| Nerina Pallot – Damascus Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think, reading her quote about the actor, she is lamenting that as we grow and our ideas change we move away from the people we used to know, and away from sharing their ideas and their acceptance. Particularly in this case when it comes to religious beliefs. The first verse to me seems to be about separating herself from a friend or lover who is incredibly religious. The person once said to her: I'm losing the fight (converting people to this religion) or the fight is losing me (I'm giving up on it). She uses this to excuse what she's about to say, to try and remind the person that they have not always been blindly faithful either. What she's about to say, of course, is that she has lost the fight, and the fight has lost her. She reveals herself as not being part of this religion, not believing what this person believes, despite pretending for years that she did in order to be loved and accepted. Of course, this means that their relationship - along with the lie - is over ("The falling of our final curtain"). She explains that she wanted to be as confident of her beliefs as the person, but she was just unable to ("You've played yourself so well, And now I want to be you" - the person could be religious and be themselves, not play someone else, she envies this). The rest of the song goes on to say how no matter how hard she tried to convince herself to believe what those around her did, she couldn't. The more she tried to be part of the religion, the further away from it she was driven ("Oh, conversion has just left me heathen"). She keeps being told that not believing means going to hell, and now she is forced to accept it ("Oh, it's over I don't want to fight, I don't want to be right, I know that everything means nothing.") She knows in her heart that God exists and she doesn't want to have to believe that everything she thinks means nothing because it is not conventional religion ("I saw the light, I saw the light, But hey, it never saw me"). She's decided that since she's apparently going to Hell and the Devil will be her only friend, she's not going to spend her whole life waiting for the rapture, waiting for the second coming, waiting to get a sign like Saul did on the way to Damascus that the religion is right. Instead she's going to give up the guilt and live freely, along with earthly delights (mecca): And we could wait a thousand years Perhaps a million or more If it's worth waiting for But I'm leaving And so on to a mecca of earthly delights Depression is only desire deprived Once more unto the breach and fuck my getting it right We've died for so long Let's just get out alive She believes that she has also had experiences showing her the divine ("I've been to Demascus as well"), but no one cares because it's not written in the Bible. Thus she is condemned to do what, in the minds of the You in verse 1, is turning her back on faith and giving in to hell. "On the road to Damascus they fell" makes the great conversion of Saul seem like something negative - "they fell". Perhaps it refers to the failing of free belief? |
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| The Shins – Caring Is Creepy Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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very detailed response in my journal: http://www.songmeanings.net/journals/view/17123037/ ;). But basically it's a song about the cold realisation the morning after the night before... that someone really doesn't love you back despite the physical attraction that has led you this far. Lots of nice icy metaphors and references... I feel cold just reading these lyrics. Brrrr. |
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| Eurythmics – Doubleplusgood Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| very scary to see how this (and the book) apply to the situation in America now :\ | |
| Nick Drake – One Of These Things First Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I think it's important to look at the connotations of the things that he could have been... while I agree with all the interpretations here, they are very surface-level. I don't think he's referring to a literal alternative life (or carnation) but more contemplating metaphorically the fact that life is a series of choices that lead us to be who we are. With this specific person he could have been very different, things could have gone differently. But he wasn’t, and they didn’t. Even though he could try put things back together now… it’s too late. He should have been these things first, before the relationship ended. In the first verse he looks at what kind of person he could have been in general. “First” here refers to before he met the person in verse 2. He could have been an explorer (a sailer), a provider (a cook), a lover, someone who spent their time gaining knowledge about the world (a book). He could have been simply something to show others the direction they should go in (a sign post), he could have been simply something to show others the stage of their life they were at (a clock). He could have been simple and unremarkable (a kettle), he could have been strong and reliable (a rock). He could still be any of those things but doesn’t know how to change. In the second verse he looks at what kind of a person he could have been during a specific relationship. Here “first” refers to before the relationship ended. He could have been the person’s support (a pillar), an escape route from something else, or entrance into something different (door), could have been the unchanging constant that reflected what the other person was and belonged to the other person completely without taking anything from the relationship himself (your statue), could have just remained a friend (as difficult to be as all these other things). Then their relationship would have lasted a lifetime. He could have been, he should have been… before the relationship ended. In the final verse deals with the end of the relationship. The “first” here refers to before he had the experiences he had. Before he had had certain experiences, he would have had the choice to do either of these things (which are complete opposites). However after the experiences, the choice is no longer his. He could have been the one pointing out the