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Particle Man Lyrics

Artist: They Might Be Giants
Album: Flood

Particle man, particle man
Doing the things a particle can
What's he like? It's not important
Particle man

Is he a dot, or is he a speck?
When he's underwater does he get wet?
Or does the water get him instead?
Nobody knows, Particle man

Triangle man, Triangle man
Triangle man hates particle man
They have a fight, Triangle wins
Triangle man

Universe man, Universe man
Size of the entire universe man
Usually kind to smaller man
Universe man

He's got a watch with a minute hand,
Millenium hand and an eon hand
When they meet it's a happy land
Powerful man, universe man

Person man, person man
Hit on the head with a frying pan
Lives his life in a garbage can
Person man

Is he depressed or is he a mess?
Does he feel totally worthless?
Who came up with person man?
Degraded man, person man

Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates person man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man

Comments/Interpretations

by Christopher age 9 on 5/17/2008 1:05am
Very um... intresting.I wonder what the song means as do 1,000s of people.I've seen a webpage that was only for people who want to tell others what they think the song is about.How come Triangle Man always wins,though.
by Jason on 5/18/2008 9:37pm
Any idea what this song is about?
by eugene on 5/25/2008 9:04pm
this is about quantum science (particle man, no one knows much about him)the church (triangle man, representing the father and son and holy ghost) the universe (universe man, has an eternity and is usually kind to smaller man, meaning life goes on) and humans (person man, pathetic but alive!)
so there you have it!
by Mike on 6/4/2008 10:12pm
That's an awsome meaning
by carter on 6/21/2008 6:33pm
I think it means that they like to sing about imaginary men lol kool song!!!!!!!!!
by Marshal on 6/22/2008 1:11pm
Dayum, i thought it was just something they made up the night they smoked too much weed...
by Tash on 6/30/2008 3:35pm
BEST SONGS EVER!

lol my dads weird n he plays it 2 me!
by Nisa on 7/9/2008 12:38pm
Lol this songs is soo cute i luv it! The Lyrics are hilarios! LOLLOL!!

TRIANGLE MAN: HATES PERSON MAN

Basically Triangle Man Hates everybody!! lollol
by Bobbin on 7/13/2008 10:37am
Thanks Eugene... Now I know what the heck this song's about!! Thank you!!

Yeah, quite a cute song, not my fav though :P It's ok.
by Emma on 7/24/2008 2:17pm
deep love for this song!!!!
by Joey on 7/29/2008 5:53pm
This song is great!! I want to memorize the lyrics so I can sing it all day and make people laugh.
by =U somebody. on 8/26/2008 9:23am
Why does triangle man hate so many people? lol Triangle man is EMOOOO~
by kristone on 8/29/2008 11:48am
particle man rocks
by Ultimate Nobody on 8/30/2008 3:28pm
Triangle Man hates everybody... Except Universe Man. He probably knows that Universe Man will give HIM a beating instead of the other way around... and I agree with =U somebody. Triangle man MUST be EMO. And thanks to eugene, who gave an explanation to this un-explanitory song. (did I spell that right?)I think particle man stands for the small things in life that no one is grateful for, like water or bread. ("What's he like? It's not important")
Ultimate Nobody
P.S: Don't make fun of my name. Seriously.
by kyle on 9/2/2008 9:48pm
so does particle get wet or not?
by Katherine on 9/4/2008 7:03am
Quantum physics meets alternative rock. Love. It. Triangle Man is delta, you know, change. Triangle man hates everybody, and wins, because change is inevitable. Of course, he doesn't take on Universe Man because, well, he's the Universe, all things, all events, all everything, including Triangle Man.

