| Regina Spektor – Blue Lips Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Good point. Surprisingly a lot of people have missed the repetition of the "blue" and focused on whatever religious meaning they see. | |
| Regina Spektor – Genius Next Door Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I agree with the auto-erotic asphyxiation interpretation. “If you just hold in your breath till you come…” is sung orgasmically and would suggest as much. This song is about masturbation as an accepted antidote for youthful boredom. The adults (neighbours, others and locals) don’t want to talk about “the porridge” and the kids are also dismissive “saying to them it doesn’t matter”. The genius next door verse expands on this; his dismally drab job didn’t matter “as long as he was able to strip his clothes off… at night… just him and the secret he was keeping”. I think the genius is one of the local kids, not an older man as some here have suggested. He busses tables and gets high, he’s probably just come back from a gap year around Europe (mumbling German fables whilst high). The suicide/death concept which many people on here seem to have commented on doesn’t fit in here, for me. I recognise the suffocation theme but I don’t get the notion of a literal death. Note the French phrase “La petite mort” or “the little death”, an idiom for orgasm, pertaining to a breathless post-climatic exhaustion (sounds fun, eh?). Perhaps the little town where these kids live is suffocating them; bussing tables is very boring. The stagnant atmosphere could be responsible for suicide, but more likely for a littler death. The song suggests that swimming in a lake of “porridge” is a foolish pursuit and the young people are wasting their lives. Think of the way genius is used sarcastically; these young people should be pursuing wisdom. Whatever reason the cameras and reporters turn up (perhaps a metaphor for “the morning after” questioning that the kids will face as they wake up), it seems the situation is unlikely to change. Talking about it won’t stop it from happening. There seems to be no effort to clear up the mess; garbagemen clean the dumpsters, but this is a cycle of dirty and clean. The prayers (think of a “God help us!” sort of parental exclamation) are both cynical and sarcastic. The neighbours (representing parents) start up their cars — they’re running away from the town and it’s issues. The genius is still sleeping and therefore not becoming any wiser. His dreams (not just night time images but also his aspirations for the future) are for more orgasms. The cycle continues, but it’s not as bleak as it sounds. Kids wont make porridge of their lives forever; they will eventually realise the dangers of living for pleasure and the stifling result. Porridge is a fairly fast perishing food, it wont be left to stagnate in a skanky lake forever. |
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| Regina Spektor – Genius Next Door Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I'm skeptical... | |
| Regina Spektor – Genius Next Door Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I agree with the auto-erotic asphyxiation interpretation. “If you just hold in your breath till you come…” is sung orgasmically and would suggest as much. This song is about masturbation as an accepted antidote for youthful boredom. The adults (neighbours, others and locals) don’t want to talk about “the porridge” and the kids are also dismissive “saying to them it doesn’t matter”. The genius next door verse expands on this; his dismally drab job didn’t matter “as long as he was able to strip his clothes off… at night… just him and the secret he was keeping”. I think the genius is one of the local kids, not an older man as some here have suggested. He busses tables and gets high, he’s probably just come back from a gap year around Europe (mumbling German fables whilst high). The suicide/death concept which many people on here seem to have commented on doesn’t fit in here, for me. I recognise the suffocation theme but I don’t get the notion of a literal death. Note the French phrase “La petite mort” or “the little death”, an idiom for orgasm, pertaining to the breathless post-climatic exhaustion. Perhaps the little town where these kids live is suffocating them; bussing tables is very boring. The stagnant atmosphere could be responsible for suicide, but more likely for a littler death. The song suggests that swimming in a lake of “porridge” is a foolish pursuit and the young people are wasting their lives. Think of the way genius is used sarcastically; these young people should be pursuing wisdom. Whatever reason the cameras and reporters turn up (perhaps a metaphor for “the morning after” questioning that the kids will face as they wake up), it seems the situation is unlikely to change. Talking about it won’t stop it from happening. There seems to be no effort to clear up the mess; garbagemen clean the dumpsters, but this is a cycle of dirty and clean. The prayers (think of a “God help us!” sort of parental exclamation) are both cynical and sarcastic. The neighbours (representing parents) start up their cars — they’re running away from the town and it’s issues. The genius is still sleeping and therefore not becoming any wiser. His dreams (not just night time images but also his aspirations for the future) are for more orgasms. The cycle continues, but it’s not as bleak as it sounds. Kids wont make porridge of their lives forever; they will eventually realise the dangers of living for pleasure and the stifling result. Porridge is a fairly fast perishing food, it wont be left to stagnate in a skanky lake forever. |
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