| Snow Patrol – Run Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Gary from Snow Patrol mentioned his child in an interview about this song a long time ago, about how he imagined singing to his future child. (at the time he had neither children nor one on the way, just a desire to have them in the future) He specifically mentioned the first verse as being sung to this future child. Before I delve deeper, let me say that my broad interpretation of this song is very simple: Love. That pure, unwavering love that does not flinch, does not shy away, is always there through anything and everything, and always strives to shield the object of our affection from the evils of the world. The kind of love that a parent shows their child. But the song can be adapted to express the love in just about any other strong relationship too, including close friends. Now imagine a man who loves his future child that is not even conceived yet SO MUCH that he writes an entire song for them before they are even a glimmer in his eye. That's the type of love we are talking about; that is why this song speaks so strongly to so many people. That is why this song can be used to express the love felt in so many different relationships. It is also why the Leona Lewis version, while good, falls short of the orginal. Her version is breathy, almost seductive, implying romantic love in my eyes, which is not as easily adaptable to other types of relationships.. at least not like the absolutely pure father/wishchild expression in the Snow Patrol version. In this song, we have quite simply the greatest lullabye in the history of the world. A lyllabye written for a child that has not even been conceived, and may never be born. A lullabye for the wish of a child, the mere thought.. the hope for a child that may some day exist.. That is why this song strikes so deeply and instantly. It is impossible to stand and face something that pure and not be moved. Verse 1: This verse is very straightforward and easy to understand if read in the context of a lullabye. He's singing his daughter's favorite bedtime song one more time but then it's time for bed. (I chose a gender to make the interpretations easier to follow, and I imagined daughter because of all the times he calls them 'dear' in the song.) He also makes sure she knows how much he loves her, telling her that she's the only thing that's right in all he's done. Another possible intepretation of "we really have to go" is that they are going somewhere other than bedtime. Summer camp, college, etc.. any time that she would need that reassurance, including darker times, such as illness or death. But in all cases, it is a lullabye. A reassurance to her that it will be alright. Verse 2: It gets a little tricky here. You have to remember he is not really singing to his daughter, but to his HOPE of a daughter. He is singing to his future child who may never be. He can picture her in his mind, can almost touch her, but not quite... he can "Barely look" at her, but every time he sees her in his mind, he knows that they will "make it anywhere away from here". Now, it is important to note.. he doesn't mean that they won't make it if they stay "here".. they don't have to leave "here" to make it, in fact it's quite the opposite. Think of "here" as wherever they are safe... home.. where they are a family and strong, where nothing can hurt them... now... think of "anywhere away from here" as any time they can't be together in that safe place. Summer Camp, School, college, marriage and the kids move away, war, jail, poverty, illness, death, anything that breaks up that safety. He KNOWS that they will "Make it anywhere away from here".. in other words, they will be alright, no matter what. Chorus: "Light Up, light up" means brighten up, don't feel dark or lost. "As if you have a choice" why doesn't she have a choice? The next line tells us.. because "Even if you cannot hear my voice I'll be right beside you dear" Louder, louder (our chorus together, strong as a family) "And we'll run for our lives" Remember that in the chorus, they aren't physically in the same location.. there is that separation .. she can't hear his voice, but "WE" will run together.. implying again, that he is with her in spirit, even though he isn't there in the flesh for whatever reason. And run for our lives doesn't necessarily mean danger, just that she will escape whatever trouble is after her, and her father has never left her side, and never will) "I can hardly speak I understand Why you can't raise your voice to say" Is actually not complete in the first chorus. You need the continued chorus later on in the song to interpret this. Verse 3: The first two lines of verse 3 have two different meanings. Not two possible interpretations, but two meanings. It means both of thse things in the same two lines of the song. The last two lines are really only relevant to the second meaning. a) Think of all the songs written for children. They usually are written right after the baby is born, and their parent almost always mentions the eyes of their child. Babies have such wonderfully curious eyes, sparkling and bright, full of promise, love, and hope for a long happy life. Now remember, in this song, he is singing to a child that may never exist. "To think I might not see those eyes Makes it so hard not to cry" He loves this child so much that the thought of never being blessed with her, of never holding her and seeing that wonder in her eyes makes it hard not to cry. b) And if