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| Rush – Freewill Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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Probably Rush's lyrical apex. This is basically a perfect song. |
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| Rush – The Trees Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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For better or worse it's definitely a Randian screed. It's well documented that Peart was a hardcore Randian back in his young naive days. |
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| Rush – The Temples of Syrinx Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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mike, I hope you are kidding. "the song on it's own seems to reflect upon a society who's information is controlled by a select few. In many ways a reflection on how things really have evolved in our current society today."
You do realize you are posting this very opinion on the internet? Also known as the biggest free-for-all of information (and misinformation) ever conceived by the human species? I'll just assume you intended the irony. |
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| XTC – Holly Up On Poppy Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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Nope. Andy's daughter Holly named her rocking horse "Poppy". It's just a happy papa writing about his daughter, probably no drug references. And her eyes are the "eyes of storms" as in the eye of a hurricane... that is, the one perfectly calm spot in a chaotic world. |
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| Red Dwarf – Red Dwarf Theme Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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Great show, tune is catchy as hell, but the lyrics here are incomplete. Here's the rest of the song, which doesn't appear in the TV show credits but is on the soundtrack:
I pack my bags and head into hyperspace
Velocity at time warp speed
Spend my days in utraviolet rays
Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun
We lock on course, straight through the universe
Just you and me and the galaxy
Reach the stage where hyperdrive's engaged
Fun, fun, fun, in the sun, sun, sun |
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| Rush – Faithless Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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Incidentally, you didn't even get you half-assed argument right. It's the Second Law of Thermodynamics that the moronic halfwits deliberately misinterpret to "argue" against the fact of evolution. Not the third. |
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| Rush – Faithless Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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"the third law of thermodynamics disproves evolution"? Are you kidding. You need to go back to school if you buy that line of crap. Seriously... I respect your right to hold whatever belief you need to to get through life but you can't make a statement like that and expect people to take you seriously. Grow up and learn the basics of the scientific method, what thermodynamics really entails, and hell... the basics of logic, before you tell me what the third law of thermodynamics says about evolution. |
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| Rush – Faithless Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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NewWorldMan.
You seem to not understand what an Atheist is. Nor do you seem to understand the basics of logic and burdens of proof and critical thinking. I do not mean to insult you by saying that but you really to take a moment to think.
NO atheist says "I know there is no God". An atheist says "I don't believe in God". Why? Because there is no reason to. No evidence, no proof, no logical reason why a god must exist.
An atheist doesn't say "God doesn't exist" for the same reason he doesn't say "unicorns don't exist" or "leprachauns don't exist". It is impossible to prove a negative. The believer can always say "oh, well, it's invisible, it's mysterious... you just haven't tested in the right way.. you aren't asking the right questions"
The logical, THINKING person says "prove to me that something exists and I will believe in it".... That is why atheists are atheists. Because they ask that question... they require that proof. And there is none for god. Just myths and old books and stories. The burden of proof is on the theists, not the atheists.
You need to adjust your understanding of what an atheist is. It's just someone who only believes in things for which there is a objective REASON to believe. Someone who doesn't take things on faith. |
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| Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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foldsfan5 is right about the the Touraloura part. The whole song is about the transition from childhood innocence where sexuality doesn't exist and romance is an abstract, to that period in early adolescence where EVERYTHING is suddenly sexually charged and important. And suddenly the idea of "romance" means so much more. The inclusion of the traditional "Touralou" song in that contact is just so bitterly ironic, it's brilliant. This guy wants to comfort the girl, who has always been is his friend, but is now the object of his lust, with this completely innocent lullaby, but like everything else he can think of it just becomes a refrain reinforcing his lust. Brilliant, sad and sexy all at the same time. |
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| XTC – All You Pretty Girls Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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It's a great song, a filthy song. Seriously... think about the line quoted by the poster above, about the salty liquid on the girls face. Yeah... the whole song is like that. |
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| XTC – Dear God Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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It's a fairly strong argument, namely the Problem of Evil. That is: if God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and omnibenovelent, how can there be evil (or suffering of any kind) in the world? It's a question that has never really been adequately answered by any theistic apologist (they usually fall back on talking about "mysteries" and "greater truths" and other vague bits of poetical wisps, without ever giving a reasoned answer. Granted, the Question of Evil is usually just the first obstacle that a person developing critical thinking skills will hit when they first start to look at religion, usually in the early teen years. Most people, sensing that the whole idea of God and religion won't stand up to rigorous scrutiny just kind of "wall off" that line of thought at that point, and go on with being happily delusional. Conversely, the ones with the intellectual courage and integrity will go on to apply reason, logic, and critical thinking to the question of whether God exists and will find much more basic reasons to reject theism.