problems, annoying and controlling (a whistle), he could have been the opposite, singing all the praises of the other person, trying to please them (a flute). He could have just kept giving and giving (a real live giver) or he could have ended it by just kicking the other person out of his life (a boot). He repeats that he could have been a signpost and a clock but this time meaning specifically to the other person – he could have been their warning sign, could have told them where they were heading, could have told them who they were. He could have made them aware of the days that passed, the commitments in life, time running out, kept them busy in between other things. Could have just been simple and unremarkable to the person, could have been a strong and reliable thing in that person’s life. Even now, divided by time and/or physical distance, he can still be those things to the person. But he should have been those things before they broke up… now it’s too late. The choices he made defined him and there is no way that he could be something other than what he is, there is no way the relationship could have gone any way other than how it did. |
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| Imogen Heap – The Moment I Said It Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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So often in an argument you say something you know will be really really hurtful just to spite the person you're arguing with... and then instantly regret it. This song captures the underlying sadness when the words have the cutting affect they were supposed to... and just make the other person kind of snap inside and you know that you can't go back and unsay them and nothing will ever be the same again :(. I love the way she says "smash"... obviously the person she's arguing with is taking out his frustrations on objects (as one does) such as plates etc... but the last smash is the smashing of their relationship, his heart (at her words) and her heart when she realises "you're gonna throw it all away with no hesitation" |
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| Regina Spektor – On the Radio Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This song tries to answer the question "how does it work?" I agree completely mindracer. The "it" is love, life and just existence. If you look at the first verse it's just a whole pile of conflicting emotions and images right bam on top of each other. There's a hearse, screaming, laughing, tiredness, heat, stinging, disease, love... The ones printed here aren't the actual ones, as many have pointed out. The actual ones are much more random. Your overall sense at the end of that verse is... "what the hell?" I think that's the purpose of the verse. It's not meant to make much sense. It's meant to be a whirling pile of images and emotions... just like life and just like love. I like bryce's idea that it's about an addiction (eg to heroine) and mytwohands also picked that up. But I think it's more in a metaphorical sense - as drug addiction has the highs and the lows so does life. The whole mood changes when she mentions the song "november rain" (guns and roses). If you look at the song it's a song about how life and love are temporary so enjoy them while you can. She says three things about this song - first that it's long (is one of Guns N' Roses' longest song according to Wikipedia), then acknowledges it's pretty, by the time she's heard it twice she says it's a good refrain. It's a nice thing to believe, that we can enjoy everything even though it's temporary. Interesting to note the rhythm of the two songs is the same and the music in the background of november rain goes dum dum dum dum de dum do do do do do do, which spektor mimics... this gives us the idea that she is listening to the song while she is thinking this one. And as she listens to the song play twice (by complete accidence, just because the DJ fell asleep) she has an epiphany about life. So I agree with Arcysparky that the song is divided in three, but i think that the important thing to note is that the title of the song is not "love and life"... it's "on the radio"... and also about the power of a song to change your view of the world. Before she hears the song life is just confusion and random images, then she realises that no... life is a series of beginings and ends... and then she clicks and she realises no, that's not it. It's more than that. And I think she says pretty plainly ("No, this is how it works... do it all again"). In the end the song is not that positive, but it is accepting. She is accepting the message of November Rain - that everything is temporary, yet there are always chances for a new start. Some lines from November rain that relate to this song are: "'Cause nothin' lasts forever And we both know hearts can change" (you love until you don't) "But lovers always come and lovers always go An no one's really sure who's lettin' go today" (walking arm in arm, you hope you don't get harmed) "Everybody needs somebody You're not the only one" (you take that love you made and stick it into some someone else - as in some person, giving them something to live for) At the end of the song she realises that life isn't that confusing if you accept that "nothing lasts forever, even the bad stuff." November Rain ends with: "'Cause nothin' lasts forever Even cold November rain" Perhaps unintentionally Spektor's ending "on the radio you hear november rain... you listen to it twice cause the dj is asleep on the radio..." implies that perhaps the cold november rain will last longer than you expect it to, but don't worry... it's just one of those things. That's how it works after all. |
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| Joni Mitchell – The Dawntreader Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This is my best Joni song. She paints such a wonderful picture of a life on the sea. It also echoes the ideas put accross in Song to a Seagul - that man can never be completely happy living in nature or in the cities. While the sea life has enchanted first her lover and then her, she is not completely satisfied because she wishes to be a mother yet the sea is no place to raise a child and "they'll say" she's "crazy" to want to have a baby out at sea. His sea dreams have taken priority over her dreams of a normal life on the land. |
