Interpretations:No Answer

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Like Au Contraire, Certain People I Could Name, and Turn Around, this song has three largely unrelated verses expounding on a central theme, which is expressed in the chorus. I'd say the song itself is fairly self-explanatory, but I recall someone suggesting that the first verse might be a reference to Robert Browning's poem, "My Last Duchess." -VoVat

That poem's about a guy's wife who died and now exists as a painting, which is pretty close to part of the first verse ("In the moat of the castle was where the Duke of something's wife drowned / and the eyes of her portrait seemed to follow him around")

Hmm, I'd say it's about people denying the fact that somebody they knew passed away. Because all these deceased people are asking "What's it like to be alive?" and the living don't hear because they're in denial. Great song. =) I hope it's on their new album. --Lemita 19:23, 9 Apr 2006 (CDT)

It doesn't seem especially TMBG-ish (even though they write tons of songs about death), but the line "Was it the ghost of somebody who decided not to begin?", combined with the rest of the verse, makes me think of an abortion. Probably just me. ~Anna Ng: The Only TMBG Fan In Her Class

I think that "somebody who decided not to begin" refers to a miscarriage or stillbirth, not an abortion, because the baby "decided not to begin," the parents did not make that decision - they even had a stroller ready for their new child, which they dumped on the side of the road after they failed to deliver. Mucket 02:29, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

I agree with this. That is all. Jade

"somebody who decided not to begin".... so, they decided to don't let's start? Not that i'm implying any relation... I just thought it was amusing. Ok, i'm done. - Ganna

Connection Between The Living And Dead

I don't usually tend to look too deep into songs meanings despite it being fun to do. I've been listening to this song for ages and it's probably my favorite TMBG song overall, but only until a few months ago a shocking realization about the song came clear to me. I analyzed the lyrics and it all adds up to the connection between the physical living world and the spiritual world of the dead. Each line strengthens this theory with another supporting example of the connection. "In the moat of the castle was where the duke of something's wife drowned...". Automatically in the beginning of the song we're introduced to an example of death the duke (of something!) faces. "And the eyes of her portrait seem to follow him around...". Here is where the connection between these different worlds come in. The duke still thinks about his wife and his wife's spirit stays there roaming the castle in a form the duke cannot see. His wife calls out to him, but there is no answer, no one can hear. The rest of the song primarily goes on like this, showing different examples. Overall I believe this to be one of tmbg's saddest and deepest songs. The phone quality sound to it also gives it such a charm to especially the theme of this song. Great, great song.

- ekulhennisch 3/16/21

The last verse

Seeing one of the interpretations of the last verse being about a stillborn or miscarriage is, what I think, a way tamer explanation than what I thought. I honestly thought this verse was about someone leaving their toddler or very young child (still able to be in a stroller) on the side of the road due to them probably not ready (financially or mentally) to have a kid yet. This is probably the worst take I have had on a tmbg song, but I thought it would be a toddler or so because of the fact it was "a small voice asking". TheLump (talk) 21:56, 18 July 2024 (EDT)

Meaning as a Begged Question

The characters in each verse of No Answer exist to illustrate our tendency to ascribe consciousness to inanimate objects.

The duke of something's wife is characterized solely by her husband's interpretation of her portrait. The portrait was painted while she was alive, and it's only now that she's dead that the duke imagines she wonders what it would be like to live again.

Similarly, the taxidermy tiger's eyes would only gleam if there's a viewer moving in relation to them, and the ghost of somebody who decided not to begin can only be inferred from the stroller on the southeast expressway.

All three characters aren't actually curious what it means to be alive; it's our knowledge that they're dead which prompts us to wonder on their behalf.

I think TMBG is saying that meaning is often a begged question. The howling wind (that's really just a query) is a question literally begging to be let in.

This is an unexpectedly upbeat song given such a dour interpretation. It's possibly saying that life is meaningless, but that it's okay because our desire for meaning is equally empty.

Seems apropos for two guys who think it's beautiful that we all die frustrated and sad. --NoAnswer (talk) 13:23, 3 December 2024 (EST)