This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Two eyes doesn't mean double vision
I never questioned this stance but now
I've been seeing things
I can hear a voice in the distance
Trying to turn my attention to their truth
Someone's moving behind the curtain
I point it out to my friends
But they don't see a thing
I just keep my synaptic active
To prepare for the day that they do
Cos this ain't how it ends
And they'll say
Let's hear it
For the post-moderation
For tolled salivation
Who cares so much about these things
Availed denomination
The 'so shall' domination
Now I think it's funny I feel distant
I'd run away if it'd make any difference
I'd look up my childhood crushes
But they've all have their own children since
And even if their hearts tarnish
They've gold wedding bands to hide the green
Pearly gates to show from her past or his mouth
He too bears the burden of a bulbous belly
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know this veil ain't real
And still it never fails to fall or send me reeling
I awaken to the same ceiling
And I can't seem to shake this sick feeling
I don't need surgery to keep my smile fixed
Ever confident, never nervous
For I feel nothing
I work hard and come from a respected family
We take care of each other, we do
We won't live until we shed this skin
Oh, to be free again
A vestige interest in the instrumental moment
You'll know it when
Now all the pieces keep falling faster
Your letters spelling disaster
I wish I was in Paris getting plastered
Cos all this masquerading's started my façade fading
Turned my quiet heart to hating
Whatever
It is that we've been waiting for (it)
When they'll say
Let's hear it
For drained health and elation
Brain cell annihilation
Who cares so much about these things
Pupil dilation
More light to the patient
That every word that I'm speaking
Will poison the chance that you're listening
I know that you think you'd be missing out
With an answer
That we can't make out or make up
But even if we black out and break up
It's just a breath 'fore we're looking back, laughing out
Cos every end's a beginning, beggin' to get back in
You know I'll come around, if you just let me sleep in
With each wave more violent than the last
I'll keep my thoughts silent till they pass
We're not ready yet
They'll say you've got to build your tolerances now and then
Make your heart a callus with thicker skin
I just can't seem to shake this feeling
The more they interfere to forestall me
The clearer I hear her calling me, calling me
I must have struck a nerve cos someone's following me
I pull over to the shoulder of the freeway
My history profiled on the licensed registry
The shepherd keeps a careful eye on his personal inventory
Saying we're the same
So come on, child, you've slept enough
And I know you're tired but I'm waking you up
There is much to be done, and we're right on the cusp
Of this shit getting real, I mean really, really fucked
Every sheep for the shearing waiting around non-plussed
Trading branding irons for brand-name cuts
We were born in labor, baptized in dust
Given life anew as a living trust
With every hair numbered and cross-referenced
For each soul they claim to save, they have added interest
With a price on your head, what you think matters not
Every credit card statement, every lie you've bought
Rates our exchanged faith for the next fiat
On the blotter paper, the blood don't clot
It just bleeds you dry and then leaves you to rot
In a dead end job till at last you drop
Into this old noose, with the rope drawn taut
Left with your hands bound so they'll never be caught
You may sabotage our education
To a calculated chaos born of confusion
A controlled market through the inflation
Truly euthanasia to waste on the young
But, we've caught you now, and we're cutting your funds
We outnumber you over a million to one
It's a sharp weapon, but the point's left blunt
There's no skill to the game, no challenge to the hunt
With each target deaf, blind, and reticent
Got your ducks in line for the same false front
Cos when free will costs even ten percent
False tongues speak lies over Catholic hunts
From the cathepsin to the cathexis
I'll bear the stigmatic focus of the anti-catechist
With each catalytic pill slowly slitting my wrists
So when I raise my hand, see my bloody fist
May have killed brain cells, but I've kept my wits
And I'd rather go sooner to have known and said this
I've peaked at the end, where the answer sits
All the rest is just problems and more questions
Hear the classes getting loud and the teacher getting pissed
In the end this pattern goes 666
Soon my name's showing up on every government list
Free speech shouldn't cost, let alone be a risk
So when I die young, it'll prove me right
Cos it won't be pills, swear it won't be the knife
No matter how hard it gets, I'm in this for life
And I'm never giving up till we make things right
God gave me this voice, so I can't stay quiet
They can't kill this love, I'll come back to fight
