| Morrissey – Everyday Is Like Sunday Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I agree that boredom is certainly a central theme of this song, but I think that we're not fully recognizing the nuclear undertones. Bear in mind that this was written and released during the time of Margaret Thatcher as Britan's PM, and before the fall of the Soviet Union. Thatcher's heavily militaristic policies coupled with the still-present threat of nuclear war may have been the driving force behind these lyrics. My interpretation (and I am not comitted to it) is that this isn't about boredom as much as it is about the aftermath of a nuclear war. The quiet boredom that accompanies a sleepy town on a sunday could also be that of a deserted town after a nuclear war. The story (in my opinion) is that of two lovers who have survived the war, but probably not for much longer. Note the lyrics don't just refer to wanting a nuclear bomb to come, but that they're in a town that "they forgot to bomb." This strikes me as a reference to the fact that the town that they're in was spared nuclear destruction, only to face a more prolonged one, and that the earlier mention of wishing for nuclear bombs is so that their suffering can be ended. The last lines of the song, which note the falling of a "a strange dust" probably refers to that of the ash that follows a nuclear detonation and the fires that follow. Again, I'm not convinced that I'm right, but this has always been my interpretation. |
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| The Flaming Lips – The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power) Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I'm with jkapprentice. I think it's not about the richest and most powerful, it's about the rest of us. Notice how the lyrics say "What WOULD you do," meaning what would us commoners do if we had their power? As if to ask: If the shoe were on the other foot, would we really do anything different? | |
| The Decemberists – The Bagman's Gambit Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I agree completely with caitsith. Most people forget that a "bagman" is also the term used to denote someone who delivers the ransom money in a kidnapping. In this sense, the narrator is a bagman, in that he delivers the money to free his lover in Russia. | |
| The Decemberists – The Bagman's Gambit Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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It's simple: Boy works for the government and falls in love with girl. Girl is actually a spy for the Reds (I assume this takes place circa 1970-1980) and uses boy to get the documents she needs. Boy figures out she's a spy (as is evidenced by the "They'll never catch me now" part), and she promises him that they'll escape together (We will escape somehow). What happens next isn't clear. My best guess is that she leaves without him. He feels betrayed but goes on with his life. I base this on the fact that there is no description of her leaving, but she seems to just disappear. At any rate, boy recieves a call from girl, who doesn't know where else to turn. She's returned to the Soviet Union and for whatever reason, the higher-ups in the KGB have lost faith with her and she's in trouble. Boy goes to help her, and bribes a KGB member to let her off. They meet one last time at the gates of the American embassy in St. Petersburg. He leaves. What becomes of the girl is uncertain, but the end holds some clues. It would seem that she returns to the United States, possibly by her own voilition, but the more likely option is that she's been sent on another assignment. She sees her old lover briefly, but cannot chance to see him again. Anyway, my $.02. |
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