submissions
| Young Fresh Fellows – Hank, Karen and Elvis Lyrics
| 2 years ago
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A song about celebrity post-mortem tell-alls. Featuring Hank Williams, Karen Carpenter and Elvis Presley and some of the more sordid stories associated with this genre of non-fiction.
Hank: The story goes that a Williams had much of his early musical tutelage from a black man named Tee-Tot Payne. The rest of the verse is self-explanatory.
Karen: The Wanda or Sandy referred to here are probably Rockabilly Queen Wanda Jackson and Doomed Brit folkie Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, Guest vocals on Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore). Hal Blaine was a Los Angles studio drummer and part of the conglomerate of musicians known as the "Wrecking Crew"; who played on most the pop hit out of LA from the mid-sixties through the early eighties (Sonny & Cher, The Carpenters, Nancy Sinatra etc.).
Elvis: Covers most of the usual scandalous behavior associated with Elvis (Drugs, Ephebophilia, Gun violence, Weight\diet\life style issues). |
submissions
| Mark Lanegan – Harborview Hospital Lyrics
| 7 years ago
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@[Mendalusa77:19109] Harborview hospital is @ 9th and James. St James cathedral is a few blocks up on 9th between Columbia and Marion. The song may be an oblique reference to drug rehab facility connected to the eponymous hospital... |
submissions
| Elvis Costello – Watching the Detectives Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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ummm...no according to the official Elvis Costello site it's: "Red dogs under illegal legs"
see:http://www.elviscostello.com/#/words-detail/Columbia+Records+/Elvis+Costello+/Watching+The+Detectives/cd/668/8238 |
submissions
| Randy Newman – I Want You To Hurt Like I Do Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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This song reminds me of the Tolstoy story about the forged coupon\money; everyone keeps passing it off, not wanting to be the one to suffer the loss. To stop the chain of events...
So Mr. Newman sets up his morality tale, we all want to excuse our own cruelties by offering the excuse that we are just another link in the long, long chain of suffering (almost an argument for original sin...almost)... |
submissions
| The 77s – Pearls Before Swine Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Two Biblical illustrations of how we (humans) will throw away the invaluable for the trivial (ie cast our pearls before swine...). The first is the story in Genesis (Genesis 25:29—34)of Esau selling his birthright (to be the patriarch to his brother Jacob) for a bowl of gruel or porridge. The second is Tamar (2 Samuel 13) who is raped by her half-brother Amnon. The subtext being that she put herself in a situation that left her compromised and could have been more aware. |
submissions
| The 77s – Don't, This Way Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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I'll chime in, such majestic sadness here. My interpretation is that it's about a suicide and a plea to understand after the fact.
The first verse we see the protagonist personified as a black bird who won't sing. The silence of depression has sunk in, pushed and he/she still can't fly...
The second verse things get worse as the world/sorrows takes their toll ("shot down by all those tears"), till the final chorus where we have the body laid before us... and the pleas of the author who already know it's to late but wishes it wasn't...
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submissions
| The 77s – Don't, This Way Lyrics
| 14 years ago
|
I'll chime in, such majestic sadness here. My interpretation is that it's about a suicide and a plea to understand after the fact.
The first verse we see the protagonist personified as a black bird who won't sing. The silence of depression has sunk in, pushed and he/she still can't fly...
The second verse things get worse as the world/sorrows takes their toll ("shot down by all those tears"), till the final chorus where we have the body laid before us... and the pleas of the author who already know it's to late but wishes it wasn't...
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submissions
| Concrete Blonde – Carry Me Away Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Bittersweet, A woman longs for an old lover, in spite of the fact their relationship was destructive to the both of them. Possibly one or both of them being alcoholics/addicts... |
submissions
| The Clash – Jimmy Jazz Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Don't listen to felix, I think he's having one on you...it should read "sent a message"
in context it makes the most sense and Joe didn't have the best diction.... |
submissions
| Dar Williams – Family Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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This song was originally written by Pierce Pettis, He wrote it about the death of his dear friend Mark Heard and the community of artist that his death affected. That though not by birth they were his family. The first verse is addressed to God, the Second is laying Mark to rest in Macon GA (that hard red clay), the third is an affirmation that even the Christ, God incarnate need a human family. A beautiful beautiful song. |
submissions
| Elvis Costello – I Want You Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I think Ratman nailed it, I will only add that it seems EC intent was to take Bob Dylan's "I want you" combine it with the Beatle's (John Lennon's) "I want you (she's so heavy)" and forged them into a crowbar to tear open the heart of darkness that the jilted lover goes through when the object of his (or her)affection goes from present to past tense in the course of a conversation.... |
submissions
| Crash Test Dummies – Superman's Song Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Superman transfigured as a Christ like figure, laying his life down when he had the power and ability to have it quite easy, if not for his morality to let him know "with great power comes great responsiblity" |
submissions
| Adam Again – Worldwide Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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Good God I miss Gene. This is a song about realizing how utterly powerless we are in the face of the immensity of the trouble and grief in this world. though he the population of the world is now twice the three billion mark... |
submissions
| Warren Zevon – Accidentally Like A Martyr Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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such a hard, hard song. Waking up to the fact that someone you still love doesn't love you anymore. This was a song that I turned to many time, as I came to term s with the end of my marriage. a hard sentiment to give voice, which Warren does so well here, "The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder" indeed... |
submissions
| Warren Zevon – I Was In The House When The House Burned Down Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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A few notes: Warren said this song was written for his friend David Crosby, as already noted it's vow not valve (hehe, scuze me while I kiss this guy.. anyone) and it considered a bad omen to see the bride in her wedding gown. So this is could be considered a survivors song. |
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