Cosmo Jarvis

Released: September 26, 2011

Songwriter: Cosmo Jarvis

Producer: Cosmo Jarvis

[Chorus]
Is the world strange, or am I strange?
Is the world strange, or am I?
Is the world mean, or am I mean?
Guess I won't know 'til I die

[Verse 1]
Everyone I know, I don't wanna see you anymore
I don't even know what I know you for, all I know is that you made me feel abnormal
And mostly always, all day, as kids when we played
I still felt like I had to try to be okay with you

And truly, I wanted you to like me
Not spite me without explanation unrightly
But even as a kid, my heart's what I hid
'Cause something about it and this planet don't fit

[Verse 2]
I could never build relationships the way you did
So you were only friends with what I pretended
Every day, every minute, and now I'm stuck so far in it
This game will mean death for me if I don't win it

I'm a coward, a deserter, an anonymous flirter
I had me a woman, but my bullshit just hurt her
Very much the same, when I was at school
Felt like I was from a junk gene pool

[Verse 3]
Created to be confused, should never have to choose
Between what I am, and what the world understands
But if I never did, I would be more isolated
But sure I'd be hated, so it's way better if I fake it

Fake me, fake these words
I'm sick of polishing this turd
For this proud little planet, that can't understand it
But really, it's clearly my fucked mind that's had it

[Verse 4]
I tried, don't know why, but myself was no help
People saw shit inside me; it's clear that they felt
It wasn't their job to comprehend, so I began learning them
To spare them the expense, I began my descent to the future

Time here's not like when you're 8
It's real, like mistakes I just realized I made
Like thinking people are worth having to suffer
Painting over yourself in their favourite colour

Or maybe I'm just a clock with no real face
Who tried to tick-tock but could not find a pace...

[Chorus 1]

[Chorus 2]
Is the world dead, or am I dead?
Is the world dead, or am I?
Is the world fucked, or am I fucked?
Guess I won't know 'til I die

[Verse 5]
And I wished you would be harsh to me
And explain to my face every fault you could see
Instead you were silent, yes, you let me be
To continue the search for what mask you could treat

Like a motherfucking normal human being
Other kids in your club didn't have masks to bring
They didn't act different, and that was sufficient
For them to receive all your trust that I didn't

[Verse 6]
That's why I can't care now about you lot
'Cause from the beginning you never said 'get lost'
You never said 'Fuck off, cuz, take that brave mask off
We as a world have decided you're just not

What we're looking for in a long time acquaintance
We don't like hearing your emotionless statements'
And your 'I can't play ball with the world' conversations
Kill yourself now, so in the future we're free from your songs about fucked up personality"

[Verse 7]
I always prayed that you would punch me in the face
And shout 'You are a waste of space, get out, my family say you can't come 'round'
Wanted everyone more than they ever wanted me
I worked for them, worked for their company

'Cause it wasn't really me they befriended, extended friendly courtesy
It was whatever mask that I wore that applied to their sort
That applied to them so much they'd answer the door
When I knocked after school with my trusty skateboard

[Verse 8]
And I'm paying for it now, I'm a rain filled cloud
That can't drop the huge storm it allowed
To build up inside it, no, not a single drip
I can never get rid of what makes me a dick

I'd say sorry, but it's not my fault I exist
So just kiss my ass, people
I'm glad you won't miss me when I'm gone
I don't want to be in your history

It's just best to forget me
Even if you liked me you still never met me...

[Chorus 1 + Chorus 2] x2

Critic, journalist, sometime musician, onetime actor, and full-time Midwesterner Mark Deming provides a discographic-based biography for Cosmo Jarvis:

“Singer, songwriter, and filmmaker Cosmo Jarvis has earned a devoted following for his witty, often satiric tunes about the foibles of relationships and contemporary life, often rooted in personal experience, as well as his own self-produced videos and short subjects that have given his work a global online audience. Harrison Cosmo Krikoryan Jarvis was born on September 1, 1989 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Jarvis' family relocated to the United Kingdom when he was young, and he grew up in Devon in Southwest England. Jarvis began writing songs when he was only 12 years old, around the same time he began making short films using a VHS video camera. While Jarvis' early videos were little more than documentation of pranks played with his friends, with time he began constructing more complex narratives, and similarly his songs began to evolve, ranging from folk-inspired acoustic guitar pieces and elaborate pop tunes to tongue-in-cheek hip-hop tracks.

At the age of 16, Jarvis quit school to focus on his creative work, and in 2009 he wrote and produced his debut album, an 18-song set called Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch, which was released by the British indie label Wall of Sound. The album combined Jarvis' observational tunes with a cycle of songs reflecting the emotional turmoil of his parents' stormy relationship. Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch received enthusiastic notices from the British music press, but it didn’t sell especially well, and Jarvis teamed with 25th Frame for his second release, Is the World Strange or Am I Strange? A track from the album, “Gay Pirates,” became an Internet sensation after Jarvis' low-budget video for the song was endorsed in a Twitter post by actor and author Stephen Fry, and subsequent airplay helped make the second album a commercial success. While continuing to tour, write songs, and record music, Jarvis has also been writing and directing a feature film, provisionally titled The Naughty Room. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi"

more tracks from the album

Is The World Strange or Am I Strange?

From the album

Is The World Strange or Am I Strange? (2011)

Cosmo Jarvis popular songs

Is The World Strange?Cosmo Jarvis

Cosmo Jarvis

Is The World Strange or Am I Strange?