So yes, as Andy has said... the song is a bit simplistic, but it is a very good, very emotional portrayal of that first step into rational thought and atheism. It doesn't tell the whole story, but it beautifully and poignantly describes what many young budding atheists probably felt in their first moments of attempting to apply the standards of rationality to that greatest and most pervasive of superstition: theism. |
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| XTC – Ballet For A Rainy Day Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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Are you kidding me? This is simple evocative wordsmithing on the level of Frost or Pound. This is a brilliant song in every respect, and has one of the best instrumental transitions at it's end in the history of pop music. |
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| XTC – Grass Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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And in any case this song deserves mention for two of the best instrumental transitions on any album in history. Cauldron -> Grass= brilliant. Ballet for a Rainy Day -> 1000 Umbrellas = perfection. |
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| XTC – Grass Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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With XTC if there is a possible double meaning you can pretty much count on both being intentional and completely true. They're clever that way. |
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| XTC – Another Satellite Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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Yeah, it's a strange song for me, with a lot of loaded memories. It's a creepily accurate description of that period where you have that mutual attraction to the "other woman" but honestly don't want her attention, despite the attraction. The fact that Partridge's relationships took the route they did just makes the song more haunting. |
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| XTC – You're The Wish You Are I Had Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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If you suddenly saw the girl/guy of your dreams, what would you do? You are out and about and you suddenly see someone who somehow is physically everything you ever fantasied about, but can they live up to the rest of your vision of the perfect companion? It's about that moment between seeing someone perfectly beautiful but not yet knowing anything about them. |
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| XTC – Reign Of Blows Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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A bitterly cynical idictment of all political systems, ideology, and nationalism. Somewhat along the lines of The Who's "Wont Be Fooled Again". |
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| XTC – I Bought Myself A Liarbird Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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About a man named Ian Reid. XTC, ladies and gentlemen: one of the best pop-rock groups of all time but terrible, terrible businessmen. |
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| Ben Folds Five – Smoke Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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NAlmost this entire album is about romantic relationships and breakups, so I think that the song is indeed about a breakup, or at least, one specific aspect of one.
You know how when you are in a long term relationships there are all these moments that you share that are just between you two and no one else? They seem so important and fundamental to shaping your personality and identity. But after you break up with that person, you have no one to talk about those memories with. No one else can really understand how those moments felt at the time, or what they meant, except the two of you. In fact no one else would ever really care. And now, without that person in your life, there's nothing to those moments but your own memories. Without the ability to ever again talk about those moments with someone who truly understands their personal meaning they loose some of their substance: as if they "never really happened", like they are just "smoke". |
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| Billy Joel – You May Be Right Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Brilliant in it's simplicity. No hidden messages here, it's a hard drinkin', devil-may-care wild boy trying to seduce a more cautious, straight laced girl. See also: "Only The Good Die Young". |
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| Supertramp – Bloody Well Right Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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It's actually a very simple message, but a potent one:
You say success is all about connections and coming from a rich family? You say life isn't fair? You say its about the favors you can call in and not about your individual merit?
Well, you're right. That's how life is. And it's wrong. But don't just whine about it. Take your anger and turn it into poety. Into art. Into something with merit itself. |
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| Faith No More – Jizzlobber Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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This is about the practice of "gunning" in facilities for sexually violent predators.
After a person is convicted of a sexual offense many states make them go through a process of involuntary civil commitment. Essentially, after serving their time, they are sent back to a facility where they are to be "treated" for their psychological disorders. The idea is noble but in practice most of the time these are just dumping grounds where these disturbed individuals are left to prey upon each other. Very little actual treatment occurs due to lack of funding. So, it's pretty much the worst of the whole "prison rape" strongest abusing the weakest, scenario played out on a daily basis with hardly a bit of institutional control, or any hope of getting out.