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| Joni Mitchell – Song To A Seagull Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This is a song about the inner conflic faced by all human beings: whether to live in the industrial modern world or be in touch with nature. What this song points out is that we can never be completely happy with one or the other because "sandcasles crumble and hunger is human and humans are hungry for worlds they can't share" even though the city is an "island of noise in a cobble stone sea" While a seagull can happily live in both worlds, humans can be happy in neither. What i love about this song is how Joni's voice sounds like seaguls crying in certain parts :) |
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| Joni Mitchell – Marcie Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I think this is a song about a holiday romance that meant a lot to this woman called Marcie. She was really in love with the man but he returned home. The lyrics are beautifully expressive. Marcie tries to control her sorrow by buying candy, peaches and seeing a show. But it doesn't affect her sorrow. At first she is happy and hopeful, in a coat of flowers with flower curtains. Even though she has been waiting long enough for dust to gather, she busies herself with chores to make the days pass faster ("wave another day goodbye"). But life starts to fall apart. The fauset needing a plumber is an image of her being unable to stop herself from cryng or feeling sad. She had spent time with him on the beach but now the beaches are empty. Her emotion is transfered onto them as they "stare up empty at the sky". She is now getting slightly desperate and stops the postman to ask about a letter instead of just waving the day goodbye. The next part of the song is absolutely beautiful. There is a strong image of her hurriedly unwrapping a parcel (the string and brown paper falls to the sidewalk - she unwraps it before she even gets inside) only to find that it isn't from him. The coldness of winter sets in. She starts to lose hope and "dresses warm" against the chill that's setting in. She sees a show but it has no impact on her or her mood as she simply "rides back down" afterwards. Her memories of the summer have become like magazines that are fading and buried in her memory. Her summer is merely a dream. She gives up all hope in the last verse by leaving town - so even if he did write his letters wouldn't find her. She has not only lost hope but lost faith as well as is shown by her being seen on Sunday window shopping. I don't know what the use of red and green means, all I know is that they are opposites so maybe they represent opposite sides to her emotions? At first part of her is sweet about him leaving and half of her is sour, then red is focused on the autumn (current time) while green is dreaming back to summer, then red is for stopping hoping and green is for her running away, finally they both agree with red being angry with him for not returning and green being jealous of whoever he stayed for (a wife maybe?). |
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| Tori Amos – Girl Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I don't know if this song is about Tori or just about a random girl. I read somewhere that she said in an interview that it was about a part of her personality. I can relate to that. I think all of us have an "inner child" who will always be with us - a part of us who will never give up on who we wanted to be. The song in this case is about Tori always being what her parents and then her fans wanted her to be: being everybody else's girl and never her own. It features a conflict between the adult - who she *is* - and the girl she used to be that still dreams. This is a deeply symbolic song which says to me that it is personally about Tori – otherwise why bother with all the symbols? ------My long interpretation----- The shadows of the first verse will then be the shadows of Tori's subconscious where the repressed girl cries out for attention and tries to break through. Her photograph is faded because she is a thing of the past. The "image" carries a double meaning because it can mean a picture but can also mean her public self. Tori’s current image is under the control of the girl. “yes” is not a simple yes – it comes with a silent message from her heart which can be interpreted as the voice of the girl. “They” is not specific – it’s everyone and they only stay in the doorway of her heart. The violins filled with water is an image of great sadness because if I violin becomes filled with water it is destroyed. Violins may be symbolic of her hopes or dreams or aspirations and the public laughs as they are destroyed. She makes use of plant symbols in the bluebells and later the cherrytrees. Bluebells are said to help prevent nightmares, but even screaming the nightmare of the crowd laughing at her, won’t go away. Cherry trees are a symbol of friendship. Even though the Tori in the song is not even 17 yet she has already been hurt by life: falling down as the coldness of life takes away another friend – which is an important thing to someone who lives for others. The lyrics interlaced with the second chorus are complex but I think it’s more of a reflection of where her life is at the moment and how she smothers her dreams and desires or how they are smothered by those who try to help her cope with her feelings of depression–doctors/therapists/pharmacists. Rivers are always symbolic of life and her life’s energy is now spreading thin because of limitations and the fact that her dreams have as much chance of coming true as pigs flying. DOT is directly observed treatment/therapy where medical staff or a therapist will watch to make sure the patient takes the right number of pills etc. this seems the most sensible meaning for dots. While those who try and help her are kept safe from being affected by her depression by their professional distance (white coats, perfect hair dos, turbid blue uniforms), she is forced to smothers the voice in her heart (the one sending the silent message?). Yet the girl is still in the mist of her consciousness even though castles (fairytale dreams) are being destroyed in her heart. Even though Tori twists to escape the life she’s living, at the same time she is clinging to it: she still rides to work every morning even though she is wondering why. The answer is simple: when she was little she was told to sit in the chair and be good and become everything that others wanted her to be. The medical people (mentioned above) try to help Tori by going into her subconscious (“the white coats enter her room”) and Tori (now in the present tense) is calling for the girl trying to find out who she really is and hoping one day she will be able to be herself. |
