't help you there, So make of it what you will. It may take an ocean of whiskey and time To wash all of the let-down out of your mind, And I may not be the one you expected But I am the answer to all your prayers. All this time Interested agents have been eavesdropping upstairs, When will you get that I am the answer to all your prayers? All this time The surveillance machine has been all up in your affairs, It should be clear to you by now That I am the final answer to all your prayers.

[@ShanePatSmith]

If anyone's curious about the bit at 1:09 that showed all the individual letters, I've made a list of all of them: DEHFAYIASYEDEHAAECWNANPR Interpret it however you please. Could be a cipher.

[@ZandoFox]

RATE OF LOW FAR A TOO AND COCKS is one solution, that doesn't seem right. I guess it's just random?

[@TheThetaGraft]

It looks like the first letters of a bunch of words, but it doesn't seem to be words in this song. Are the letters mixed up? Or are they just messing with us?

[@benaaronmusic]

"A franchised hyena peed away" Check it!

[@zachariasquicksilver3664]

A Canada Heyday Freshen Wipe?

[@xXponyinthestarsXx]

Todd C CAN I SEE FAR DEW YEP NAY HAD FAR HA only slightly more nonsensical

[@JeremyBuxman]

This is just "you don’t always get what you want but you can get what you need" but in a happy/sad rock joy.

[@nugget-zz8zi]

2:02 for everyone who came for "you wanted tall i came in under 5"4 etc"

[@Blitterbug]

Except for us godly adonis types...

[@TJ413]

Happiness often comes in a form that we don't immediately recognize.

[@regigirls9687]

all of a sudden I'm happy

[@princeramblerose]

idk why because the vibe is so upbeat but this song kinda makes me wanna cry

[@zakquack]

If you don't think TMBG is the greatest band ever, I just don't think things will work out between us because you just don't understand objective facts.

[@kat-po8vx]

+zakquack You're very obviously not a musician if you think that's an objective fact

[@zakquack]

+katty casplatty reported you for trolling

[@kat-po8vx]

+zakquack Dangit, you got me! The youtube report system is obviously infallible, even though I wasn't even trolling, i was simply stating an objective fact. But i guess we know how you are with objective facts, right? Did i degrade your faith in humanity, too? Don't worry kiddo, you'll soon learn that your "faith in humanity" is pointless and that none of us matter. Especially you! Our existences are meaningless; the sooner you come to terms with the fact that nothing you can do will change anything, the sooner you'll stop caring about meanies on the internet! :)

[@iambugking]

You're not too great at being passive aggressive, or whatever you call what you're being.

[@WhirligigGirl]

While TMBG is by far my favorite band, *you* are the one who doesn't understand objective facts. You couldn't even *measure* the "greatest"ness of a band objectively, only subjectively with opinions. The closest to the objectively greatest band would be the most popular of all time, which Google tells me is The Beatles. Further, there's no reason to dismiss someone because they either don't like or haven't heard of a band. People have their own musical tastes and opinions, and to deny that fact is to deny uniqueness in all humans. It doesn't make them stupid or wrong that they don't like TMBG any more than I'm stupid for not liking my friend's metal music. People are allowed to have different musical tastes and they shouldn't be judged for them. To mix up Subjectivity and Objectivity is a dangerous thing that can lead to things like creationism being taught in science class, or to forego vaccines purely because you "think" they cause autism. There are objective facts, but "greatness" is not one of them.

[@Deggey]

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH This is what makes my Tuesday, every week! Great song, one of the highlights of the Dial-A-Song project, that's for sure!

[@noth9617]

Can’t imagine any member of TMBG ever being the person anyone settles for. I’m seeing them live in Melbourne in October and I’m going to have to stop myself from taking them all home 😂

[@BlueCanaryNightLight]

Wat a second.... what did you say? Y-you know Linnel is like 64... And the others are around that age... Right? 😭😰

[@noth9617]

​@@BlueCanaryNightLight what's your point? I'm 35. They released Lincoln the year before I was born, and I watched them perform flood just last week. They're all alive and well, talented and funny as ever. Why wouldn't I?

[@monsterurby]

"I ordered well. They brought me medium rare." "Good! They did you a favour. Stop ruining steak!"

