In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
If I had the brains, here's what I'd do
Build a time door and visit my youth
This cigar burn is for effect
In the future you won't forget
When you're trapped in that airtight room
Flick the red switch but not the blue
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That'd be the rip-cord in my destiny
I know how it sounds, trust me on this
Your life to be hangs on this one choice
Keep your Hilti near, you'll know when
Twenty minutes of oxygen
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
If I had the brains, that's what I'd do
Build that time door and poke my head through
It's too late now and I'm still dumb
Twenty minutes of oxygen
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
Build a time door and visit my youth
This cigar burn is for effect
In the future you won't forget
When you're trapped in that airtight room
Flick the red switch but not the blue
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That'd be the rip-cord in my destiny
I know how it sounds, trust me on this
Your life to be hangs on this one choice
Keep your Hilti near, you'll know when
Twenty minutes of oxygen
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
So, if you remember
If you remember me
That could be the rip-cord in my destiny
If I had the brains, that's what I'd do
Build that time door and poke my head through
It's too late now and I'm still dumb
Twenty minutes of oxygen
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
No, you won't remember
You won't remember me
There'll be no rip-cord in my destiny
Lyrics submitted by diabolusmagus
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
No Surprises
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song is set in a science fiction universe, with a hapless spacehopper trapped in an airtight room with 20 minutes of air left him. While railing agsinst his predicament, he muses on the possibility of building a device to allow him to visit a younger version of himself and provide sufficient warning to prepare for and escape from this trap (the "rip-cord in my destiny"), in the form of a cigar burn (as a reminder) and an exhortation to keep a "Hilti" (a type of power drill) on his person.
I really like the image/phrase "ripcord in my destiny" - something that instantly slows the action and takes you out of danger.
I also like the term "time door" rather than "time machine" - it's instantly obvious that it's basically the same thing, but it sounds like the singer actually knows what he's talking about.