They Might Be Giants - By The Time You Get This (Official Video)

by the time you get this note we’ll no longer be alive
we’ll have all gone up in smoke-there’ll be no way to reply
you’ll be wondering about the world that vanished long ago
and the words that reach you now that were buried underground
greetings to everyone in 1937
it seems that you were never aware that we were here
you’re probably too busy rejoicing in the present
to stop and be reminded of the dark and troubled past
by the time you get this note we’ll no longer be alive
but our skulls are smiling still at the thought of things to come
we can confidently know that you’ll enjoy a better world
when the evils that we faced will at last be laid to rest
when the poisons of the earth are completely neutralized
when the hatred and the lies are forever put aside
when the voices of dissent and contradiction all abate
and the peaceful air is filled with a silent harmony
we can’t be certain at the moment of this writing
but surely in the future there’ll be no barking dogs
the sound of crying babies will be thankfully forgotten
no long will the chattering classes make a noise
by the time you get this note a millennium from now
we’ll have all gone up in smoke-there’ll be no way to reply
and we confidently know you’ll enjoy a better time
when the evils that we faced will at last be laid to rest
Dial-A-Song Video Week 18.
Starring Lola Kelly and Andrew Sykes
Directed by Alex Italics
Produced by John Marsaglia
Cinematography by Brody Anderson
Edited by Genevieve Hernandez
Visual Effects by Jared Potter
I Like Fun is here.
Get I Like Fun direct from TMBG - bit.ly/ILikeFun
or at Apple Music - geni.us/iILF
or at Amazon - geni.us/aILF
or in the UK/EU - ljx.cc/TMBG_ILikeFun
Stream They Might Be Giants on Spotify!
found.ee/TMBGSpotify
Get They Might Be Giants merch!
found.ee/TMBGMerch
See They Might Be Giants on tour!
found.ee/TMBGShows

[@daveidmarx8296]

Our skulls are smiling still at the thought that John & John almost seem like guest stars in their own video!

[@ephraimlessell]

Darn, Everyone's witty. Maybe I should go to finishing school

[@0okamino]

@@ephraimlessell It can help, and you don't even have to fully commit. I started finishing school, but I never finished.

[@jordanmazzella7657]

The scenes featuring the Johns are reminiscent of one of their earliest songs, Ana Ng..

[@Hiushisan]

Can we just take a moment to admire how John's voice is still as good as it was in the 80s?

[@snakes7303]

We’ve been admiring...For so long. What year is it?

[@momo-chanthegerbil6205]

Which John, John? Or John With Glasses?

[@Hiushisan]

@@momo-chanthegerbil6205 Yes

[@CharlieGreene24242]

I love how they still have the johns doing the 2× speed actions... some things never change

[@SaladVonBaco]

I dig when the Johns are in the video.

[@ZandoFox]

John and John! You're in a music video!

[@ExcessiveSpareTime]

The actual Johns in a TMBG vid? That's a rare sight these days...

[@samuelcastelli5782]

I know... but it's AWESOME

[@ThatOtherPerson]

I was really excited to see them in there too! :-)

[@bruce-le-smith]

it's a welcome sight too! like some of the early vids 🤓

[@notanotherjamesmurphy5574]

This sounds kind of like a Lincoln type song. I love it

[@NxDoyle]

I'm pretty sure it's a call back to Ana Ng. Love it.

[@narnbrez]

John and John sharing a desk performing rote tasks reminds me of Ana Ng's music video

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

Also the video for The Lion sleeps Tonight.

[@rroes7319]

"a millennia from now" & "greetings to everyone in 1937" implies that it was written in 937 c.e.

[@ineedabetterpfp2485]

Guess they’ve been sitting on this one for a while.

[@adamsdan1]

@Meera Kumar and if you scratch that surface, you'll find that letter was written during the Battle of Brunanburh. One of England's most significant battles. Damn, Linnell knows how to layer.

[@Gmoyer11Tech]

I don't know why but this video gives me an old school tmbg vibe. I love it.

[@joshualuigi220]

It's the robotic movement and saturation.

[@kssykssygg]

And the clocks being broken!