[@AaronBirnbaumz]

DAS is the reason I look forward to every Tuesday!!

[@LukeHennisch]

The opening lyrics, “year after year”, reminds me of the opening line to The Beatles, “The Fool On The Hill” the opening line is “day after day.

[@mbire8014]

this makes me feel better about being short :)

[@Skipperdoodle]

"You ordered well, they brought you medium rare" They did her a favor tbh

[@inspectorspinda]

i just heard this song today and I'm loving it already

[@TheProgressiveFrequency]

I think I like their Dial-A-Songs even better than their normal one. I don't know, they're just so cool! TMBG is such a great band...

[@robertgeraldwalker4987]

I think this is one of those "you'd better look out for what you pray for" kind of songs.

[@PogieJoe]

These videos do the already amazing songs a great deal of justice. Such creativity on all fronts!

[@Twiddle_things]

Had a complete freakout when this and other TMBG songs played in the car. Crazy how similar I am to my dad :p

[@keysaysassah]

Bought this song on iTunes just to listen to today. I've been having such a hard time with all my broken dreams but this somehow makes me feel much better lol

[@Blitterbug]

The goddam most beautiful and catchy song about stalking ever written

[@dawntate7511]

2:02

[@wolftamer9]

WOW! You guys never cease to impress, that was great!

[@melloang]

You boys are on fire!! May can't come soon enough!

[@apb_134]

This song is beautiful!

[@maggir.8016]

Joe Hollier, if you are reading these comments, I'd love to hear more about your inspiration for the video, because it's just as beautiful and multi-layered as this song. (Also, in response to o0tori's comment below, I am totally making a Sherlock fanvid.)

[@smallscalestudio7520]

One of my favorite things is showing. My friend the video for they might be Giants with no sound

[@mariemoore2681]

Well thank God, I finally got that. Saw my hometown prominently!

[@andrewmay5949]

You guys rock. Thanks for all the great music! This is a fantastic song.

[@MoosheNickerson]

Wow what a beautifully styled and timed video!

[@x.x.7646]

You can't always get what you want But if you try sometime you find You get what you need

[@L0REN0R2Z0RR0]

Incredible awesome music video... It creates so many images in my head...

[@applemask]

It's about the difference between the answer and the correct answer

[@TaylorjAdams]

I'm listening to this on a random youtube playlist and I'm starting to feel confused because this is literally the order that I've watched these videos in before

[@joneelillard892]

The surveillance machine I mean the KZbin algorithm has been all up in your affairs I mean watching habits

[@x.x.7646]

Consolation and insights beautifully packed. Thanks

[@Waluigifan95]

I still remember back when I used TikTok and how excited I got when I saw this song trending

[@K.night_]

I just discovered this song today, what have I been doing the past 4 years of my life??

[@greagandev]

Wow. Such a good song.

[@evewurtele1820]

I love this song. thanks!

[@Jusman010]

Bravissimo

[@fishy658]

AAA!!

[@mikeg3692]

You guys are the best. Love you so much, thank you!!! Thank you for all the great music . Viva la maybe giants

[@mikeg3692]

Thanks for making feel ok for 3 min 27 sec . Now I'm back to my sad reality

[@therezistor]

I had been a bit "meh" on all of the DaS offerings thus far this year, and then this song came out and I broke into a huge smile the first time I listened to it. Thank you, John & John and Co. for continuing to craft such beautiful songs. We love you. :)

[@jenniferisbell4690]

This song is everything ❤

[@DadbodCrusader]

This is possibly the most romantic song TMBG has released since She's an Angel.

[@kyrawr83]

+Zach Taylor What about Another First Kiss?

[@RobertKuusk]

This song isn't romantic?

[@energywine]

@@RobertKuusk I agree, always thought it was tongue in cheek but it's a pretty creepy

[@ThirdrailHQ]

Fantastic. Wow. I know this is an oblique reaction, but all I can think right now is that I would love to hear Liz Phair cover this song.

[@allentaylor2790]

Favorite so far!

[@LooseCanonCreations]

My favorite DaS entry since "Erase!"

[@Realwessharpe]

Normally I hate Musically, but if it brings more attention to TMBG then I'm all for it!

