| Rilo Kiley – Go Ahead Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[mockingsmile:571] I agree with your assessment. Am I the only one who thought there might be a kinky sexual connotation to the "have your cake and eat it too, Or if you want to have other people watch you while you eat it" part? Seems like the dude has unrealistic or "grass is greener thoughts" about their relationship and has already jumped ship. I think this song is her feeble attempt to be strong and "get over" him. |
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| Jars of Clay – Fade To Grey Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I think the whole meaning of "fade to grey" depends on who is saying the line "if you follow me you'll see all the black, all the white fade to grey." Which now I admittedly have to say it sounds like the the person in despair and not God. I really thought that at first, it was God saying that. But then, I have to say, being human, all we can really see are shades of grey. Do we have the mind of God to see how things work out in our lives? Sure, we see glimpses...and maybe some see more than a glimpse if God allows us, but all WE ever experience is mostly what we see with our own two eyes and our feeble hearts and minds. At least in this life. If we were to take our form of Black and White, I would argue that it is nothing compared to the Black and White that God sees. I would argue that only God can truly see in Black and White. Only God can ever see the full truth and only God can see rightly into a person's heart. So while I don't think that God is saying "follow me, you'll see all this B/W fade to grey". I think in the process of seeking God, we realize that what we thought to be true is not so clear cut, because we don't see with the eyes of God. And BECAUSE things are not so cut and dried, we HAVE to rely on faith to know that God will pull us through the grey. It is only when God is working on us that we can even START to see the Black and White...but even then, I think the maxim holds true: The more I know, the more I know that I don't know. The more we realize we have to be "turned inside out". When we are at peace with our inability to see Black and White like God does, we can learn the humility to let God teach us to see what we can...and to not sweat what we can't. Well at least that's my take! This song is really speaking into my life right now because I am trying to see the Black and White...without God's help. I need to let go and really sink back into His essence...let God transform my stone heart back to clay. |
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| Death Cab for Cutie – Technicolor Girls Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Technicolor was a coloring process for film used in the '20s - '60s... It was known for their highly saturated levels of color, ie: The Wizard of Oz. The film is still captured in black and white, the color is added afterward. To me, this kind of creates an imagery of remembering a time where you thought things were better (the "good ole days"), or maybe even more generally, making out your life as better than it really is. One "colors" their life, or their memories, just as Technicolor colors a Black and White film. This implies a level of "fakeness" even...almost like the overly cheery TV shows of the 50's/60's and suburbia in general. |
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| Sixpence None the Richer – Love Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"You must be the seed Descend into the earth Searching for the union of death And then rebirth," "The Harvester is near His blade is on your skin To plant a new beginning," Not sure this really means physical death and not sure the second part means she's a cutter. simtech got the biblical reference for love, but the idea of a Harvester is biblical too: The harvest is a metaphor, not only for the end times of gathering together the "faithful" but also in a sense of how our actions or words are like seeds in this life... When we speak into a persons life or act on their behalf, we are planting seeds that may grow into something that can eventually be "harvested". There are many other agricultural metaphors in the bible that stand for growth in a person's life. anikaconnor got it right... the death in this is more about death in a sense of letting parts of yourself die so that the good parts can grow. It's renewal and transformation. And the way to that transformation is love. It's said that "God is Love" so I surmise that God in the Harvester. The singer "dies to her self" so that God can grow new life in her. That can be a painful process, so it's like cutting (pruning if you will) but more of a metaphorical cutting of the heart. |
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| Radiohead – Karma Police Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Those who loudly cry "karma's gonna getcha!" seem to forget that they are under karma themselves. | |
| Ben Folds – Belinda Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I don't think it's sarcasm... I think like Splerb said, the singer is regretting his actions and really regrets breaking his relationship with Belinda....and is now doomed to sing this song for the rest of his career. | |
| The Avett Brothers – Find My Love Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I feel I've recently been on the dumped side of this situation. Ugh. I try to understand why but it's impossible. I wish I could shout these questions at him but that won't help whatever he's trying to get through. I need to move on or friendship will be impossible. Love gets lost... |