Anyway. In such facilities there is a practice called "gunning". This is where inmates make a game of masturbating when they know a nurse or other faculty staff is scheduled to come by, with the goal of timing their "release" so that they can "gun" the staffer by... well... lobbing their jizz at them. |
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| Faith No More – Caffeine Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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It's an "in the closet" gay man talking to an "out" lover about the difficulties he has keeping up appearances. |
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| Faith No More – Caffeine Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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It's an "in the closet" gay man talking to an "out" lover about the difficulties he has keeping up appearances. |
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| Faith No More – Everything's Ruined Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Actually... Is it about American Capitalism? Yes
Is it about Soviet Communism? Yes
Is it about the futile banality of marriage and procreation? Yes
You have to remember, this is a song from guys who's formative years were during 80s, when the cold war and the possibility of total nuclear war were very real.
What is the song about? Nihilism. Pick your poison. It will all end in futility and ruin in the end. |
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| Tom Waits – Circus Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Well, it's 4 years later but in any case:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_grinder |
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| The Smashing Pumpkins – Snail Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Back in the days when I thought religion had anything to offer I thought it was about a Buddhist watching a snail crawl across a flower and contemplating the seven treasures:
"Gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, agate, red pearl and carnelian. They represent the seven powers of faith, perseverance, sense of shame, avoidance of wrongdoing, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom." |
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| Toad the Wet Sprocket – Butterflies Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Oh, and to correct John Johnston above, it's not
"his skin flashed open" it's "the screens flashed open"
It's referencing those telescopic viewers they have at some tourist attractions. You put a coin into the viewer and the shutters ("screens") open and you can look around as if using a pair of binoculars. That's why the girl was asking for a nickle in the first verse. |
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| Toad the Wet Sprocket – Butterflies Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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The song is about the various ways that people interact with the inherent beauty in the world. There are actually four narrative voices in this song. One is the girl. Hers is the voice of innocence and youth: seeing the beauty of the world for the first time and overwhelmed by it's immensity but unable to comprehend it's meaning or put it in context. The next is the man in the car: he represents the people who bludgeon and stomp through life without seeing the beauty around them. He casually destroys the beauty around him because he is too self centered and insensate. The third voice is the collector, who's reaction to beauty is to try and control it, capture it and make it static, thus preserving it but robbing it of it's essential element, except in his own memory. The final voice is the father's who's reaction to the beauty of the world is entirely centered around guiding and mentoring his daughter's experience of that beauty. He finds no intrinsic joy in the beauty of the world for himself, but only finds joy anymore in the vicarious experience. |
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| Toad the Wet Sprocket – Little Man, Big Man Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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The bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima were named "Little boy" and "Fat Man"
"The violence of the games we play"
"The damage that our toys can do"
You can probably figure it out from there. |
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| Tom Waits – Hoist That Rag Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Great explanation stogie! I'll just add this:
"Well we stick our fingers in
The ground, heave and
Turn the world around"
"Smoke is blacking out the sun
To me this seems evocative of the burning oil rigs of the early days of the first Gulf War. |
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| Tom Waits – Dead and Lovely Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Seems like it's about a naive girl who thought married a rich, powerful man for money, thinking she could make a play for his money. At some point they had a falling out and rather than divorce her he pushed her overboard on his yacht. That's what it sounds like to me at least. |
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| Tenacious D – Cock Pushups Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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A Public Service Announcement:
WARNING: DO NOT ACTUALLY TRY COCK PUSHUPS AT HOME
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/608/is-it-true-men-can-suffer-penile-fracture |
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| Rush – Faithless Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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ragamuffin and degulleo, thanks for the sermons. I won't try and debate you. Rather, I will simply "quietly resist" and enjoy my life on a rational basis, leaving superstition behind. I simply hope that your can live your lives in happiness and tolerance for others who don't buy into your myths. |
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| They Might Be Giants – Someone Keeps Moving My Chair Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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It's totally a coincidence since Flood came out in 1990 and "Office Space" came out in 1999, but occurs to me that you could almost make this part of the album into a little theme song trilogy: Someone Keeps Moving My Chair = Milton, Hearing Aid = Peter, Minimum Wage = Lumburgh (cracking the whip). Just a little goofy thought, funny how it kinda works though. Heh. |