[@stopiteration132]

Reminds me of Tom Lehrer's "We Will All Go Together When We Go". "There will be no misery when the world is a rotisserie"

[@vizorphaze]

Yess!!! The Johns are finally in a video again!!! 😃

[@vizorphaze]

Corey Messick ... your 100% correct... the Johns are grim reapers... upstairs👍

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

Few things make me happier than the two Johns singing together in tight unison 🥰🥰🥰

[@Paul-dw2cl]

There’s something really exceptional about this song

[@SeCONdagenda1]

It’s positive.

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

@@SeCONdagenda1 lol Yes, it's an exceptional song.

[@claytonbaker6507]

The problem with this song is that it doesn't last forever.

[@falpsdsqglthnsac]

It does if you put it on loop

[@GranPoetix]

Thank you. The lyrics of this song carry so much weight. This might be your most meaningful piece yet. Thank you for all of your art over the years.

[@fruitgh0st]

GranPoetix the greatest is deep af

[@mishuga]

I’m just here to point out that John rhymed “Seven” with “present” and I love it.

[@TheFlusteredCustard]

It rhymed better in 937, when this was written. Language has evolved.

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

hello seven.

[@derpinderpana8830]

I think John is probably my favorite John out of the two Johns.

[@letitbeknown8126]

Sorry, but i disagree. I like John more than John.

[@Dan_-]

How can you possibly like John more than John?

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

C'mon, don't fight. Can't we all just get a John?

[@ephraimlessell]

@@letitbeknown8126 I was about to praise the post, but your response takes the cake.

[@ephraimlessell]

@@ezekielbrockmann114 hmmm. how come everyone's so damned more funny that I am? Forget I said that; don't let's start

[@Kestra84]

Was listening to a random mix of TMBG to get my mind off the Everything. Lighthearted fun! Constantinople vs. Istanbul! Particles... then this song dropped and it pushed my mood right off a cliff in a ball of flaming reality shrapnel. Back to Birdhouse in Your Soul with me.

[@sarahbird7398]

I nearly spat out when my tea when Linnell first appeared!

[@qclod]

wasnt expecting the johns - great video!!!

[@elevenmink3851]

I wish these guys got more recognition...

[@fatandyboy6856]

I love TMBG and thank God, Buddha and SpongeBob they exist in my version of existence!

[@BojoPigeon]

If you take in John and John as lodgers at your farm house, you are going to experience some weird stuff. But think of all the awesome music you'd get to hear.

[@jasper7439]

Why the cauliflower? @@bobafett9739

[@adamsdan1]

I put this song into the echelon of Linnell's finest work. It's so fun, clever and gut wrenching at the same time... I have to lay down for awhile.

[@Paul-dw2cl]

Agreed!

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

Yep. Top tier TMBG. It's phenomenal in concept and poetically executed in sound.

[@adamsdan1]

@@ezekielbrockmann114 The letter was written during the battle of Brunanburh. When I wrote the first comment here I hadn't scratched down to that layer... fucking genius.

[@user-or1pn3nv3w]

This sounds like it could be a ending song from Portal

[@TotallyTorchicandTorchic]

I think Flansburgh actually helped Jonathan Coulton with “Only Want You Gone” in Portal 2

[@user-or1pn3nv3w]

@@TotallyTorchicandTorchic That would kinda make sense

[@CoolGuyBrendyn]

it's funny, I've always thought Still Alive sounded like a TMBG song

[@incubuskills3608]

reminiscing back to 2018, when this music video was being teased and tmbg fans new and old all came together to absolutely lose their minds over it. "the first music video the johns are in since 2011!" it was so exciting to wait for this music video to come out. pretty sure i cried, just from the sheer excitement of it. the johns never cease to fill me with joy. edit: wasnt the first time the johns were in a music video since 2011, try since 2015. i forgot about mrs. wheelyke!

[@jerameysattler5291]

They where also in Icky in 2013

[@Paul-dw2cl]

That melody makes me want to jump out of my body. I have an unspeakable love for this tune

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

It's so...bard-ish. Epistolary.

[@AKADriver]

This song reminds me of those warnings designed to go on nuclear waste sites and be understood for thousands of years. This song is not a song of honor. No esteemed deed is commemorated here!

