Pushing It to the Back of My Mind

Song Meaning

The narrator faces a personal setback, with "high falutin plans" and "high flying fair-weather friends" disappearing, leaving them to deal with the fallout alone. There's a palpable sense of something being "wrong," a feeling the narrator actively chooses to ignore rather than confront. This avoidance is presented not as a solution, but as a temporary coping mechanism. The central tension lies in the stark contrast between the narrator's outward presentation and their internal state. They insist "to all intents and purposes I'm fine," yet this is immediately undercut by the repeated refrain of "pushing it to the back of my mind." This isn't a declaration of resilience, but a desperate attempt to maintain a facade of normalcy while acknowledging the underlying problem. The lyrics suggest a deep-seated reluctance to "open up my heart and lay it on the line." The most striking craft element is the relentless repetition of the phrase "pushing it to the back of my mind." This isn't just a chorus; it's the lyrical embodiment of the narrator's strategy. The phrase itself is a vivid image of mental compartmentalization. Furthermore, the line "the smile upon my face is only worn as a defence" is a powerful, concise metaphor for this emotional armor, revealing the artificiality of their composure. These lyrics hit hard because they articulate a familiar, albeit unhealthy, human impulse: to suppress difficult feelings and situations rather than process them. The song captures the precariousness of this approach, where maintaining the illusion of being "fine" is a constant, draining effort. The final, fragmented repetitions of "Long as I keep pushin' it" leave the listener with a sense of unresolved anxiety, highlighting the fragility of this self-imposed denial.