submissions
| The Smashing Pumpkins – 1979 Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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I agree with the general consensus that it's about the awkwardness of growing up. According to wikipedia, Corgan was born in 1967, which would make him 12 in the year 1979 (and I've heard he wrote it at age 12, too), and twelve's an awkward age for anyone.
Love the song, too. Overplayed as hell, but deservedly so! I love the Pumpkins! (or at least the old, 1991-1998, pre-Machina incarnation of the Pumpkins). |
submissions
| Barenaked Ladies – Pinch Me Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I like this one a lot... kinda Beatlesque, and that's cool by me.
Anyway, I think it's about a guy whose life sucks, and he's trying to figure out why, more or less. |
submissions
| Van Morrison – Listen To The Lion Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Beautiful, beautiful song. Pretty much everything Van did from Astral Weeks to Veedon Fleece is fantastic, but this is one of the very best. I think it's about searching the world for inspiration, trying to find your muse and so forth. I think the "lion in his soul" is creativity. |
submissions
| Van Morrison – Astral Weeks Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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A lot of Astral Weeks as an album is about reincarnation and starting over and this is no different. I think this sort of sets the album in motion. Basically, it's someone who's about to be reincarnated checking up on his family, I think. |
submissions
| Van Morrison – Sweet Thing Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Astral Weeks is a beautiful album and this is my favorite song on it. It might be the greatest song ever, too. I think it's a song about love and reincarnation and not blowing your second chance, kind of like that Stevie Wonder song "Higher Ground" (another favorite of mine). I think "The Way Young Lovers Do", another song off Astral Weeks, is sort of a continuation to it. |
submissions
| Radiohead – Karma Police Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I always thought the two people being discussed were tyrants, the first manipulates people with ambiguous language ("talks in maths") and uses phrases that don't make sense to confuse people ("like a detuned radio"), and the second person is just a flat-out abusive fascist ("Hitler hairdo"). And the narrator tries to do something about it but gets punished pretty badly by the establishment. I don't know, it's hard to tell with Radiohead. |
submissions
| Radiohead – High and Dry Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I thought it was about someone who tried really hard to fit in but just couldn't, and the narrator is annoyed by that person but sorta feels sorry for them, too. |
submissions
| Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think it's about a guy who's in love with a materialistic woman, and it just suddenly hits him that she's totally shallow and so are all her friends and materialistic and that he has to leave her because of it. |
submissions
| Prince – The Beautiful Ones Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think the whole thing's a metaphor myself. I've heard it's a Messianic song, and if it's true then it would explain a lot. The "him" is a metaphor for the material, physical world; the "me" is whatever god you may believe in. The "beautiful ones" are materialistic, vain, shallow, and so forth. The narrator believes this woman he's talking to is above those kinds of people and is too good for any of them. I don't know, maybe it is just a love song, but when taken into that context the ending's much too epic.
By the way, this may seem like some right-wing conservative fundamentalist shooting off, but I'm not that way, though I'm far from a materialist either. I rest somewhere in between the two. Regardless of what it's about, it's my favorite Prince song, if just for that ending. |
submissions
| The Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Okay, this is gonna sound really cheesy, but here I go. I think it's about sex, but not as your stereotypical, Led Zeppelin-type cheap sex for sex's sake, but as the ultimate act of love, you know? And the narrator's partner is having doubts, but the narrator is trying to reassure them, because if it's true love, that's all that matters.
Beautiful song. This was the song that made me a fan in the first place - I saw the video at a Hard Rock Cafe, and the Pumpkins became one of my favorite bands shortly afterwards. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Visions of Johanna Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think "Johanna" represents absolute redemption, maybe even God or Nirvana or something, and all the colorful characters represent what may be keeping the narrator from absolute redemption. I don't know... |
submissions
| The Smashing Pumpkins – Mayonaise Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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First off, I'd like to say this is one of my favorite songs ever, and some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. It's a wall of guitar noise, but it's gorgeous. How does that work?
Anyway, I think it's about trying drug addiction myself. "Pick your pockets full of sorrow, and run away with me tomorrow" sounds to me like something a dealer would tell a new user (though I've never used drugs and have never had any contact with a dealer). "And I fail, but when I can, I will" says to me "I can't kick it now, but as soon as I work up the courage, I will". The "Mother weep for years I'm missing" verse starts off as remorse about addiction, but at the end of it the narrator realizes he or she can't get over their addiction. I do think the song ends on a happy note, though... the narrator realizes the drug is making him something he isn't, that he just wants to be himself and not be controlled by the drug, and plans to kick his habit. I don't know, just a few thoughts, because as we all know Corgan's lyrics are ambiguous. And always amazing, too.
I also think the song structure represents drug use. The quiet introduction is shooting up, the loud bit is the drug screwing with your mind, and so forth. |
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