Either that, or Linnell just wanted to be silly.
by eulaylia on 9/7/2008 3:28pm
i listened io it only because my chem professor plays it right before each of his lecture--his...um...particle man maybe...
by John on 12/1/2008 10:35am
I just remember seeing this on "Tiny Toon Adventures" they put the song together with a cartoon skit. Same with TMBG version of "Istanbu(Not Constantinople)" goofy fun.
by Man on 1/29/2009 8:27am
WHO TRIANGULATES TRIANGLE MAN?!
by UNICORNNN!!!!! on 2/7/2009 8:12pm
I <3 PARTICLE MAN!!!!!!!
by Eliza on 2/8/2009 1:13am
PERSON MAN IS THE BEST:) HIT ON THE HEAD WITH A FRYING PANNNN:)
by neil on 2/12/2009 6:01pm
whats the website christopher???
by futureneuro on 2/18/2009 11:39am
How can triangle man be the godhead if triangle man hates particle man and person man? How could triangle man be change, because change can't change a particle naturally. So technically, triangle man can't always beat particle man. There is no meaning for this song. It is for pure entertainment.
by triangle man lover!! on 2/24/2009 8:47pm
omg i love love love triangle man he is the best in the west, he is better then everyone else in this song
by ParticleManLoverForever on 2/24/2009 8:49pm
No one can beat Particle Man. i mean he is so mysterious and that is the part that i love about him. is he a dot, or a speck? these are the questions i ask myself everyday. : (
by rock lee 913 on 3/5/2009 10:51pm
person man's life sucks, doesn't it?
by nananana on 3/14/2009 6:13am
This song is my one of my favorite songs by They Might Be Giants. Oh yeah...Triangle man sounds like a prick, a giant prick.
by Ocelot on 3/17/2009 1:27pm
Go to YouTube and watch the Tiny Toons music video for this song. Totally classic! I was laughing so hard when I watched this yesterday soda came up my nose. No joke. That hasn't happened to me since I was like twelve.
by RWshadowlord on 3/26/2009 2:07pm
loved it the first day i heard it, its also the day i fell over laughing.
by procastanating on 3/26/2009 6:35pm
Theese are the things i think about at work ^^
by John on 7/2/2009 1:18am
Lol i saw a video on youtube About this being a song about Silent hill. Haha. Person man being James, and Triangle man being Pyramid head.
by Belgaer on 7/19/2009 10:50pm
Hm... I always thought that this was a parody of superheroes, but I think that eugene and Katherine.
by Tim on 8/15/2009 9:11pm
triangle man always wins because he is pointy
by kj3rsti on 9/26/2009 7:44pm
haha i <3 this song. totally pointless like tons of other songs... :] its AWESOMEEEEE lol. but anywayss, pointless songs r my favee. like tons of other 80s songs. this is an 80s song ritee? haha lol
by JER-EH-MEY on 10/15/2009 12:00am
triangle man has issues, particle man is mysterious,person man sucks, universe man RULES.
by Bob Dobbs on 10/15/2009 7:25am
I've always taken Triangle Man to be the US Government (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial)rather than religion, as not all religions believe in the Trinity.
by mimi! on 10/15/2009 6:50pm
yes i saw this on tiny toons also! i love this song! theres a cute video for this on youtube with full metal alchemist clips. very very funny
by alexis on 10/27/2009 9:19pm
its funny how people always incorporate small things like what this song means
by personman on 11/15/2009 5:59pm
i like your idea Eugene and yeah ur right man that u tube vid is frekin' hilarious lol
by Triangle Man on 12/1/2009 10:04am
I ALWAYS WIN
by msouth on 6/15/2010 10:38am
@Belgaer: Actually I'm pretty sure you were right the first time. TMBG has explained that the inspiration for "Triangle Man" was a character in a show or movie they saw on tv, the guy looked "like a triangle" or like an "evil triangle" or something. I think that the other characters are just funny ideas about what other heroes would exist in the Triangle Man universe. (Yes, particle man is based on quantum physics, but the other extrapolations from there are off the mark I think.) Of course...interpret it to mean what you want :).
by Tim on 8/16/2010 9:37pm
This song could not possibly be about Silent Hill. Whoever made that video is an idiot. Flood came out in 1990. Silent Hill came out in 1999. You do the math.
by kara on 9/12/2010 3:49pm
it means that Triangle man has no friends!
by Jane on 3/21/2011 9:30pm
Ah yes, I see. Read these moronic comments and person man makes a lot of sense.

