| Ryan Adams – The Shadowlands Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[swallowedthefly:22188] It is. That's what I called the year after I got divorced. It was a dark, murky, lonely time with moments where I felt like I didn't know which way was up. But I'm so thankful for that time, and thankful not to be in it anymore. | |
| Ryan Adams – Shakedown on 9th Street Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I think it's about an old fashioned rumble. It reminds me of the book "The Outsiders," which I read in high school. I take that "straits" refer to the "straight-laced" rich kids, like the Socs in Outsiders, and "grease" is the greasers. So "too many straits, not enough grease" means that the greasers were outnumbered. I'm thinking "kicking machine" could be a motorcycle, but of course we don't totally know. |
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| Cloud Cult – Transistor Radio Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I agree with Asherbee in that I can't listen to this without getting choked up. In fact, I saw a CC show this summer, and Craig said, "I decided to add this one at the very last minute, so if this is rough, I apologize." And they played "Transistor Radio." I bawled pretty much the whole song, because I really feel like this song is MY song. I'm the kid in the story, and I'm on this journey. It may sound weird for someone who is almost 37 to be on this journey, but I got married when I was 21 and we had kids right away. So most of my formative young adult years were spent raising kids and putting my personal journey aside because I needed to be the stable, responsible one. Now that their mom and I split, I've found myself trying to build up that identity outside of fatherhood. So I've been on this journey similar to the one in the song (minus the bicycle boats, brothels, and carmel corn), and I'm finding more and more that the goal isn't some shining destination. The goal is who the journey turns you into while you're on it. |
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| David Bazan – Backwoods Nation Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @emptygrimaces: Yeah, my opinions have changed a lot in the last 8 years since I wrote that comment. So...there is that. But I would LOVE to write a song about how great America is. Thanks for the challenge. ;) | |
| Belle & Sebastian – Seeing Other People Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I totally see the gay references, but having been in a situation like this with a girl, I happen to think it could also be about a man and a woman who have gone from dating each other to becoming more "friends with benefits." I dated a girl for a few months after my divorce. We were exclusive, and then realized we were going in different directions. So she goes out with other guys, but she and I still have this bond. So sometimes we get together and end up "kissing just for practice," because it's fucking fun. :) And I kind of console her when her dates go to shit, and she me. So the bit about "the other boys are queueing up behind us" makes me think about all the other guys she's got lined up for real dates, so we just have a little bit of time to catch up, make out, stuff like that. And for the record, I thought the line was, "You're going to have to go with girls / You'd be better off / At least they know what they're doing." Maybe it's the accent. :) |
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| Sun Kil Moon – Glenn Tipton Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Yeah, I think "buried my first victim" means he buries her emotionally and mentally within his own history. He says he's 19, so I imagine she's his high school sweetheart, and as often happens, they graduate and she wants to move on, even though he doesn't. So because he's so hurt by her rejection, made worse by something, perhaps a letter from someone new that he finds in her jeans, he views the relationship with the utmost finality as if she's dead to him. I love this song. I love hearing songs that sound upbeat and cheerful while discussing a difficult subject. |
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| Ben Folds Five – Lullabye Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| I always sang this (or at least the beginning part) to my kids when they were babies and they'd wake up crying or get fussy. It always worked like a charm. :) | |
| Rogue Wave – California Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| This song could be about Minnesota just as easily. I mean, besides the obvious "ice that will never melt" line, it's kind of a joke about this state that people are "Minnesota nice," which means that they are nice to your face and say things like, "Oh, let me know if you need any help," but when you actually need them, they disappear. I mean, not everyone is like that...but it's kind of a running joke here. | |
