Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: punk
Song Meaning of “This Machine is 4” by NOFX
This Machine is 4 is a song by the punk rock band NOFX from their album So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes. The song is about recovering from a break-up and how a person’s life can become completely changed in just a short period of time. The lyrics talk about the painful process of moving on and taking solace in the fact that life will eventually improve.
The chorus of the song features a machine metaphor: “This machine is 4 again, reconstructing all the pieces of us, connected in its structure and stitched back together just for us.” The machine symbolizes a way to start over and rebuild after being broken. Despite the struggle of attempting to heal and move on, the singer finds comfort in the idea that they can eventually get ‘4 again’ and recreate a happier, stronger future.
The bridge of the song also speaks of the power of rebuilding after a break-up, conveying ideas of strength and resilience: “We’re starting over, starting anew, from this broken past that thought it was through, the engine’s humming and the wheels are turning, shifting into gear, toward something new, never getting worn”. The song illustrates the idea that time can mend even broken hearts, and that there is always hope for a better tomorrow no matter what challenges life throws your way.