What is the Superman's "stupid line" mentioned in The Less I Know The Better from Tame Impala?

Question

At the end of the song, the lyrics have the following line repeated three times.

Come on superman, say your stupid line.

I think the fact that it is repeated three times is a sign that it is important and not to be overlooked. I don't know what stupid line it is talking about. ¿Does anyone know what it is referring to?

The last part of the song according to lyrics on Google:

Is this what you want, is this who you are?
I was doing fine without ya, 'til I saw your eyes turn away from mine
He's not going where he wants you
Said come on superman, say your stupid line
Said come on superman, say your stupid line
Said come on superman, say your stupid line

Answer 1

It looks like a reference to Superman's line "Up, Up and Away!"

In the song, the narrators ex-girlfriend is sleeping with a new guy Trevor, and our narrator is still seemingly attracted to his ex. However, there is a level of ambiguity with whom Superman actually is. The narrator either perceives Trevor as Superman; thus, wants him gone from this new relationship so he can have another chance with his ex. Or the narrator sees himself as Superman and is trying to remove this whole predicament out of his mind.

Answer 2

I interpreted it this way:

Superman is a metaphor for a "too perfect man", the kind of man that people like and respect and adore. Certainly this "superman" is liked and adored by his "ex". By making this man a "perfect man", the singer has made him less relatable, because in the presence of perfection everyone would feel inferior and inadequate (which is how the singer feels from being selected against in favor of this other man).

The "say your stupid line" part is a little more vague but I understood it mean that the singer anticipates a confrontation from the "perfect man". This man is a "perfect man" who would fill a kind of "tender defender" role to his ex. As a tender defender, he would care about his partners feelings and the uncomfortable nature of the singers continued adoration towards the girl. The singer is not moving on and so the tender defender would come along and say the kind of thing a tender defender would say, a kind of "line" that fits the role. e.g. "hi singer, I think it is time to move on friend, she doesn't appreciate this" etc. This kind of line would further insult the singer, who actually wishes that he was the one saying that line to someone else.

What does all of this mean? well, it is much easier to dislike a too perfect "superman" character who mindlessly says his perfect "lines" than it is to hate a fellow human who is simply pursuing a fulfilling and meaningful relationship with someone. Presenting the lover guy this way allows the singer to maintain hope that his ex girlfriend might one day come to hate the new guy as he does, and thus, their relationship may be still recoverable. That is what this song is about, not giving up on a girl, and hating the guy she is now with.

I could be wrong, but that's how I understood it :)

Answer 3

After the singer says don’t make me wait forever a bunch of drum beats happen leading me to believe a lot of time has past and he’s is still sad about his ex leaving him. After this time has past his ex and Trevor have also gotten to know each other. When the singer says “come on super man say your stupid line” he is talking about how Trevor, who in this situation is super man, is now going to propose. The stupid line is Will You Marry Me. A piece of evidence I have to support my theory is when the singer says “Oh sweet darling where he wants you.” But what do I know, i’m just a random guy.