To return each star and remove each stripe
From each prism cell, we'll refract the light
To reveal each move, catch the thieves in the night
Make them share what's left and return our rights
Though it may still shine from a hormone diet
This knowledgeable fruit's grown overripe
And robbed his breath, birth absorbed he
When the planets line up, every eye shall see
That this invite-only disparity party
Has brought enough despair to the already broken-hearted
In the wake of greed, in the name of flow-charting
Leaving broken-homes where once were gardens
See it's our pale horse that we're riding in on
Bringing pestilence as a plague of love
With hell at our heels and heaven catching on
It's the hanged man, it's the crux fiction
It's the pentagram, it's the pentagon
It's david's star, it's the pyramid song
What was once upright
Now is upside down
And Isaiah, it's a revelation
2368, 2701
Means a way out
And if I can, you know I'm bringing everyone
I never questioned this stance but now
I've been seeing things
I can hear a voice in the distance
Trying to turn my attention to their truth
Someone's moving behind the curtain
I point it out to my friends
But they don't see a thing
I just keep my synaptic active
To prepare for the day that they do
Cos this ain't how it ends
And they'll say
Let's hear it
For the post-moderation
For tolled salivation
Who cares so much about these things
Availed denomination
The 'so shall' domination
Now I think it's funny I feel distant
I'd run away if it'd make any difference
I'd look up my childhood crushes
But they've all have their own children since
And even if their hearts tarnish
They've gold wedding bands to hide the green
Pearly gates to show from her past or his mouth
He too bears the burden of a bulbous belly
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know this veil ain't real
And still it never fails to fall or send me reeling
I awaken to the same ceiling
And I can't seem to shake this sick feeling
I don't need surgery to keep my smile fixed
Ever confident, never nervous
For I feel nothing
I work hard and come from a respected family
We take care of each other, we do
We won't live until we shed this skin
Oh, to be free again
A vestige interest in the instrumental moment
You'll know it when
Now all the pieces keep falling faster
Your letters spelling disaster
I wish I was in Paris getting plastered
Cos all this masquerading's started my façade fading
Turned my quiet heart to hating
Whatever
It is that we've been waiting for (it)
When they'll say
Let's hear it
For drained health and elation
Brain cell annihilation
Who cares so much about these things
Pupil dilation
More light to the patient
That every word that I'm speaking
Will poison the chance that you're listening
I know that you think you'd be missing out
With an answer
That we can't make out or make up
But even if we black out and break up
It's just a breath 'fore we're looking back, laughing out
Cos every end's a beginning, beggin' to get back in
You know I'll come around, if you just let me sleep in
With each wave more violent than the last
I'll keep my thoughts silent till they pass
We're not ready yet
They'll say you've got to build your tolerances now and then
Make your heart a callus with thicker skin
I just can't seem to shake this feeling
The more they interfere to forestall me
The clearer I hear her calling me, calling me
I must have struck a nerve cos someone's following me
I pull over to the shoulder of the freeway
My history profiled on the licensed registry
The shepherd keeps a careful eye on his personal inventory
Saying we're the same
So come on, child, you've slept enough
And I know you're tired but I'm waking you up
There is much to be done, and we're right on the cusp
Of this shit getting real, I mean really, really fucked
Every sheep for the shearing waiting around non-plussed
Trading branding irons for brand-name cuts
We were born in labor, baptized in dust
Given life anew as a living trust
With every hair numbered and cross-referenced
For each soul they claim to save, they have added interest
With a price on your head, what you think matters not
Every credit card statement, every lie you've bought
Rates our exchanged faith for the next fiat
On the blotter paper, the blood don't clot
It just bleeds you dry and then leaves you to rot
In a dead end job till at last you drop
Into this old noose, with the rope drawn taut
Left with your hands bound so they'll never be caught
You may sabotage our education
To a calculated chaos born of confusion
A controlled market through the inflation
Truly euthanasia to waste on the young
But, we've caught you now, and we're cutting your funds
We outnumber you over a million to one
It's a sharp weapon, but the point's left blunt
There's no skill to the game, no challenge to the hunt
With each target deaf, blind, and reticent
Got your ducks in line for the same false front
Cos when free will costs even ten percent
False tongues speak lies over Catholic hunts
