| Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton – The Bank Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Hhalmark got it right for the most part, I'd go a bit further as say this song is a meditation on materialism as an ethos. In essence, the notion that happiness can (and should) be purchased. "This is what we worked so hard to afford" suggests that the purpose of the mentioned work is to strictly to be able to afford "the bar" and "the hotspot." Haines sums it up with the lines "My big brother said to stay unsatisfied / Never work a day to pay off pure desire." This is a key line that is mistakenly listed here as "your desire." Pure desire is important because it suggest that it is nothing more than desire, with no real need attached to it. | |
| Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Let's break it down: Title: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa Cape Cod is a summer town in Massachusetts. Suggests wealth, relaxation, privilege Kwassa Kwassa is an African dance rhythm that was popular in the 80s. Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon were fond of using it in their music. More recently, Vampire Weekend used it in this song. Elements: linen, made beds, sweaters on, United colors of Benetton, Louis Vuitton, awkward yet bold proposal for sex, unnatural feeling Themes: Hints of of affluent, late 80s girl who is relatively sheltered, Late 80's era music Analysis: This is a portrait of sheltered young people, probably in Cape Cod. The themes here make the whole narrative feel rather like a J. Crew catalog: Bright, name-branded, anesthetized. Chorus brings these elements to the fore ( "is your bed made?") right before "do you want to fuck?" This is intended to be an inversion. The contradictory nature of the chorus is strengthened by "feels so unnatural..."; even so, there is a curiosity on the part of the singer. He is highly inquisitive and analytical, asking various questions and analyzing the feel of the situation instead of diving right into it. It would appear that that VW invoke Peter Gabriel and United Colors of Benetton to create a tone of pseudo-cultural awareness in a relatively shelter milieu (as well as background: it's the late 80s, Peter Gabriel is huge, Benetton ads are everywhere, making people feel as though they can buy multiculturalism at a shopping mall). This is not the point, however: A Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa refers to a rhythm, the kwassa kwassa rhythm as interpreted by Cape Cod. The point: VW seem to be discussing the sheltered, somewhat pampered, wholly neutered existence of this young couple. There is a curiosity and interest in the world around them, but their various luxuries are a hiderance to the growth of their consciousnesses. Well intentioned though they are, their forays are clumsy, obvious, and ill-conceived. So who are these young people? Kids today? VW listeners? People VW knew earlier in life? Your guess is as good as mine. |
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| The Decemberists – The Perfect Crime #2 Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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errr... isn't this site called songmeanings? because it really seem like it should be called shitalloverasong.com. This song is not about JFK. i try to stay away from ad hominems, but people who think that probably aren't aware of many other assassinations. Since i already engaged in one, i'm going to go ahead and say people who don't like this song on lyrical grounds aren't too bright. This song is all about intrigues, double and triple-crosses, kidnappings, murders, and all the attendant gunplay and theirvery involved. here's the chronology: daughter is kidnapped, a bagman is nervous, the guy making the handoff is killed and the bagman absconds with the loot. Further on, a safe is blown up and the criminals part ways, having achieved their end. Later they are nabbed by Feds. I assume the Feds are corrupt too, and they take the ill-gotten gains... thus the perfect crime. |
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| The Decemberists – The Island: Come and See; The Landlord's Daughter; You'll Not Feel the Drowning Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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best song on the album, IMHO. not much to add, other than confirmation that this is from the tempest. Also, i'd like to disagree with one of the earliest statements: The Decemberists are twee as fuck. Come on. you all know it. Other than that, i'd like say that i love Decemberist fans! Such a literate lot we are... |
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| Feist – My Moon My Man Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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hey, i'd love to be in Parliament. There's some funk you could shake your moon to. But yeah, I'm fully convinced this is not about anal sex. I can see how it's dirty, but not how someone might consider it a "dirtiest clean." Sex is never clean, particularly when it involves lots of sweat, spit, lube, and the ol' pooper. couple of other lines that preclude anal sex: - "heart on my sleeve" - "Shed some light on me please" - "The song's out of key again" - "so changable and/ such a lovable lamb to me" What these lines tell is of a primarily emotional content. I tend to think this song is about a meaningful but sometimes difficult relationship. The dirty clean to me seems to be a stable relationship bought by a somewhat uncomfortable level of compromise. They're both deeply invested, so she needs him to take it slow and easy. |
