On the Level by Mac DeMarco Lyrics Meaning – Decoding the Depths of Existential Crooning
Lyrics
Make an old man proud of you
Forget about the tears
On the level
See me eye-to-eye
Stand up like a man
Even from the underside
On the level
On the level
Man, I never had a choice
Never had a chance
Never had a voice
On the level
Carrying a name
Fall until my final day
Now who’s there left to blame?
On the level
On the level
On the level
On the level
On the level
On the level
Mac DeMarco has a knack for crafting mellow tunes wrapped in a veneer of simplicity while harboring a profound existential weight. ‘On the Level,’ a standout track from his 2017 album ‘This Old Dog,’ entices with its synth-driven dreamscape, only to usher the listener into a contemplative journey through life’s many strata.
The song unfolds with DeMarco’s signature slack guitar tones, accompanied by warbling synths, but at its core, ‘On the Level’ bears the inspection of generational legacies, personal growth, and the inexorable passage of time. Let’s delve into the layers of this introspective ballad, weaving through the existential subtleties of deja vu vocals and the piercing honesties of an artist confronting his past, present, and future.
An Ode to Time’s Relentless March
‘Boy, this could be your year’—with the opening lines DeMarco taps into a universal sense of anticipation, one that reverberates with the promise of youth and potential. Yet, as the verse continues, ‘Make an old man proud of you / Forget about the tears,’ the tone shifts to acknowledge the pressures bestowed by the passage of time and the expectations of the predecessors.
Caught between personal aspirations and the legacy of an ‘old man,’ possibly a father figure or generational predecessor, the listener is lured into a contemplative dilemma often unspoken: Can we truly step out of the shadows cast by those who came before us, or are we doomed to walk paths heavily tread by the tears and triumphs of our ancestors?
Standing Eye-to-Eye with Adulthood
The refrain ‘On the level / See me eye-to-eye / Stand up like a man / Even from the underside’ is a relentless call to meet life’s challenges head-on. It envisions an equal playing field, where one must rise to the occasion, despite ‘the underside’—the often-disheartening starting point for many. DeMarco invokes the rite of passage into manhood, one that is met with resilience and the unwavering perseverance to see oneself as an equal among peers.
Yet, there’s a wistfulness that pervades these lyrics, as if standing ‘on the level’ also means recognizing and accepting the limits and circumstances of one’s existence. The cyclical nature of the line ‘On the level’ serves as a mantra, perhaps reflecting the sometimes stagnant nature of striving, recurring hardships, or the plateau of adult life.
Dismantling the Illusion of Choice
The harrowing confession ‘Man, I never had a choice / Never had a chance / Never had a voice’ pries open the existential can of worms about destiny and self-determinism. DeMarco seems to challenge the listener with a stark observation about the preordained nature of life—how much of what we are is shaped by circumstance rather than autonomous decision-making?
The sense of inevitability and predetermination that seeps through these lines confronts the illusion of control. There is resignation to the forces that have sculpted DeMarco’s existence, and perhaps a commentary on the specific lack of agency that can accompany roles within family or societal structures.
The Torturous Burden of Legacy
In the verse ‘Carrying a name / Fall until my final day / Now who’s there left to blame?’ DeMarco touches on the Sisyphean task of living up to a familial or personal legacy. The inevitability of this journey, characterized by ‘fall[ing] until my final day,’ suggests a predetermined downfall or failure that is expected and inescapable.
The rhetorical question ‘Now who’s there left to blame?’ serves as a poignant reminder of the solitude in navigating one’s fate. It questions the extent to which we can attribute our missteps to the heritage we bear or whether, in the end, our choices and their outcomes are ours to own alone.
Memorable Lines: A Mirror to the Soul
Throughout ‘On the Level,’ DeMarco threads memorable lines that offer a mirror into his own authenticity while also reflecting the soul of the listener. Phrases like ‘Stand up like a man’ and ‘Never had a voice’ resonate as personal mantras, encapsulating the struggle for self-assertion and the search for a voice in a cacophony of predetermined narratives.
The hypnotic repetition of ‘On the level’ itself serves as a catchy, something akin to an auditory anchor, while simultaneously invoking a deeper meditative state, in which listeners might find themselves reflecting on their own existential plateaus and aspirations towards equilibrium.