| Ben Folds – Protection Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I just had kind of an epiphany with this song, because I find myself in the same situation. It's the kind of situation you're in when you think you're in a secure relationship, and then you find that you aren't...you're still in the relationship, but it's not secure, or at least as secure as you thought it was. What I hear in this song (that I'd never heard before) is the point of view of a guy who has just had the foundation of his relationship with his girl shaken...maybe she's expressed some interest in other people, or maybe she's just voicing doubts she's been having. Either way, it shakes him, and so he finds himself shifting into "self-preservation mode," and starts feeling the need to protect himself from being hurt by her. But the thing I notice now is that it sounds like he's putting on a tough front. He says "I'll keep on reminding me I'm always free to walk," even though that's the last thing he wants to do. He says, "You're not exactly what I'm looking for," but she's his world. He says, "I don't give a shit about you," and "Whatever happens between you and me today probably will be okay but won't bother me," when in reality if he lost her, he'd be absolutely devastated. Trust me, I know what I'm taking about. |
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| Phoenix – Countdown Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Wow. This song just slapped me in the face, and it was beautiful. I mean the lyrics feel like they were written to me. I hear this song as being about the end of a marriage/long-term relationship. "True and everlasting didn't last that long." Maybe it's just because this year I went through the breakup of my own 14-year marriage, but the words fit remarkably well. But the interesting thing is how upbeat the end of the song is...like he's saying "Well look, you didn't make it as long as you thought you did. But that's okay. There's a great big life out there for you to explore." That gives me hope and encourages me to pick out the bright spots. |
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| Feist – A Commotion Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Yeah, I love that too...and how her voice is so soft and tender when she sings, "And then it slipped through the cracks, I wasn't watching my back." Her voice just melts me. | |
| Feist – A Commotion Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| The "shun" syllable is just quieter. Took me a while too. | |
| Juliana Hatfield – Hotels Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| It's about life on the road, especially when you're a new band and have to tour incessantly to get established. You end up spending more time in hotels than you do at home. | |
| AA Bondy – A Slow Parade Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| It's about loss. This song just gets me. | |
| The Beatles – Carry That Weight Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| To me, the "I never give you my pillow / I only give you my invitation / and in the middle of the celebrations / I break down" is the saddest, loneliest line. It's being in the middle of what should be the happiest time, a time of success and celebration, and being about as far away from all of that as you could possibly be because of the emotional distance between you and the one person you want close to you. | |
| The Band – Life Is A Carnival Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I love the optimism in this song. To me, it's about all of life's possibilities. Everything in life is a risk; sometimes the outcome is positive, and sometimes it's not. It all depends on how you look at it. | |
| José González – Cycling Trivialities Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I agree with HarryTheBlurFan. I think it's not about life being meaningless. I think it's about making sure that YOU do what you can to make your life meaningFUL. Like, don't waste your time on trivial things that aren't going to matter in the long run, but on the same token, make what difference you can TODAY, right now, in the life you have. To me it's very hopeful and beautiful, and maybe that has something to do with my faith...I dunno. Either way I love this song. | |
| Noah and the Whale – My Door Is Always Open Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think it's "I'm the dust, I'm the dirt. I'm the flowers in the earth I'm the leaves But I'm not yours." Either way, this song gets me every time. It's so sad, but then the voices at the end just make your heart ache because there might be a glimmer of hope. |
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| The La's – There She Goes Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Oh, well, if there's a website on it, then it must be true. :/ Also, what happened to people spelling things correctly? Is that a thing of the past? | |
| The La's – There She Goes Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Man, I get really annoyed with all the "it's about drugs" comments. It's insulting to think that a songwriter who uses drugs can't write a song about anything else besides drug use. You all are probably the same type of people who listen to Beatles songs and try to read into everything, even though John himself said he wrote lyrics with the intention of leading people like that on. | |
| Gilbert O'Sullivan – Clair Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Love this song. I have a niece named Claire, and I used to sing it to her. | |
| Barenaked Ladies – Straw Hat And Old Dirty Hank Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| This is an amazing song. By far, my favourite BNL song. It's too bad that a fantastic song like this gets glossed over by the industry in favour of "If I Had A Million Dollars" and "One Week." | |
| Harry Nilsson – I'll Never Leave You Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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What?! I can't believe nobody has commented on this song. It's a hidden track at the very end of "The Point"...so, I guess I CAN see why nobody has commented on this song. But it's so beautiful. Just his voice and a piano, and it's so tender and gentle. Makes me cry. |