the child does come into the world, then the thought of being separated from her, being unable to look on her and see her eyes has a very similar effect. As they say their long goodbye before something pulls them apart (man haven't we all been here before) it nearly does make him cry. Chorus Part 2: The last two lines of the first half of the chorus actually are the first two lines of the second half of the extended chorus. This part of the chorus is particularly interesting.. he is singing to a future child who may never even be born about how he's already choking up on how fast she's growing. "I can hardly speak" (because I'm choking on the words) "I understand why you can't raise your voice to say" (because as a kid you don't want to say it) Slower, slower (slow down, as in life is coming too fast) We don't have time for that (life doesn't slow down for anybody, and for kids, seems to take too long anyway) All I want is to find an easier way (what every parent and child wants, an easier/safer way) To get out of our little heads (to grow up) Verse 4: Again, very straightforward if taken with the rest of the song. Have heart, it's natural to be afraid even if it's just for a few days that our world is interrupted. But we will be ok, we'll get through this mess, together. Conclusion: This song is love on tap. The absolute purest expression of love imaginable, and I invite you to top off a nice tall glass and drink it up. |
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| The Shins – Caring Is Creepy Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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This song has nothing to do with caring or love. It is a song about a man coming out of the haze that is human existence and figuring out that it's all a sham. For anyone who hasn't experienced this, it is a little difficult to follow, but here's basically what it's saying: Verse1: Our hero gains the realization that his life is a sham, that everything he holds dear is an illusion, and that we are all part of the "same compost heap" as Tyler Durden once perfectly put it. His entire life (the castle wall) comes crashing down around him (into the moat).. "at long last".. because life can only truely begin once the sham of existence that our society enforces on us crumbles away, even if it is a painful and disorienting experience.. hence verse 2 Verse 2: Time to gain our bearings.. without the guide of what we once knew, it can be a tad disorienting.. working out the cramps in our brain and meandering about aimlessly in our minds. Every line in this verse describes a typical reaction to such an upheaval of self.. I really like the last line.. "far above our heads are the icy heights that contain all reason" - A little fatalistic, implying that enlightenment is out of our reach, but we'll see what he has to say later in the story. BTW, "hiding the fact your'e dead again" is very appropriate, since realizing what our hero did.. well.. it usually takes alot of the point out of life. Verse 3: Yes, what a lucious mix. Our minds fool us constantly into thinking things that are bad ideas are really good ideas.. or even thinking that there are such things as bad ideas and good ideas. Most of us go through our lives on autopilot, never stopping for a single second to question why we do the things we do.. and the tangle just gets tighter and tighter.. the mess of roads we're on. Verse 4: Ooops.. our hero takes the bait.. he takes the path that almost every single person who experiences what he is going through takes.. he passes judgement on those who don't "get it", and even on himself.. "hold your glass up, hold it in never betray the way you've always known it is.".. this is a very critical comment.. let me see if I can explain it.. imagine everyone's core beliefs being the glass.. everything you believe in your heart to be true and right.. hold your glass up high, stick to those beliefs and never ever question them under any circumstances.. this represents the status quo.. the way most people are.. sticking to their guns so to speak.. and that is what our hero is BERATING.. this is not a suggestion of what to do.. he is saying that doing this is NOT the right way, because he has just thrown off all his "truths" and has realized they were all irrelevant anyway.. >one day i'll be wondering how >i got so old just wondering how >i never got cold wearing nothing in the snow. I love these three lines.. they make sense if you just read them.. one day (far in the future) I'll be wondering how.."how did I get sooo old.. just by wondering how I never got cold wearing nothing in the snow" So the first wondering is in reference to the second wondering.. it's very nifty how they strung those words together. What does it mean though? "Never got cold wearing nothing in the snow".. means "How on Earth did I not see this before!?!?" (as in the realization he's newly made) And if you let that question consume you, you'll grow old just trying to figure it out, and then you'll realize, too late, that it was irrelevant. Verse 5: >> this is way beyond my remote concern >> of being condescending Basic translation: "If you thought that last rip on the idea of core beliefs was bad, just wait.. I'm going to be a real a@@hole in my next verse" Verse 6: >>all these squawking birds won't quit. >>building nothing, laying bricks. Squawking birds are all those people who just don't "get it".. that continue to prattle on and on about what is right and what is wrong and what is true and what is false, and what is good and what is bad, and who is God, and what is the nature of Man, and blah blah blah blah blah blah.. squawk squawk squawk.. ... .. and simply.. refuse.. to.. accept.. that.. it's.. all.. a.. HUGE LOAD OF CRAP... so basically, 99% of the human race... and our hero has just condemed them for the way they are..even though he was one of them just prior to the beginning of the song... In all, sounds like this song was written in a dark time of someone's self-awareness quest.. hopefully they mellowed out a bit since then.. if not, don't worry, buddy.. we all went through that phase of thinking everyone was wrong but us.. then we realized that such a mind-set was contrary to it all being a load of rubbish.. :) -- Pat |