From the cathepsin to the cathexis
I'll bear the stigmatic focus of the anti-catechist
With each catalytic pill slowly slitting my wrists
So when I raise my hand, see my bloody fist
May have killed brain cells, but I've kept my wits
And I'd rather go sooner to have known and said this
I've peaked at the end, where the answer sits
All the rest is just problems and more questions
Hear the classes getting loud and the teacher getting pissed
In the end this pattern goes 666
Soon my name's showing up on every government list
Free speech shouldn't cost, let alone be a risk
So when I die young, it'll prove me right
Cos it won't be pills, swear it won't be the knife
No matter how hard it gets, I'm in this for life
And I'm never giving up till we make things right
God gave me this voice, so I can't stay quiet
They can't kill this love, I'll come back to fight
To return each star and remove each stripe
From each prism cell, we'll refract the light
To reveal each move, catch the thieves in the night
Make them share what's left and return our rights
Though it may still shine from a hormone diet
This knowledgeable fruit's grown overripe
And robbed his breath, birth absorbed he
When the planets line up, every eye shall see
That this invite-only disparity party
Has brought enough despair to the already broken-hearted
In the wake of greed, in the name of flow-charting
Leaving broken-homes where once were gardens
See it's our pale horse that we're riding in on
Bringing pestilence as a plague of love
With hell at our heels and heaven catching on
It's the hanged man, it's the crux fiction
It's the pentagram, it's the pentagon
It's david's star, it's the pyramid song
What was once upright
Now is upside down
And Isaiah, it's a revelation
2368, 2701
Means a way out
And if I can, you know I'm bringing everyone
Lyrics submitted by kazk
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Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
I agree, this song is a masterpiece. Musically it's unique, lyrically it's a tour de force, and it captivates me for 13 minutes ever time I hear it. The song has two themes, which Judah weaves together: government control and Christianity. To hear him tell it, The Good News was delivered 2000 years ago, and yet now, with the rise of technology, rampant consumerism and the nanny state, people are being led astray and denied salvation at a faster clip than ever. He lists negative social trends and then references Biblical numerology to make his case that There's Only One Way Out. This song is probably the most beautiful thing to have come out of a belief in conspiracy theories. :-)
Personally, I find it ironic that this was released in 2004, in the middle of arguably the most overtly Christian presidency ever. With the rise of mega-churches and the Joel Osteens of the world raking in the dough, Judah's complaint that Christians are being discriminated against strikes me as laughable. However, this militant atheist can recognize genius when he hears it, and this song CERTAINLY qualifies.
this is a beautiful epic, a perfect song, and if it were the only song on elysium, it'd make elysium worth buying. but it isn't, and so elysium is a great record for more than just one reason, but oh what a singular reason this song could be. it is representative of struggle, struggles with religion and modern culture and its varied effects on family, faith, love, and life in general, but that's merely a one-sentence superficial take on it.
This song is a masterpiece.
this is one of the, if not THE, most well written song that i know of. it's unnerving how he can keep up his rhyme scheme and flow and keep the vocals just as beuatiful as the start.
i think everyone should hear this song.
this song really is the best song on the album, it has something for EVERYONE, except guitars.....which is ok by me..
There are so many unbelievable things about this song - I mean really, who writes something like "From the cathepsin to the cathexis, I'll bear the stigmatic focus of the anti-catechist" and gets away with it? Just amazing... Judah's choice of words is unreal - his songwriting is so artfully crafted, every word selected and nurtured carefully instead of simply chosen to fit a rhyme scheme.
When I saw them perform this song live in the summer of 2005, before they started Judah said something like: "I feel that I should warn you... This next song has over 1,000 words, and none of them repeat," meaning that there isn't a chorus (which is, of course, true).
i live by this band
I get lost in this song every time I hear it. I go into this trance and just find myself swaying around; this song is intense.
The fucking pure brilliance Judah possesses as a writer is intimidating beyond words. I can't think of anyone out there right now that can out-pen him.
i could never find the lyrics of this song until now, and reading/singing through the song while listening to it just got me emotional, and not a lot does.