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| Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| They say "chat-speak" is a sign of low IQ. | |
| Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Weddings, stupid city summer festival variety bands and high school dances have RUINED this song for me. They play it every. single. time. and it drives be back towards the cash bar every time it comes on. That said, my 5-year-old daughter LOVES this song because she's the only one of my kids with brown eyes. So now reading some of these responses has ruined the song even more because she loves it so much. Into The Mystic is Van's best song, IMO. |
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| Wilco – I'll Fight Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I've got them. PM sent. | |
| Sufjan Stevens – The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Maybe his brother IS his best friend. I know mine is mine... | |
| Hayden – The Van Song Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I love this song. So optimistic. It's like he knew ne needed a van, but he didn't know why until he met her. Then he knew. | |
| Wilco – Why Would You Wanna Live Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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This has become one of my favourite Wilco songs. Being that I discovered Wilco with YHF, I didn't get into the earlier albums until later. And this song I didn't even know about until I bought the IATTBYH DVD, and this song is on the unreleased footage disc (concert footage from San Fran after Jay was let go). They do a great version of the song, and it just grew on me. A friend recently gave me a copy of Being There, and now I can enjoy both versions. I love the way this song sounds. On the recording I especially love how, when the banjo starts its break, the just a couple of drums play with it, and then after a bar the rest of the band comes in...it sounds just SOOO sweet. :) Love it, love it! RIP, Jay. |
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| Wilco – Monday Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I think it's about a guy who has big dreams but little motivation to go out and work at it. He expects that people will just naturally gravitate toward his band, but doesn't put any effort into trying to have a tight band, write good songs, finish school so he'd be in a better position to be able to write good songs, etc. At first he's desperate to leave Florida and tour the US, but then you find out that he hasn't even left Tallahassee. He's sitting around waiting for success to fall in his lap. I'm guessing "World Record Player" is another, perhaps rival, band that is touring Japan, and Charlie is waiting for them to send him a postcard so he can live vicariously through them. I love the line about the "left arm tan," since that's what you get when you drive with the window rolled down (in North America, anyway) on a sunny day. |
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| Wilco – Dash 7 Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I'm convinced that pedal steel guitar will many any song ever written into a better song. This is one of the best songs on "A.M." | |
| Wilco – Not for the Season Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| This song was recorded as "Laminated Cat" by the Tweedy-O'Rourke-Kotche side project Loose Fur. It's on their first album. | |
| Wilco – One True Vine Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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You could look at this as being a song to either a supportive lover, or a song to God. Obviously Tweedy has some interest in God and the Christian faith, and I would love to hear him expound upon those ideas some day, or (even better) to sit and have a conversation with him about that stuff. :) Those who know a thing or two about the Bible know that Jesus referred to himself as the True Vine, and those who follow him are the branches. I know people who go through rehab often come away with a faith in God, and I'm wondering how much Jeff's experiences there affected his writing. |
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| Wilco – Solitaire Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| No man is an island. I think that's the message here. It's easy to look at the world with contempt and think that you're running your own race, that you don't need anyone else. But that's a very lonely road to walk. One needs to have faith in others as well, whether that faith is in God or loved ones or whomever. It's not a bad thing to rely on other people for help and encouragement. That way you can also return the favour and be a source of help and encouragement to them. | |
| Wilco – I'll Fight Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| By the way, I tried to put [soapbox] [/soapbox] tags around the last two paragraphs, but it deleted them. Oh, well... | |