[@TheSurlygentleman]

Well now if I ever see one of those signs/areas that song will pop into my mind, which I kind of hate since the conceited optimism in the lyrics has that tinge of pretension that makes me feel more jaded than optimistic that who ever after finds those sites will do some research before considering it a gainful venture

[@JayJaysJay]

Oh my. It seems a shame so few of us are witness to some of the most important art of our times.

[@RyogaXvX]

I hope they never stop making music!

[@PinkiePyro2011]

This is like a dark, twisted Ana Ng. Also look at the very Salvador Dali-esque imagery at 1:40. Love it! Alex Italics has outdone himself again.

[@KingfisherTalkingPictures]

I don’t know how I missed so many great songs & videos. I only turned my head away for a few minutes.

[@Frostfly]

I either want a "this note" stamp. or "this note" note pads...

[@lecoffeebandit]

Love the imagery of the guy painting his windows black to block out his impending doom. Lots of willful ignorance about what is happening in our country right now.

[@TheDubiousSalmon]

lecoffeebandit IIRC that was a thing people were suggested to do during the Cold War before impending nuclear detonation. I think it may have been to stop you from getting blinded by the intense light from the explosion. Might have also stopped some gamma rays if it was lead paint, but I doubt that would actually help

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

Yes but, "thankfully forgotten" "smiling skulls" "silent harmony" I don't think you quite understand the song.

[@TheDubiousSalmon]

@veevyo Hey, anything to distract people from their impending death, right? I guess I'd rather be painting a window than staring at the sky and waiting for the missiles.

[@codenamejaz644]

Make a hole with a gun perpendicular... wait wrong video... (But seriously, great song and awesomely creative and well directed/shot video!)

[@Moonfire121]

I was thinking the same thing!!

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

Despite the highly ominous nature of the video, I can't stop giggling at Linnell's stiff twists at the waist. He's always had the same sort of chaos energy.

[@ephraimlessell]

I've known dozens of people who know Linnell. Many of them report that he is very awkward. Others have far worse to say. Regardless, I think that he's a genius.

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

@@ephraimlessell Flansburgh is a perfect partner for him, motivates him to come out of his shell and use his creative abilities to the fullest

[@jessss27]

@@ephraimlessell "Many people are saying"

[@ephraimlessell]

@@jessss27 I don''t understand your response. At first glance, I thought that you were corrrecting my grammar, but then I looked at my post and it's grammatically fine. Let me know; I'm curious (if yours was a negative response, please try to tame it a bit if you respond. I'm really badly deprressed)

[@ephraimlessell]

@@floridaflamingogirl3119 Do you knopw them? If not, you're very perceptive.. A friend of mine was their assistant manager forr 12 years and he observed what you did here. He says it's not so true now, but that it was very true at the starrt of their career. Looking back, as much as I hate fads in psychologgy, I suspect that Mr. Linnell is "on the autistic spectrum". Also, he was allegedly insecure about not having a college degree (he dropped out in his first semester from the University of Massachusetts. He grew up in the town next to my hometown, wherre prrobably %95 of high schooll graduates go on to get a college degree. Also, his father was a brilliant and famous psychiatrist and psychoanalyst according to my psychiatrist, who loved They Might Be Giants when I played them for him, so I bought him the three cd's they had out at the time. But back to your point: I never thought of autism with regard to Linnell until I read your response. I don't think Linnell would have "gone anywhere" without Flansburgh. who "everyone" says is a nice guy.

[@cashc4434]

This video is very fitting. Alex Italics did it again!

[@gc6096]

indeed

[@amypenguin4988]

this is an amazing video

[@nolimit6377]

Man, I could only hope to still be making music this good into my 50s. I'm 27 and am already a burnt match.

[@Persun_McPersonson]

60s now. How do they do it?

[@L0REN0R2Z0RR0]

I don't want to live in this world anymore, I don't want to live in this wooooorrrlll...

[@NxDoyle]

Another triumph. Linnell 2020. Thank you again for the Philly live stream. It was such a lovely treat. Because of a long-standing emotional investment, connoting immediate love for the idea of new songs as well as 30 years of (frankly, largely undesired) nostalgia, I'm not in a great position to say if the new songs are indicative of a rich new vein or merely another bunch of great songs from a band I love. Taking all the brain filters out, it _feels_ like there's an extra little thing going on with I Like Fun. Or maybe it's just that J & J are in the video and their 'roles' are reminiscent of Ana Ng. Whatever the hell is going on, I'm very grateful for They Might Be Giants and happy they're happy making new music.