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| The Shins – New Slang Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Songs with this many levels are always fun to listen to.. Lots of interpretations people have come up with.. here's my take, line by line.. sorry if it's a bit wordy. > gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth. :: I've always had good teeth and managed to keep my disgust for this town to myself (in my mouth). > only, i don't know how they got out, dear. :: Somewhere through it all, I seem to have lost control of both. (I'm old, IE losing my teeth, and openly bitter) >> turn me back into the pet that i was when we met. >> i was happier then with no mind-set. Pretty self-explanatory, I long for the days when I had much less on my mind and was a slave (pet) to your love.. life was better then. >> and if you'd 'a took to me like a gull takes to the wind. >> well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree(s) :: We're all monkeys, after all (possibly another reference to pet.. IE pet monkey, very simple creature) >> and i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores >> and the rest of our lives would 'a fared well. :: I'm not a very good dancer, but would have danced my pants off anyway, even if it would have been an eyesore to watch me.. although dancing is just a term.. think more along the lines of obnoxiously happy celebration, all because you love me. >>new slang when you notice the stripes, the dirt in your fries. :: Someone else hit this right on the head.. "new slang" means new thinking, words, mindset.. "new slang" doesn't mean what the kids come up with to name their car this week.. on the contrary, "New slang" is how the old fuddy-duddy's speak.. "new slang" = "new to you slang".. thoughts you aren't accustomed to yet. Basically, "growing up". When you are a kid, you drop fries on the ground, you pick the fries up off the ground and eat them anyway, but when you get older, you notice the dirt.. and the stripes.. as in prison stripes that we all wear, enslaved in whatever life we are leading.. along with thousands of other little wonders life has in store for us as we get older. >>hope it's right when you die, old and bony. This is not a curse, it's a blessing.. here's hoping that you fare better than I.. that you don't notice the dirt in your fries until right before you die.. because then you will lead a blissful life, by comparison. >> dawn breaks like a bull through the hall, One of my favorite lines.. can only really be understood by someone who has had a significant revelation about something (anything) that is true and ugly in life.. when dawn (realization) breaks, enlightenment comes crashing through like a raging bull.. and it usually gouges you really good with it's horns. >> never should have called >> but my head's to the wall and i'm lonely. I think we've all been here.. brings a tear to my eye just reading the words, thinking about the "might have beens".. checking in on things that might have been is usually not a good idea, but we all succumb eventually. Ever looked up an old flame? A line from another "song" comes to mind.. remember the one titled "Sunscreen"? Remember the line "The older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young" Same general rule.. you will look them up eventually.. and find out they have moved on without you.. or died of old age. >> god speed all the bakers at dawn may they all cut their thumbs, and bleed into their buns 'till they melt away. :: This one is so interesting. I can't find anything to back this up, but I seem to recall something in the back of my brain that I got from "somewhere" (possibly one too many late night cable-tv fests?) that is telling me that a baker cutting his thumb is a good luck sign.. to be honest though, I have no idea what this line means.. though I get a good vibe from it, not a bad one.. *shrug* >>i'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find. :: I see content people everywhere, but I can't seem to find it.. and I'm getting older.. very quickly.. and I'm worried I may die before I find it. I like the idea someone else said above, though.. once you see some of life's most ugly points, it's hard to be blissfully ignorant again.. that "good life" is forever out of your reach. >> without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine? Flaming crop fields is commonly used in agriculture to renew soil, destroy weed roots, and basically breathe new life into old dirt. I think trust should be self-explanatory.. and refine = change.. or more precisely, transform. As for why the last king is queen, who knows.. could be spiritual, could be just to mess with us... :) -- Pat |
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