Interpretations:Good To Be Alive

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As a companion song to My Man

My brain has been flitting about with connections between the two songs. One has a man whose body considering the fact that his body does not respond, the other, greeting his body.

They could be different people in the same hospital, maybe even having been in the same accident (maybe from Spoiler Alert? It's both Johns!). One is distressed, the other counting his blessings. Or they could both be the same person, distressed upon waking up to be paralyzed (My Man), but later accepting it (Good to be Alive). The "such a shaky leg" line could be feeling is finally returning, or the leg is convulsing, showing promise.--Pittsburghmuggle (talk) 21:34, 20 April 2015 (EDT)

The "shaky leg" is also reminiscent of the "withered leg" from 'Destination Moon'.--Triangle O. Daver 16:54, April 25, 2015 (CDT)

A fascinating counterpoint to Erase

If we buy the suicide interpretation of "Erase" (which I think is very plausible) then immediately following it (on the 'Glean' track list) with "Good to Be Alive" suggests that the same person is featured in both--first getting ready to press that erase button, then waking up in the hospital, realizing that the suicide attempt was unsuccessful, and feeling deeply relieved and glad. The juxtaposition really puts some extra emotional heft on what's otherwise a fairly lightweight song. -- Rosefox

"Good To Be Alive"

It could be sung by a person who has just come out of a coma, or it could be sung by an upbeat person waking in the morning and feeling instantly grateful for all of her blessed body parts. Regardless of the scenario, it's a feel-good song about appreciating every part of oneself. We are amazing machines, we humans.

[By Jeff F. Haines]

I like your use of the word "blessed" because the song seems to come from a sacred place, and swims in a sense of blessedness. The vocoder washes are almost like angelic visitations. The fact that we know the Johns aren't the kind to be dogmatic or to wear a particular faith on their lapels only serves to make the sentiment that much more relatable and trust-able. Flans (or the "narrator") knows that he's verging on that space and so in a self-deprecating way, almost apologetically, he disclaims the roles (preacher, life-coach, etc.) that others might use to make such a declaration. That humility, along with the gentleness of the music and the tone of his singing, sells the uplift & invites us in to celebrate and agree. --Nehushtan (talk) 22:26, 29 August 2019 (EDT)

Absolutely agree. This is a gorgeous and moving piece of music celebrating the human experience. Quietly one of Flans's best lyrics and unusually for TMBG it's got a positive, loving sentiment. Uncomplicated. Perfect. --Macdrown

Not just physical recovery

Okay, so first off, let the record show that I'm definitely projecting here, but I can see this song as being about recovery in general--not just from an accident or illness, but possibly from mental health issues as well.

As someone who's been severely depressed before, I can say that one of the worst parts is the feeling of numbness. You can be there, alive, breathing, but feel like you're dead. Disconnected, in a way. And waking up after a serious depressive episode is genuinely one of the most wonderful feelings in the world, because all of a sudden, you can feel again. You're back to being YOU, and it's just...it's good. It feels good to be alive.

Again, I know I'm projecting, but this is honestly such an important song to me. It's my recovery jam, and I can't thank Flans enough for writing it. Warhammer Of Zillyhoo! (talk) 13:06, 16 June 2015 (EDT)

Predictive programming

I got Glean back in 2015 as a Christmas gift, and as someone who didn't care much for music at the time, I cast it aside, save for maybe 1 or 2 times I listened to it on a car ride. Rediscovering They Might Be Giants through All The Lazy Boyfriends as a depressed teenager in the wake of the pandemic (summer 2020), Glean was one of the first albums I came back to and gave another shot. Good To Be Alive filled me with intense emotion because of how much I connected with it personally at the time. If this song was on BOOK with zero musical or lyrical changes, it would 100% be tied back to COVID-19. Because the song came out in 2015, I know for a fact that Good To Be Alive is not actually written about the pandemic. And I don't think it's "predictive programming", either. I just needed a title for this retrospective interpretation that isn't actually an interpretation of anything because it quite literally can't be about what I've always associated it with. I'm more here to share my thoughts and see if anyone else felt the same way as me.--You&Me!! (talk) 10:21, 12 October 2023 (EDT)