[@cobalt._.27]

Happy 2nd birthday, They Might Be Giants - By The Time You Get This (Official Video)!

[@MrWiskerboots]

These two age magnificently!

[@josealvim1556]

The beginning is almost aperture-science-esque. I love it!

[@PhilieBlunt666]

José Alvim totally.. they are still alive after all..

[@MisterAppleEsq]

And Flansy produced Artificial Heart by Jonathan Coulton, which had a version of Still Alive on it, so there's a vague connection there.

[@billyfred42]

What a great video for a great song. I loved seeing you guys in it!

[@0okamino]

Grim optimism is an interesting combination, just as John and John have always been. It is a better time in many ways, but we still have a very long way to go. For now, this song will also have to be our message to you, people in 2937.

[@elliotgrant2080]

Such a wonderful callback and an incredibly aesthetically pleasing video, it reminded me of the Czech alice in wonderland!!! (The general black elements over warm tones and glass and also the vague discomfort)

[@aubreyseaton]

So good to see the Johns in a video again! I've missed that a lot.

[@letitbeknown8126]

0:00 - 2:26 is my favorite part of the video 👍😀

[@jesiahjohansson3622]

I loved that part too!

[@Paul-dw2cl]

same

[@NxDoyle]

This has graduated to my pantheon of TMBG brilliance.

[@louinnh]

I can't stop listening to the entire I Like Fun album. It is so good! Keep up the the great work John, John, et al!

[@StephanieDouglassMusic]

So weird, so uncomfortable, SO good!!!

[@pendulousphallus]

Were it not for the internet I don't think I'd find other folks who share the same aesthetic.

[@gc6096]

ikr?

[@cardboard-boxgames9308]

I don’t think I’ll ever understand how you two manage to continue to make such great music. Never have you ever made a single even slightly bad song, they’re all fantastic.

[@rayscotchcoulton]

Beautifully bleak.

[@jr4915]

As always, absolutely amazing songwriters.

[@nickel1258]

Human brain: wow I’m so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this band at such a young age and enjoy their music all throughout my life Monkey Brain: Old Bois Make Good Tunes I Love

[@LordmonkeyTRM]

Being a Macaque I didn't understand the first bit... But the 2nd bit spoke to me and WORD!

[@returnosf5043]

This is my favourite song for I Like Fun and the video complements it beautifully

[@aerodyneproductions]

Alex Italics strikes again! What a boss.

[@gc6096]

indeed

[@PaddyWolfe]

got apocalyptic ana ng vibes

[@boomerhater1449]

A friend of mine died yesterday, and as I listen to this song, I'm reminded of her...

[@gc6096]

Cyclopsslayer5 I'm sorry to hear that I send you and your friend's family my regards may your friend Rest In Peace.

[@rointo]

Awesome. I wish the band would appear in more of their videos.

[@JeremyBuxman]

Tmbg: depressing lyrics with bouncy happy lyrics.

[@gwendixon2429]

By the time you get this note We'll no longer be alive We'll have all gone up in smoke There'll be no way to reply You'll be wondering about the world that vanished long ago And the words that reach you now That were buried underground Greetings to everyone in 1937 It seems that you were never aware that we were here You're probably too busy rejoicing in the present To stop and be reminded of the dark and troubled past By the time you get this note We'll no longer be alive But our skulls are smiling still At the thought of things to come We can confidently know that you'll enjoy a better world When the evils that we faced Will at last be laid to rest When the poisons of the Earth Are completely neutralized When the hatred and the lies Are forever put aside When the voices of dissent and contradiction all abate And the peaceful air is filled With a silent harmony We can't be certain at the moment of this writing But surely in the future there'll be no barking dogs The sound of crying babies will be thankfully forgotten No more will the chattering classes make a noise By the time you get this note A millenium from now We'll have all gone up in smoke There'll be no way to reply And we confidently know You'll enjoy a better time When the evils that we faced Will at last be laid to rest

[@jacqland]

Hooray! This is my favourite track from the new album and I'm SO glad it got a video :D :D

[@PogieJoe]

JOHNS! This has to be one of my new favorites from you. Both in song and video. Deliciously dark.