LOLZERS I THUNK ITS JUST CUTE SHAPEZ! WHAT R SIENTS? LIKE DISCOVRY CHANLE LOL!!1

by Frog on 4/18/2011 2:58pm
Nobody knows much about particals because they're a recent discovery. That is why we don't know if Partical Man gets wet. The universe is imense and eternal, that't why Universe Man's watch has an eon hand. Person Man represents us, humans. We are small, worthless, sniviling, cowardly losers that can't do anything for themselvs. Triangles are the strongest geometric shape because it can't collapse, bend, and it supports itself. That is why Triangle Man beats everybody exept Universe Man. The universe is older and "more expirienced" and therefore stronger than any triangle. That is what I think the song represents.
by FF on 4/21/2011 3:13pm
triangle man=Pythagoras
by skinnyguy on 4/28/2011 10:00pm
I am 57 yrs old and I LOVE this ridiculous song!! :^) Just plain silly fun; harmless and witty.
by yomanareyoucrazy on 5/19/2011 5:55pm
very funny song --- how can a particle fight a tiangle
by josmith on 5/19/2011 5:56pm
garfield is universe man, odie is particle man, and jon is person man
by PersonManPWNS on 7/30/2011 2:13pm
Read the name ^
by Wait,what? on 9/21/2011 2:31pm
This song rocks... triangle man = Sasuke Uchiha lol
by Patrick on 10/6/2011 4:14pm
Correction, FYI: The song starts: 'Particle Man, Particle Man; can do anything a particle can.' 'Can' sounds more like c'n or 'kin'.
by Chess move me on 12/28/2011 10:27pm
possible meaning. Particle man being man i.e human. Is he dot or speck? how small are we humans? Does he get water or does water get him? It's all how you look at it; half empty or half full. Tri-angle man hates man devil hates man 666? usually wins over man. Universe man,God;kind to man. God meets man, happy land. Promised land? Tri-angle man hates person man. Conclusion devil hates God's man. Anyway could be over thinking it. Hope TMBG really did have some extra meaning or they have exposed a certain desire for humans to look for meaning in things left to question.
by don't overthink on 3/1/2012 12:05pm
Um.... guys. The song doesn't have to mean, or be about anything. It's just a song, just for entertainment. If you're looking for story line or meaning, you're looking into it too much.
by Takin' a Guess on 3/3/2012 12:50am
I think it's more like partical man is the evolutionist theory, while triangle man is like the trinity or God. God totslly trumps evolutionism. Universe man, well I don't know what he's about. Anyway I think person man is like human nature. You know bad stuff, like livin' in trashcans. So Triangle man or God beats the evil human nature, and the wrong theory of evolutionism.
by Korla Pundit on 3/14/2012 10:44am
Triangle Man is mathematics. Math beats everything, even physics, aka Particle Man. Universe Man is on another plane altogether and everything else is beneath his notice. But even he, if he cared to challenge Triangle Man would lose. Math is the ultimate fixed truth. Anything that contradicts math is just plain wrong. Even the universe can't make 2+2 equal 5. And the lowest being in the hierarchy is Person Man. Humans are truly pathetic. This song has nothing to do with the trinity. It's not about religion at all.
by Slackware on 3/29/2012 1:38am
Actually, one of the band members, John Flansburgh, claims that it is "just a song about characters in the most obvious sense" with no intent to represent real people or organizations. So, that's what the song is about. It's not about what we think it's about, its about what the artist's intent or meaning was when they wrote it. If it doesnt mean the same thing by your point of view, discussing it is pointless, because the meaning is as unique to you as it is to the artist.
by Gary Lord of the Rings on 5/5/2012 5:43pm
this song, this song, just....just touched my soul.....i was crying all day and...it just was mind blowing..

i stopped in traffic one day and just thought to myself, "Do we get wet when water hits us!?" This song just made me ponder about my existence and how im dedicated to become a nun now.

I therefore declare this song spirtiual, im, at this moment copying 10934 copies of this song and making posters on my house that says, "Triangle Man HATES you" Im currently writing the lyrics on my feet and on my crusty elbows....to remind me, no, to permanently show me the way....the way...to, THE LIGHT.
No i correct my self, im erasing the lyrics on my arm...aaaand, there, just made a reservation for a tatoo of the lyrics, on my LEFT NOSTRIL, because i believe the right nostril is unholy...and now im currently getting pulled over by the police...i will make further comments later gooodbye person me....and remember...TRIANGLE MAN HATES YOU.
by SHTUPID FACE on 5/5/2012 5:45pm
SO YOUR THE ONE IN FRONT OF ME NOT DRIVING!!! I SEE YOU TYPING THAT COMMENT ON YOUR PHONE YOU #$%!, IM CALLING THE POLICE!!!
by Jim on 5/26/2012 4:58am
Particle man: particles, elementary existence.

