The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I jumped in the river, what did I see?
Black-eyed angels swam with me
A moon full of stars and astral cars
And all the figures I used to see
All my lovers were there with me
All my past and futures
And we all went to heaven in a little row boat
There was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt
I jumped into the river
Black-eyed angels swam with me
A moon full of stars and astral cars
And all the figures I used to see
All my lovers were there with me
All my past and futures
And we all went to heaven in a little row boat
There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt
There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt
There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt
Black-eyed angels swam with me
A moon full of stars and astral cars
And all the figures I used to see
All my lovers were there with me
All my past and futures
And we all went to heaven in a little row boat
There was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt
I jumped into the river
Black-eyed angels swam with me
A moon full of stars and astral cars
And all the figures I used to see
All my lovers were there with me
All my past and futures
And we all went to heaven in a little row boat
There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt
There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt
There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Blue
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Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
This song is about not fearing death. If anyone has ever seen the video, it looks like the Earth is completely flooded and all houses and buildings are under the surface of the ocean. In this song, the central character if there is one has lost everyone, and he no longer wants to go on living without the things he loves, so he ends his life by finding his home underwater with an oxygen like device to breathe underwater. Then when he finds his home he settles in the living room in his "favorite" chair and lets go of the oxygen.
I hadn't noticed the disconnection from the oxygen supply at the end; very well spotted!
Song is about egypt, hence its original title "Egyptian Song".
"Jumped in the river what did I see, black eyed angels swam with me" - the river is the Nile, the black eyed angels are crocodiles which were deified in ancient egypt. Note the black eyes:
images.wildmadagascar.org/pictures/berenty/nile_crocodile_0082.jpg
The line: "All my lovers were there with me" - pharoahs were typically buried with their wives. Not only that but their soldiers and possessions from their mortal life.
Which leads to "we all went to heaven in a little row boat", pharoahs were also buried with boats, sometimes entire fleets of ships to make passage to the underworld.
I think alot of stuff on Amnesiac pertains to ancient civilizations/ancient myths. The song is called Pyramid Song (Egyptian) and many of you think the river he refers to is the river Styx (actually, the river that the dead cross in the underworld is called Acheron, but either way, its still Greek mythology). The cover shows what could be a crying Minotaur in front of some constellations (again, Greek myth), and inside the cover book, it refers to the fall of the Roman empire, which is also mentioned in the song "You and Whose Army?". What all this means, I have no idea.
Actually in You And Whose Army he refers to the Holy Roman Empire, which was a totally different empire geographically and politically.
@egoat711 exactly, it was about the Holy Roman Empire Of The German Nation with the kaiser as its leader
Thom Yorke is the most beautiful person in the world for writing this song. I dont care what its about. The fragility of his voice has encompassed so much more than the meaning of the words. Its a genuine example of the beautiful potential of humanity and the delicate nature of our existance. Everything about this song wrenches my heart strings. Including the video, which gives the song a more distinctive direction. I find it humbling that so many people have so many different interpretations of this song. If i could ever compose anything even half as emotionally strong as this, then i'll be a happy man. To me this is a song about life. The great flow of nature that we will all return to the earth from which we came once the waters of time have carried us as far as we need to go.I want this played at my funeral. It so full of hope, love, and beauty. With nothing to fear and nothing to doubt...peace x
Nicely said, I feel the same way, it's a lovely song that raises my sense of self beyond space and time.
This seems to be the buddhist nirvana, losing one's identity, ego death. In that state you have no sense of personal perspective, and have not a personal worry in the world. Nothing to fear, nothing to doubt.
This song seems to be a precursor to The King of Limbs, it has that emotionless feel which in a sense is a wonderful feeling when you get into it, but doesn't sound like good music when you're outside of that state. If you're an emotional wreck from a break-up, or breaking down in fear of death, this song will not appeal to you at the time. You can only appreciate this song when you have found peace, or are trying to find it. When you can get into that self-less state, this song is transcendental, it's wonderful.
I think this song is about life in general:
"Jumped in the river, what did I see?" The river represents life and when you jumped in it, that's when you're born.
"Black-eyed angels swam with me" The black-eyed angels represent demons and/or hardships. Life is full of both.
"A moon full of stars and astral cars" The moon and stars are objects of inspiration and astral cars is how the imagination interprets them. The astral cars could be planets. Anyway, it says inspiration can be found in life and in the stars above our heads.
"And all the things I used to see" There was more inspiration in the past than there currently is.
"All my lovers were there with me" Love can also be found in life.
"All my past and future" Life holds both your past and future and everything in between.
"And we all went to Heaven in a little row boat" In the end, we'll all go to Heaven when we die.
"There was nothin' to fear and nothin' to doubt" Heaven will be perfect and reliable.
This song brings tears to my eyes. Life captured in eight lines of pure poetry. Just amazing.
As weired as it may sound,i think this is one of the few radoihead songs that has a positive message in it even though it's about death.To me,this song is about someone who looks back at his life before dying. He examines the life he had,the friends he made and the family he belonged to.And after examining all of this,he realizes that he did live and this makes him fearless of death and the next life.I listen to this song a lot when i'm depressed and it always makes me look at my life and realize that it's really worthy because of the people around me.
ONE OF THE MOST EMOTIONAL SONGS FROM RH NEXT TO IDIOTEQUE AND BIG BOOTS/MAN-O-WAR. Since this is a song we all can relate, I'll mention my first listen to it was on a bus, while it was raining and I was reflecting on the past couple of months, and seriously thinking about my life the next year. REALLY RH's SONGS AREN'T MEANT FOR MEANING IN GENERAL BUT PERSONAL MEANING. But yeah, I agree with all of you, this song is about reflection, self-acceptance in life and courage. And at the end of the song when he say's the finishing line, "There was nothing to fear,nothing to doubt", well it just means, through out all of life's bullshit and drama, there was always life, and it's ambition to move on.
this is like one of those songs they play in slow motion when it's raining, as like someones running after a taxi cab with their leaving girlfriend in it, then they look up at the sky and the rain pours down on them...i don't know, it's the picture i get when the hear the piano shite in this song..good stuff.
from what ive collected its about dantes inferno. it all follows the story pretty much, but only if you look at all the details. Yorke is the man, he can create so many ideas from one song.