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| Modest Mouse – Fly Trapped in a Jar Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I really enjoy the fly buzzing effect in the beginning too! Really sets the emotional tone for the song. | |
| Modest Mouse – Dig Your Grave Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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well there's little to go on here but if you look at the rest of the album and the song title, you might get a clue what this is about. I think there's a good bit packed into these few lines and notes. The phrase "dig your own grave"...It's the same as "shoot yourself in the foot" or "self-fulfilling prophesy. You "dig your own grave" when you do something to yourself or to a situation to make it implode or self-destruct. Kind of like the moths that "beat themselves to death against the lights" line in The World at Large. So I think that the singer is digging his own grave (already digging) - he knows this, but at the same time he's hoping that situation or part of him is dead (I hope you're dead) - making it obvious that it's in fact not dead (undead?). He just is wishing it to be so. In the next song Bury Me With It, he seems to implore that dead means dead. So if this situation or relationship or this part of your life is over...bury it and move on. Not sure if I put in too much but those are my thoughts. |
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| The Postal Service – Nothing Better Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I like that you asked a question instead of just merely stating what you thought. In my mind, the best lyrics/songs make us ask questions of ourselves...or have multiple levels of interpretation. I'd have to say a little of each, as it would be between any two complicated human beings, each probably is in the wrong AND in the right. He probably sees things as too rosy...but has every right to try to keep it together. She probably is being too calculating...but shying away based on some very important reasons. Right now for me, I sympathize with the guy. I feel like my recent relationship was ended abruptly for no real reason...actually I would have appreciated if he would have pulled out some "charts and graphs" so I could actually have a reason to let go. |
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| Arcade Fire – (Antichrist Television Blues) Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Putting this passage into context, Matthew 15 is Jesus using the words of Isaiah to call out the teachers of the law on their hypocrisy: Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" So this is on the flip side (focus on the child not the parent)...I can see the man in the song, in his twisted way, thinking that his using his daughter is honoring God somehow...when he's really not honoring God by it at all. Another example of humanity misusing/misinterpreting religion/faith for their own ends. |
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| Arcade Fire – Empty Room Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I like your interpretation! This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Sad lyrics, but hopeful...good energy in the music. When I'm by myself, I can be myself, And my life is coming but I don't know when. I love this part...it's so true. I think it's something some people would tell themselves: be patient, you'll heal, don't run off to someone else and don't pine too much after this old relationship. With time all things will mend, but for now it's ok to feel lonely and upset. It's hard to know who you are after being attached to somebody, but you will find yourself again. |
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| Ben Folds – You To Thank Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I thought that "with our tattoos that looked like rings" referred to a tan line from a removed ring, but then, that does fade. It could be referencing that the connection they made can't fade, even if things have turned sour. More like a scar than a tan line, only on their hearts. The "buzz" is probably the feeling of being in love or "infatuation". When it wears off it means they are falling out of love/infatuation. I do agree that the song talks about being married too young and "jumping off the deep end" too soon. Though I disagree that everyone is doing that these days: I thought I heard that more and more people are waiting til they are older to get married. Both scenarios certainly exist, but I do think that there's a group who waits to marry, then can never commit because they are commitment-phobes. What I want to know is who is he referring to when he sings "I've got you to thank for this"? Is he blaming this on the girl? Or the parents? Or the culture? They both jumped off the deep end...it doesn't say "I wasn't sure, but you encouraged me to jump off the deep end with you" - :P Or was he seriously committed and it turned out she was only faking it the whole time? If that's the motive then I feel like that might change how I interpret some of the lines... "maybe they knew more than we knew" would have more of a bitter tinge to it I would think. Rarely does the "buzz" wear off at the same rate... |
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| Ben Folds – Landed Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| For someone who writes such great love songs (albeit, on the good and the bad) he seems to not have a very good track record himself for staying in a relationship. :\ This makes me sad, but I guess that's where some really great music came from. I hope he finally found "the right one"! | |