[@caydenscout7490]

I CAN SEE MY 11 YEAR OLD SELF JAMMING OUT HAHAHA

[@JADEHARLEYYY]

2:02 YOU WANTED TALLL I CAME IN UNDER 5'4 THEN YIU WANTED DARK I TEND TO SUNBURN A LOT AS FOR HANDSOME WELL CANT HELP YOU THERE SO MAKE OF IT WHAT YOU WILL 🗣📢📢📢📢📢

[@vivalaleta]

I love this song. It does justice to my idolization of TMBG.

[@Booglebash]

....THIS....IS THE BEST DAS YET.

[@nopenothappening2242]

an answer to all your prayers, and the answer is "no"

[@yitromoshe7525]

Has anyone asks you what is your favourite songs and it takes you hours to choose because of all of the awesome TMBG songs?

[@sam-vx5of]

"The cake was lit"

[@axolotlarson9384]

🤙🤙🤙🤙

[@charleswolfman]

Love the music, guys!

[@pauldzim]

This is really good

[@PigeonFodder]

Perhaps the interested agents are angels and the surveillance machine is God.

[@fatandyboy6856]

Thanks Buddha, Spongebob, Mel Gibson and all the unshaven bridge trolls for the return of Dial A Song in 2018 - TMBG are the best!

[@midston5843]

0:12 Is that a paper cutout of Poland?

[@tinkpatience]

If a good book reads you, then this song sings me. The young girl I was, started out with a checklist of fine features to find. Thank God I didn't get any of those things.

[@nogs33]

galing mo

[@pigeonmorris2243]

uy kababayan

[@ThatTimeIFell]

I think I might be the only person here that hears this song about self-acceptance.

[@rundoetx]

One of the bet bands on the planet!!!

[@BerndBarsch]

Oh, they' re still alive, so am I.

[@suilvenmountain2395]

Oxford and Canterbury lockdowns come to mind

[@johnb3168]

An ocean of whiskey and time? But I've the cheat code (of sorts)! Press: up, down, up, down, left, ampersand, the green (not algae, but forrest green) button, the start button, the finish button, the Finnish button, and then blink twice into the scarecrow you don't see's eyes (or camera).

[@Voetistasneua]

I have a simpler suggestion: Pick up the phone. Now drop it off(continued below) ....... a cliff.

[@peterschorn1]

This should be the new theme song for "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

[@tavadaardendrian319]

Yasss. FitzSimmons?

[@TheNewThirteen]

Classic Linnell.

[@robertgeraldwalker4987]

maybe not the answer you were looking for, but the answer nonetheless

[@sofargone88]

_Who knows how much songs They Might Be Giants made?_ -No one knows-

[@rebekahkimdesouza2983]

Almost barely not enough More

[@debb8321]

This reminds me of seeing Snowden on John Oliver Sunday! :D

[@Realwessharpe]

Reminds me of something from the Mink Car era.

[@TheThetaGraft]

That's funny, because it really reminds me of "Montana".

[@DgNotNice]

KaBlamBandicoot64 it reminds me more of working undercover for the man

[@Realwessharpe]

Which was a song on Mink Car (it also had a single)

[@grrrrarrgh]

Kevin C Jones it’s very much a Linnell song!

[@jaredallenramos4715]

1:04 beaTLes reference

[@keysaysassah]

I should play this for the recruiters rejecting my applications left and right XD Maybe I can brainwash them with good music ;)

[@kaciewarren7299]

Me:wow this is a great song! Tik tok: I THINK IM BOUTA STEAL

[@IAmNoeyes]

As I use my Survalance Machine to listen to this song, ALL THIS TIME!.

[@bradwakey90]

Best one yet along with Erase. Don't care much for the others yet :-(

[@spongetide]

Shawn Graham when

[@piatpotatopeon8305]

This song is the ultimate pickup line.

[@ZandoFox]

thank you based Super Giants I don't know how you do it.

[@emilylorenz8620]

Did this guy sing the elements song??

[@Realwessharpe]

Yes, this is the same band!

[@jamiewesson898]

tmbg are loved by music fans but its not a marriage they wont mind us loving other bands