Triangle man: the Illuminati and by extension the enlightened people and the authority structure in the world.

Universe man: the Creator.

Millenium hand and Eon hand: confluence of influences we are about to reach at the end of this year. Happy universe time!

Person man: Humanity while in ignorance of the truth that Universe man is usually kind to smaller man (him). Person man is humanity addicted to disempowering ideas.

Triangle man whoops person man's butt. All the time. Person man needs to remember he's really smaller man.
by Jessquire on 6/8/2012 11:07am
Its about the development of Greek philosophy.

particleman refers to the early atomists, many of whom maintained that water was the only element. [so if it was underwater would it be wet?]

Triangleman is Pythagoras, who didn't believe that the nature of the universe was material, but mathematical. His ideas 'win' in the concept of Platonic Forms.

Universeman is Aristotle who came up with the Unmoved-mover concept for God -- a perfect entity with no other attributes other then being perfect.

Personman is Epicurus, who focused on human suffering and misery.

and Triangleman II is Paul of Tarsus whose Church ends up condemning Epicurianism. But agreeing with Aristotle.
by JWS on 6/9/2012 8:05am
Katherine's interpretation wins.
by steve on 8/2/2012 2:58am
I LOVE THIS SONG if you listen to it its great and addicting
by Council Of Nicea on 8/17/2012 12:47pm
The song is about the concept of the holy trinity and how it was decided upon:
Triangle man= the trinity
Person man= jesus as a human
Universe man= Jehovah
Particle man= holy ghost, or an incarnate, non-human God
by Kreddyfruger on 12/2/2012 6:37am
Frog is absolutely right! Thnx, Frog!
by mugect on 12/21/2012 4:32pm
It’s about school. Particles are the students (insignificant, come & go, ignored, nobody knows), Triangle is the bully (picks on everyone, gets his way, hater), person is the teacher (underpaid, overworked, surrenders to the Triangle, degraded man), Universe is the principal (control over all, powerful man)
by Kelly on 12/25/2012 1:40am
Universe Man is Jesus, or "the Son of Man"
by flim on 5/31/2013 9:34pm
triangle man is religion particle man is science and person man is the common man universe man is the universe religion kills science common man but the universe outlasts religion that sums up the song
by Don Draper on 7/29/2013 9:06pm
Just heard this on Tiny Toons today, awesome show and awesome song.
by Effie on 2/7/2014 11:43am
True story: the guys were watching some old movie & they thought it would be funny to write a song about the characters in it, so they created this song. (But, obviously, it can mean whatever each person wants it to mean to them!) :)
by Prophet of God on 3/30/2014 3:34pm
I am sticking with that the triangle is the trinity. Person man needs a better life. I mean this was silly and all, but being hit on the head with a frying pan and living in a garbage can? The Trinity always wins that is why Triangle man always wins. Universe man is sometimes nice because it stands for life. Sometimes the universe is nice, but other times it is mean to us. Particle man is the future. You can never tell what will happen to us in the future. You don't know if life will go your way or hit you in the face. Person man is us because we don't know what we are or like, but we are ruled by the Trinity (Triangle man).
by Person Man on 3/31/2014 8:00am
Prophet of God is so right! He wins so far. We are all Person Man. Everyone of us is him. I love the tiny toons one. It was so hilarious! The duck kept getting punched by Triangle man and it was just so funny.
by Nobody on 4/12/2014 7:07am
I think that the Tiny Toons one was hilariouus! At the end he meets up with all the charrectors and it is so funny!
by Dan Z on 10/12/2014 12:27am
Triangle man is Phil Jackson and that's why he always wins.
by Atla fan on 2/7/2024 12:41pm
Just saying Triangle Man is Bill Cipher…


Also if anyone sees this, kudos








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