| Wilco – I'll Fight Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I see this as being (obviously) from the perspective of a soldier fighting in a war overseas (could be any war, really), and it's a view that I feel reflects that of most of the people I know who are in the military. They go over to fight a war because they're told to, but the enlist in the first place out of a love, on some level, for country. You don't sign up for voluntary military service if you feel ambivalent towards your country...there are a thousand other ways to make $30,000 for college, regardless of what the Army tells you. Anyway, this narrator realizes that his death will result in broken hearts at home, and while he may love his country enough to give his life for it, his country may not love him back with the same fervor. He realizes that there is some truth in the age-old talk of going to fight so his grandchildren won't have to, or so that others back at home won't have to in that particular conflict, but he also realizes that many people won't really care. Do you really care about the soldiers who fight? Never mind whether or not you agree with the reasoning for the war. Let's look at the real issue: do you REALLY support the troops, or are you just mouthing the words? They volunteered to serve so you don't have to be drafted. If you really care, why not write letters to those posted overseas. Send them a care package or something. If you see soldiers at a restaurant, offer to buy them a meal. Volunteer at the VA. Take time to listen to their stories. Heck, even if you never, ever do anything else, just thank a veteran for their service and shake their hand. Trust me, they will appreciate it a lot. I try to do that whenever I can, to just say thank you. It's heartbreaking how many vets have replied to my thanks with "You know, nobody ever says that to me." Anyway, I love Wilco. |
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| Wilco – Bull Black Nova Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I'm so glad Wilco has done a song like this. As much as I loved Sky Blue Sky, there wasn't a ton of tension on that album. It was a pretty uplifting record, song-to-song. I love the uncomfortable intensity of this song. About a guy who is totally at the end of the line, realizes that the blood he's spilled is about to catch up to him in the worst way possible. He's lost control and has no hope of regaining it. The music and Jeff's vocal delivery combine perfectly to make the tension almost unbearable, even to the listener. I mean, *I* feel nervous just listening to this. The tense feel of this song reminds me of the songs "A Mind Of Her Own" and "Never Leave A Job Half Done" by Pedro the Lion, a pair of songs in which the protagonist of the album's story kills his wife (the former) and then tries to "hide the evidence" (the latter). The difference is that character holds a "ends justifies the means" mentality, where the character in "Bull Black Nova" is obviously feeling convicted about what he's done. The more I listen to this song, the more I love it. |
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| Wilco – Wilco (The Song) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I heart this band. They make me feel like no other band ever has before. This is their way of saying "Hey, we heart you too." It's that back and forth relationship that, in my opinion, keeps their ships sailing far beyond where many others have been wrecked. | |
| Townes Van Zandt – Pancho & Lefty Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I totally agree with thebigblackandwhite. The live version Townes plays on "Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas" is just killer. That whole album is sincerity put to music, and in my opinion, stands the test of time. | |
| Wilco – Theologians Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Definitely a good discussion here. I, too, have been interested in hearing Jeff's ideas concerning God, especially after I heard "One True Vine." But, that aside, I was listening to some Tweedy solo bootlegs online today, and happened upon a version of this song that he did. Most of the track was Jeff bantering with the crowd, which is always amusing to me, but someone asked "What the hell is a cherry ghost?" Tweedy: "What the hell is a cherry ghost? If you have to ask, you'll never know. Why does everything have to MEAN something? Sometimes a cherry ghost is just a cherry ghost." It was pretty funny. But I do agree with the sentiments here that, while theologians make it their own to study God and all that stuff, but really, they'll never figure him out. I think it's funny when people think that God thinks like people, or that he's bound by the same laws of physics and/or metaphysics that we are. And for all the studying that theologians have done or continue to do, what good is it doing? Are people turning to God in times of need? And if they are, is it because of the work of God, or of theologians? What conclusions can a theologian come to that an average joe like me can't? Christ himself says, "Ask and you will receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you." So if I want to know more about God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit (which I think is the object in the line "a ghost is born," since the Spirit replaced Christ's presence on earth when the latter was raised to heaven), all I really need to do is study my Bible, and ask the Spirit for the insight to understand it. And I can speak from personal experience that it doesn't always come in the amount or intensity that you always want, but if you really, truly want understanding, you'll get it. It's not like some carrot that is dangled in front of you, never to be reached. Anyway, I got off on a tangent. But the point is, I don't need theologians to tell me about God. And Jeff's right...they don't know nothin' about my soul. |