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| Manu Chao – Clandestino Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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he's more generally painting a picture of someone who is persecuted (by laws that the listener is supposed to infer are unjust) and living in the shadows. The tension here is between the authorities or the law and the very human impulse to find a better life. When he says "mano Negra clandestina," it's a multifacted statement. It means clandestine black hand literally, but it refers to illegal workers (immigrants, sweatshop workers, etc) whose hidden hands turn the gears of industry. It's also a racial statement, refering to the actual hue of the hands of people of color. Finally, it's a reference to his old band, called Mano Negra. |
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| Feist – My Moon My Man Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| i love how people resort to ad hominem attacks (ie "you're stupid lol") when they disagree. Well, i'm not convinced of the anal sex thing, seeing as how Jonsi posited such a cogent counterargument... | |
| Death Cab for Cutie – Underwater Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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wow. 11 comments and no one's said anything. Here's what I think the song means: This is clearly an anti-war song. Specifically, he's talking about the Iraq war. Most of it can be decoded easily, but the part about diseased organs and pride is a bit tougher. He's discussing the benefits we derive from dirty wars... "we'll call it pride, and celebrate tonight, tax-free and always underpriced"... the benefits of imperialism. We "wake the children when done" because know it's a shameful thing... and of course, lying, suppressing information, and telling ourselves what we want to hear is what "put the details in a jar and bury them underwater" is about. |
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| Islands – Rough Gem Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| lost post: w3rd. | |
| Islands – Humans Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| i don't know all the lyrics, but it doesn't say "should we mumble lies?" it says "Should we mobilize?" | |
| The Mountain Goats – Magpie Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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this song... wow. i haven't fully decoded the symobolism (in fact, I've barely started), but it seems clear that the magpie is a symbol of domestic chaos/unrest. Lots on images of domesticity are present: kittens and strays, crucifixes, etc. Quick and dirty read: the magpie is the irrestible force of destruction that has set up the singer's home/relationship. try as he might, he cannot escape the harm that is looming. "The magpie will have it's way." I agree with LeslieAnnLevine (good song too): This song is brilliant. |
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| The Mountain Goats – You or Your Memory Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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It's "La Cienega," a street in Los Angeles that is officially on the more affluent West Side, but parts of it are a little rugged. Not much to analyse here. It's painfully straightforward, poigniant, and right on target. There's really nothing about drugs here, in my opinion. He's wandering around in the night looking for aspirin, full of introspection. it happens. |
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| Iron & Wine – Burn That Broken Bed Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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A few recurring themes: Sight/eyes/vision sky/clouds/flying returning I don't really see the betrayal... I thnk this song may be a little too purposely ambiguous to accurately explicate, but my sense is that the singer is someone with an intense crush on someone in a loveless relationship. He's not really attempting to woo her, but simply expressing his burning desire. The deep baseline and hot trumpet only back my suspicion. |
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| Iron & Wine – Free Until They Cut Me Down Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I agree with most of this, but the freedom the singer is talking about is freedom of the soul. I'm not sure if it's a black man here, here's the story in a nutshell (as I see it): - Some sexual activity - Accusation of rape - They're going to hang him - He tells his dad that he didn't do it, but assures his father that God knows the truth, and when he dies, in the eyes of God, he will be exonerated Consider that if this were a lynching of a black man, he wouldn't say "when the men take me..." They would just take him on the spot. He seems to be talking from jail here. Despite this, he has a very calm and cool "I know something you don't know" attitude. What he knows is that "the men" can kill him, but not take his "word of God" freedom. |
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| Iron & Wine – Love and Some Verses Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| There is definitely a sexual aspect to this song, but not in the way some of you may be thinking. Consider "Love is a dress that you made long to hide your knees," and "What will you keep for to wear?" So here's the metaphor: love=dress. When a dress is long and covering the knees, it specifically isn't a sexy or revealing dress. Basically, I think he's saying that he knows she has sexual feelings that she feels she has to hide. Moreover, there's an unspoken bond that allows him to understand her mind, thus elevating sexual relations to the level of love and intimacy. | |
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