[@LeaVibes63]

No-one does 'Dark' like TMBG! '-)

[@PhilieBlunt666]

LeaVibes63 honesty no one does anything like tmbg..

[@clickityclak6111]

What really caused the dust bowl.

[@AirborneSurfer]

Man, some delightfully classic TMBG vibes here! Well done!

[@pi1611]

Beautifully morbid.

[@NxDoyle]

Linnell 2020.

[@AndrewFullerton]

I've seen some people say this song's lyrics are depressing... I don't really agree with that. I see it as being about how there is no "final battle", how we always have to stay vigilant against evil and not turn a blind eye to it just because it was beaten back in the past. Even our priorities and values will change over time, so we can't rely on the past to set that stuff in stone for us. I see this song as cautionary, but empowering.

[@Ismisha]

I'd find it very hard to find anything depressing in TMBG lyrics. Are they optimistic? Not really. Are a lot of them about death? Sure. But that's their great talent, their realism. We all die. Everything is impermanent. We're all equal in that regard. EVERYBODY dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful! So live life while you're alive. Thank you Johns!

[@edwardlubin322]

Poignant, dark and vocally mesmerizing. Another interesting addition to the mass of work. Kudos~

[@Paul-dw2cl]

I get goosebumps at 1:34 cuz I’m in awe of how amazing that melody is

[@floridaflamingogirl3119]

That background countermelody that spirals upward and wiggles around like a feather flying in the air!! 😍

[@TerriblethingTube]

it is fantastic. i cant tell exactly where they do it but they seemlessly shift into a minor key from 1:12 til like 1:20 and then at 1:34 they slam back into the major and it's so damn juicy.

[@Axqu7227]

The only way we'll ever have world peace is if everyone is dead. This is one of the darkest messages I've ever heard in a song and I love it.

[@rhiannoningram2080]

Beautifully made. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, and I feel this video captured it perfectly. Amazing 💕

[@odinata]

Very reminiscent of their first videos ( with the sped up motion)

[@shockpine]

I'm loving these music videos! The anamorphic just adds that great little touch

[@torta31]

brilliant! brilliant! brilliant! brilliant! brilliant!

[@escapedlabexperiment6660]

this is true!

[@jen8511]

Love this!!! Always look forward to new music by you guys!

[@bartham9285]

i love this video so much! its so similar to their old music videos, with sped up footage of strangely robotic motions. just great in general.

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

This is such an incredible doing.

[@feysira]

wonderful to have a great vid with both of you in it! LOVED your show at the TLA my family and i bought like 5 shirts 😍

[@Tetris0907]

Seems like a lot of people are only now listening to this song lol. It's soo sad but it's good at the same time

[@3DPT]

Clicking repeat for the year 2020...

[@FrontmanVideo]

Wow awesome video! It's great to see the guys in this one!!

[@gavingussmusic3630]

brilliant. so glad to see you guys in top form.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

Man, that's a slow meteor.

[@Lightfinger]

One of my favorites from the album. Lyrics are so good.

[@brandonparnell6160]

With the time that the lyrics place us in and the hope for a better future this reminds me of that is has some basis in real history from what I can till the ones who wrote the notes and either soldiers or civilians from ww1 near the frnt lines that have been hampered by stray artillery fire

[@Shifter5555]

the whole deal about poison and lies really does hammer the WW1 theme, honestly...

[@riddler3488]

Wow man! Shivers.

[@avosmash2121]

This is such a existential song

[@PhilieBlunt666]

Avocado Smash I always liked everybody wants a rock to tie a string around

[@lillianb8762]

Well, that was disturbing. Well done, gentlemen!

[@topmarx1850]

theme for the magnes archive

[@HaplessNerd]

your songs always make me happy, even if they have dark themes

[@bubblezovlove7213]

I'd like to see *They might be giants* sing with *The Eels*. It feels like they'd go well together... 😁😘😁

[@jaredallenramos4715]

whaT abouT wiTh green day

[@samuelcastelli5782]

AWESOME

[@cookieclaygirl77]

Fantastic vid and song!!!

[@camgood2437]

This song is so damn beautiful..

[@BillAmstutz]

So uplifting!