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| M. Ward – Let's Dance (David Bowie cover) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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If this is the version you like, the Bowie version will probably ruin it for you. It's very 80s and cheesy. Stevie Ray Vaughan plays the guitar solo, but he and Bowie clashed so much that in the video, it's Bowie playing the solo. This version is arguably one of the sexiest songs out there. I just picture this married couple, after putting the kids to bed, putting this song on and just dancing in the living room with the lights low. This song is pure romantic love, man. |
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| Fleet Foxes – Quiet Houses Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I don't know what this song means, but the harmonies just slay me every time! So beautiful! They sound like an angel choir! Does anyone else think the musical break at the end sounds like something from the Beach Boys (maybe Pet Sounds era)? | |
| Bob Dylan – Down the Highway Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| What? One person has commented on this song? That's not right. This is one of the best songs on Freewheelin', an album chock full of great songs. I love the guitar playing, I love his bluesy singing. | |
| Bob Dylan – Girl from the North Country Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I don't care much for the version on Nashville Skyline, but I absolutely adore the one on Freewheelin'. In the original he sounds like he's just laying his soul bare for the listener to see. So tender and conflicted. I also like how you can tell that, even though the love is no more, he still cares for her (please see she has a coat so warm, to keep her from the howling winds). It's like he's too proud to go and check in on her himself, so he's trying to get you to do it, but he still wants the best for her. Probably my favourite Dylan song of all time. |
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| U2 – An Cat Dubh Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Aw, man. I'm listening to this now. I've always loved it, but I forgot just how cool it is. Adam's bass lines are always so good, never too much for the song, and The Edge's guitar is exactly the same way. I also love the way this song flows into "Into The Heart." A great suite of music from one of the best albums of the 1980s. Whenever I listen to U2 again after a break, this is always the one I come back to. |
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| Bill Withers – Use Me Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| It's about Bill's relationship with the record industry. The leeches at the top are getting rich off of Bill's success, and his friends are trying to tell him not to let the record company/industry walk all over him. But Bill's saying, "Man, I'm getting rich off of these guys; let them use me all they want. At least I'm making a lot of money from my hits." | |
| John Mayer – Stop This Train Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Man, I've liked this song for a while, but I just started actually listening to the words last night. Yet another JM song that I have to stop singing part-way through because I can't sing past the lump in my throat. I was really hit by the lines, I know exactly how John feels in the "don't want to see my parents go, one generation's length away from fighting life on my own." John sounds like he's got a really close family, especially his dad, and I can relate to that. I'm 30 with my own family, and I still call up my dad and ask for advice. He's the father I want to be to my kids. Not that I rely on my parents for everything, but I can always ring them when I'm down about something and they'll always encourage me and say, "I know how you feel, and I've been there myself." This is yet another song that I wish I'd written. Add it to the ever-growing list... |
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| Badly Drawn Boy – Pissing In The Wind Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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"Pissing in the wind" is another way of saying that you're wasting your time. A futile effort. Similar to what ctanz8711 said, "about feeling alienated and alone," and wanting to change that, but knowing that there is a risk that your efforts won't pay off. |
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| Soul Coughing – Unmarked Helicopters Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Also, the "balloon" bit refers to the Mantell UFO incident, where an Air National Guard P-51 pilot named Mantell was killed while pursuing an unidentified flying object in Kentucky (you can look it up on Wikipedia). One of the theories is that the Navy had released some skyhook weather balloons, which were secret at the time (1948), and which conformed to the description given of the UFO by different involved parties. But then some conspiracy theorists say that when Mantell's body was found, he had weird holes all over his body, or that other circumstances suggested an alien encounter. I want to know what the "drag us through the double M" thing is all about. I'm sure it has something to do with being abducted. Great song! It's the first Soul Coughing song I ever heard, and I was hooked right away. |
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| The Decemberists – The Crane Wife 1 and 2 Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Actually, I don't think she dies. I think she just leaves him and flies away. But that aside, this is quickly becoming my favourite album. I think Part II has to be my favourite song on the album. |
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