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| Seal – Kiss From A Rose Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Just btw it's not a rose on the grey, it's a rose on the grave... I agree with fireman24: I think the drugs thing is an extended metaphor for the high he gets from being in love so all the drug references *are* right, but he's comparing the love to a drug . He's so obsessed with this person he loves - who lights up his world when it seems at its darkest - that he's worried it may be unhealthy or even dangerous. He used to see himself as a "greying tower *alone* on the sea" but then she came along and made his darker side light. Love "remained" like a drug which made him feel high without him having to take a pill. "But" he says, when life is at its darkest ("when it snows") he is able to see that their love is more than that because she brightens up his world. He states plainly in the second verse that she is like a rose on a grave. A rose completely out of place (being a symbol of life (because it's a plant) and love), on a grave - the most gloomy thing imaginable. This means her love is just as out of place in his life which he sees as a grave ("the stranger it feels, yeah") yet it brings light to the gloomy scene as flowers do at a cemetery. In the third verse he realises that if she ever left him he'd be completely destroyed: in this way she is like an addiction. There is so much that other men can offer her ("there's so much a man can tell you so much he can say"), yet she stays with him giving him power and pleasure but also pain (the rose metaphor again: even though gives pleasure, it also has thorns so gives pain) because he simply loves her too much, is obsessed with her too much, and cannot deny his addiction. |
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| Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Yay I love this site :). It's actually come up three times in the past two days on searches I ran... so I guess it's a sign I should start contributing to the discussions My interpretation was inspired by the movie "the burning bed" which I think was based on true events about an abused wife who eventually escaped the clutches of her husband by burning his bed (and their house) while he slept. She then took the kids off in the car. In this song however, there is a slight madness to Sunny - as if she has finally snapped. Firstly her name is ironic "Sunny" being bring and happy. It kind of gives that image of the abused woman who always makes an effort to appear as though nothing is wrong (who claims she fell down the stairs or walked into a door) "favorite room" is reference to being a housewife but if you listen to the song there is a slight ironic inflection on "favorite". The next line states that this room is the kitchen. The book and the box of tools, at first I thought of a a bomb kit... but maybe it is the Bible with fighting fire with fire? The tools is a box of matches. The chorus says how she is "walking on a wire". This, I see, as her tredding the line between sanity and insanity but also as her having to tip toe around her husband because if she puts one foot out of place, she gets beaten. The next line supports this by saying: "I close my eyes and fly out of my mind into the fire". This can be both a metaphorical escape from the beating and also her mentally snapping and going 'out of her mind'. The next verse is where I get the idea that she has finally had enough and mentally snapped. I don't have my own ideas on this verse, but I think the ones presented so far are good. I thought that maybe the list of names could be people who could help her/ she could take the kids and live with after she'd burned down the house? Then "repairs" says to me that she's finally reached a point where she knows that the only one able to save and repair her is herself. There is also a hint at anger with "vengence" so maybe the idea of the list of names being a list of her husbands girlfriends is right. Maybe finding out about his affairs is what finally makes her snap? The verse: "Get the kids and bring a sweater Dry is good and wind is better Count the years, you always knew it Strike a match, go on and do it" is said in a kind of demented/dreamy voice which is the final clue that she's lost it. "Count the years, you always knew it" supports the idea that it was a list of names of her husband's lovers that made her snap. "it" I believe is the fact that he didn't love her. Someone said a few comments ago that she brought a sweater because of the cold she'd be standing in while the house burnt... well I think it's that but also "bring a sweater" is a very normal thing to do. It's juxtaposed against this horrific scene to emphasise how she no longer believes what she is doing is wrong. It's also put there to show tht she thought about burning him and the house. It wasn't something spontanious but was well planned and thought through. "Light the sky and hold on tight The world is burning down She's out there on her own and she's alright" This just gives me an amazing mental image of her burning the house and standing watching it burn while holding onto her children. Even though the only world they ever knew is burning down, being out there in the world on her own and without her abusive husband makes her alright. Despite the horror of it, "light the sky" has a positive conitation, almost as if it is lighting the future (the skies always being related to the future). "Sunny came home" is repeated in a kind of ironic way because she doesn't have a home anymore but also in the more metaphysical way of her finding herself and "coming home" to the mental self she was before her husband abused her. he he. If you don't flame me I might stop by here more often. That was fun. |
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