Analysing the Lyrics

You were a child
Crawling on your knees toward it
Making momma so proud
But your voice is too loud
We like to watch you laughing
You pick the insects off plants
No time to think of consequences[Chorus:]
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanting to be haunted
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanting to be haunted

The water is warm
But it's sending me shivers
A baby is born
Crying out for attention
Memories fade
Like looking through a fogged mirror
Decisions too
Decisions are made and not bought
But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot
I guess not

[Chorus x6]

An important aspect of getting the video to synchronise with the video is to understand the lyrics and the meaning behind them. The lyrics to ‘Kids’ are highly subjective and so can be decoded in different ways by different people. Here I am going to outline a few of the possible meanings of the song.

One possible meaning is the connection to the environment. With lines such as 'You pick the insects off plants' and 'A family of trees' this could seem the more literal interpretation. The lines 'You pick the insects off plants. No time to think of consequences' is said to identify how the smallest actions by humans could impact the earth and nobody thinks of the effects that our actions have. By this interpretation, the chorus is a warning to its listeners about controlling the amount of luxuries we use that damage earth.

Another meaning is more westernised, a tale of custodial battles and life without a father figure. The main line to show this interpretation is: 'decisions to decisions are made but not bought but I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot. I guess not' which is said to demonstrate how important a father figure in a child's life and the large impact it has on the child.

Many people have also linked the song with the ideology of 'The American Dream.' 'Making Momma so proud' is a key part of this theory as making your family proud of you is a big part of achieving the American dream. It also demonstrates the journey we take to achieve this dream and in life in general, going from 'crawling on your knees' to having your own children – 'A baby is born.' With this interpretation, the line ' a family of trees' refers to our lineage and where we have come from, whatever our background. I believe this to be the most believable interpretation because of its association with recent issues of postmodern society.

The amount of interpretations is not limited and many more can be found in the comment section of the website Song Meanings (http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858614304/).