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| They Might Be Giants – We Want A Rock Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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I think johnemint is on the right track. It's about a desire to regress to simpler times. The rock with the string is a simple toy, representative of childhood. The prosthetic foreheads to me (this might be a stretch) remind me of neanderthals or primitive mankind (with the protruding foreheads). Again, a desire to recapture a primitive, simple time. But someone in the world always brings the singer back to real life and harsh reality (throwing the crib door wide, or burning the playhouse down) |
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| They Might Be Giants – Spiraling Shape Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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One note. The final words of the third line of the chorus are incorrect. The second line ends in "that groovy thing" , but the third line ends with "that groove within" |
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| They Might Be Giants – My Man Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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No, its definitely about someone who's been paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury. The key is the simile that the singer wants to "direct your attention to". Once you realize that the "submarine cable" is standing for a spinal cord, it's pretty simple to follow. |
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| They Might Be Giants – Man, It's So Loud in Here Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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It is almost certainly NOT about an actual dance club. Read the lyrics again, none of the song is actually about a night club, but about how other places have inappropriately come to resemble nightclubs to the singer. I agree with flyingtreemonkey. Its more about how culture and life in general is becoming louder, flashier, and more superficial, making real communication and connections more difficult. |
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| They Might Be Giants – Mink Car Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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ndo and Lombardi are on the right track I think. It's about the fear that too much success can kill an artists integrity. The "Mink Car" is money, success and fame. It's "driven by a guitar" because the singer's music career is what has brought all that success to him. But he's afraid that all of that success has killed his artistic integrity. He's afraid that his music has become a "hollow form". |
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| They Might Be Giants – Thunderbird Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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Yes, Thundebird used to be a cheap type of fortified wine, that was notorious for being what winos and bums would buy to get drunk on little cash. No idea if it's still around.
The "till T-Bird takes her dad away" thus can possible have a darker meaning, beyond the play on the Beach Boys song. The singer is an alcoholic and will soon die if he doesn't give up his drinking, leaving behind a daughter. |
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| They Might Be Giants – Reprehensible Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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A pretty straight forward song but a good example of TMBG's style of setting a painting a rather horrific story with lyrics set to upbeat music. In the song the singer is continuously being reincarnated, but every night a voice tortures him by recounting all the evil things he's done over all of his past lives. The horror is that when he wakes, he doesn't remember the torture and guilt, and goes back to living a self centered life, where he just commits more selfish evil acts, thus adding to the torture he will have the next night. |
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| They Might Be Giants – Dig My Grave Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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It works even better if you think of it as an intro to "I Palindrome I" with the Mother and Son that song in a mutually homicidal relationship. |
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| Rush – The Way The Wind Blows Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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This song is about the dangers of the rising tide of religious fundamentalism in the world, be it Muslim (the Middle East) or Christian (the Middle-West). The song lashes out at the atmosphere of intolerance and war-mongering that inevitably results from fundamentalism. |
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| Rush – Faithless Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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No need to feel sorry for us atheists raggamuffin. I'm perfectly happy as an atheist. In fact, I feel sorry for people deluded by superstition. And no, you don't need superstition to have morals.
This song is wonderful. Its about how atheists have to struggle to persevere in a North American culture that distinctly and increasingly biased against the non-religious. He will "quietly resist" those that try to sway him to superstition whether by "sermon" or "force" and simply try and go about living his own life as a secure and happy rational person, as best he can. Quite inspiring. |
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| The Dismemberment Plan – Tonight We Mean It Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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I did see them live in the 90s in a little dive of a bar with one brand of cheap beer on tap. It was a great show!
I always interpreted these lyrics as talking about the ennui of the party scene as one gets older. You want to go out and hit the party, loose all your inhibitions, forget all the trouble of the work week, and have the perfect fun time. But the perfect party doesn't exist, and when you get there, there's the nagging feeling you should be having more fun then you are, and that you are just going through the motions. |
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