| Ben Folds – Gone Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| God I know the feeling... How does this guy write such painfully lucid stuff? | |
| Sparklehorse – Sick of Goodbyes Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Sounds like a break up to me in which the singer cannot get his thoughts straight on why it ended (and he wishes he could truly tell the other how he feels). The lyrics about the seconds clicking, turning to dust and the night sucking up his dreams...these are all feelings one can go through when a relationship ends. Being alone at night is the worst...you stay up late thinking about it over and over but not in a productive way - the way that robs you of sleep/dreams. He doesn't want to say goodbye, he's sick of it. And it's almost making him sick - particularly this time when he feels so strongly about this other person. As for the vampire planet reference, I'm not sure what that means. I feel knowing that might change my perspective of the song. I think of a planet (other than Earth) as a lonely place, so perhaps she feeds off of a relationship then moves on to the next one, so she's always making herself end up alone until the next one. Perhaps the singer is helplessly in love with such a person, and he thinks he can see past that exterior actions and into her heart, while full well knowing that she'll probably not change her ways? |
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| Our Lady Peace – Thief Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I have to agree with this and Pale-Rider's interpretation above. Death and our general mortality causes a lot of questioning and sometimes it's not very comforting to hear "she's with God now". It's just a very pat answer to give...and even if you believe it in your head to be true (that you are with God when you die and it a good place to be) perhaps you still need to go through that time of questioning in order to really let it sink in to your heart. I don't think we take grief seriously enough in our Western culture. Although it sounds like the girl was pretty hopeful and confident in her own faith so the little singing part at the end caps off the song with a good dose of hope. But yes, we often need to grieve and get angry and be confused before we find that hope. |
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| Our Lady Peace – Potato Girl Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I was at that concert too! The Spiritual Machines one. :) It was a great show. | |
| Our Lady Peace – Potato Girl Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Here's a link to that painting referenced by stagno: http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/potatoindex.html |
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| i am jen – At the Same Time Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"At the Same Time" could mean: - occurring at the same point of time - However, Nonetheless This is a great double-meaning brilliantly conveyed in the same song. The singer speaks of a relationship she has suddenly fallen into at the same level of intensity as the other person (at the same time). She comments on how much they seems to be in tune with each other. Then they both begin to unravel (at the same time), and at this point one can see the other meaning of "at the same time..." coming through: This relationship is amazing, but at the same time...it's possible that it's going to end. The only problem is that rarely do people fall out of love at the same pace that they fall into it... |
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| My Morning Jacket – Gideon Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Good comment! "Who are you, what have you become" I think the you is referencing "Religion"... Which makes me think that possibly "the animal" is a little less specific and could be referencing Religion again. Or it could just be blanket enough to mean all of us. We are all animals in some sense, especially when we hurt each other. |
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| Arcade Fire – Ocean of Noise Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| stole the words out of my mouth for the most part! | |
| Arcade Fire – Ready to Start Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| So you just accept it and hope that you can "still be friends" | |
| Arcade Fire – Ready to Start Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I keep getting more out of this song the more I hear it. I do think that a lot of their songs are open to different meanings depending on the listener. For me, it sounds like someone just broke off a mostly positive relationship because he discovered he (a) had many personal issues to deal with and/or (b) just fell out of love with the girl. I say this because the chorus sounds familiar: "If I was scared, I would, and if I was bored, you know I would, and if I was yours, but I'm not." It's not that he wouldn't be with her or that there's anything necessarily wrong with the relationship, but he just has the nagging feeling they aren't meant to be. "I would rather be wrong than Live in the shadows of your song." This sounds like he might be relying on her affections to carry him through a rough spot, so even if they COULD work out, he feels it's not going to be healthy for him to stay in the relationship. He has to move on so he can figure himself out. That's what I hear anyway, because I've recently been on the other end of that sort of situation. It's not fun, but I'm just really trying to understand why. This song just hit me. It seems there's not always a completely logical reason as to why a relationship has to end, you just know what you have to do. |
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