| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| Ouch, I didn't mean to post that reply five times. Stupid IE. | |
| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[grayson116:3258] I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[grayson116:3259] I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[grayson116:3257] I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[grayson116:3256] I interpret her legs and shoulders falling off as the legs and shoulders of her costume, not her actual body parts, as evidenced by the following stanza that has her using that same costume to catch minnows. While I do love the idea that she eventually transcends her body to become one with the stars, I don't think the lyrics imply her body is falling apart in that verse or that the song implies her leaving her physical body... yet. The entire song is very literal and straightforward in tone and verse up until this point, and to suddenly become cerebral and murky at the end would seem out of place in my opinion. But metaphorical stuff is always open for interpretation I suppose. |
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| Joanna Newsom – Jackrabbits Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think any interpretation of this song being related to a religious rebirth or being sung to God is a little misquided and definitely projective of your own personal beliefs. If the narrator of the song is really singing to God, he/she probably wouldn't be referring to Him as "Darlin'" constantly. Or, if you were thinking that it was God singing those stanzas, I doubt He would be calling the narrator of the song "Darlin'" either. Joanna is more clever with her words than that. Plus, all references to faith and the bible are near-mocking. The narrator quotes the bible "in jest" and admits that faith makes him/her a dope, although I personally believe that second line refers to the narrator's faith in a particular person who isn't really deserving of trust, rather than a divine being. No, I think is more personal/human than that. |
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| Radiohead – Lotus Flower Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| They call this kind of interpretation "projection," or sometimes, "wishful thinking," but nice attempt. | |
| Har Mar Superstar – Save the Strip Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I believe "kill a new dude" is actually "killer new 'do" "puppy botox face" is "puffy botox face" "My, to tease, to save the party" is "My duty's to save the party" and filate = fellate ;) |
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| Belle & Sebastian – Your Cover's Blown Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I always thought this song was about a loser, who wreaks of desperation, who constantly tries too hard with the ladies, and who is getting a little too long in the tooth to fit into that dating scene anymore. The chorus in particular reminds me of the "blind date escape plan" that a lot of women employ with their friends, where they have a friend call 15 minutes into a blind date with a fake emergency just in case the girl is unhappy with the setup and needs an excuse to bolt, something our poor protagonist has probably experienced a few too many times: "Hey lady, put your phone down Cancel all operations Tell your friends to cool it Because your cover's blown I want to see you alone Cancel all operations Tell your friends to cool it" Or at least that's how I read into it. But then there are a ton of cryptic lyrics in there... |
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| PJ Harvey – Highway 61 Revisited Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| PJ's intensity gives the song a whole new feel. | |
| Neko Case – I'm an Animal Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| lol | |
| Neko Case – I'm an Animal Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I hear: you could say it's my instinct yes, i still have one there's no time to second guess it yes, there are things that i'm still so afraid of but my courage is roaring like the sound of the sun cause it's vain about its mane and will reveal and then they'll know when i'm an animal you're an animal, too pick up that rock (tramp through that lake) i did my best but i'm made of mistakes yes, there are things i'm still quite sure of i love you this hour this hour today and heaven will smell like the airport (airport) but i may never get there to prove it so let's not waste our time thinking how that ain't fair i'm an animal you're an animal, too you're an animal, too |
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| Neko Case – This Tornado Loves You Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| The song was influenced by a dream, sure, but Neko is smart. She knows the song works as a metaphor for destructive obsession as well. The song works on many levels actually. | |
| Neko Case – People Got A Lotta Nerve Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I would prefer to think that this song is less directly about animals than it is about people. Basically, why is anyone surprised when people (using animals as a metaphor here) act in ways entirely expected by their very nature? It's almost a "buyer beware" type of mentality. My first assumption about this song is that when she sings "I'm a man-eater..." she's speaking from a human female perspective and not a Lioness, but I suppose the metaphor works both ways... |
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| Noah and the Whale – Jocasta Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Hmmm, I thought it was... "But if you turn your hands to flames All their light will burn the same Whether you just pass it through Or if its what you meant to do And your sense of culpability Is from the guides (gods?) that you perceive Their constant lie that you believe Will show you grace Oh when you turn to a ghost Oh but now the love you found Is raising you from muddy ground And oh the death will let you down 'Cause your curse will still go on the same" This is important because the song seems to be about the battle between determinism and existentialism. Keep in mind that Jocasta was the mother of Oedipus, whose entire life was helplessly ruled by the fates in spite of the desparate attempts to change his destiny, a moral that this song seems to propel, yet disregard at the same time. So, how much control do you have over your own life, and will subscribing to any particular philosophy or religion change your destiny? Or should you just live your life and be happy in the moment for the sake of love? |
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| Radiohead – Down Is the New Up Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Definitely about the current state of politics and the ackowledgment that a politician will do or say anything to get or stay elected, and always with a filthy layer of smarm, which makes a line like "What is up, Buttercup" cringeworthy. | |
| Radiohead – Up on the Ladder Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It's quite clearly about feeling disassociated from everyone. Out of time, out of step, and out of any way to relate to the rest of humankind. And I definitely hear "UPPERspace", but I suppose it could be Hyper with his accent. Definitely not outer, though. |
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| Radiohead – Up on the Ladder Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It's quite clearly about feeling disassociated from everyone. Out of time, out of step, and out of any way to relate to the rest of humankind. And I definitely hear "UPPERspace", but I suppose it could be Hyper with his accent. Definitely not outer, though. |
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| Radiohead – Bangers + Mash Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Now that we've heard the actual studio recording, it's also clearly "You bit me... ow" not "out". | |
| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| No where does it say or imply that the bear drowns. It doesn't even elude to death at all. She's swimming around catching minnows! It seems to end with Ursala's freedom, not death. Man, you guys are pessimists. | |
| Joanna Newsom – Monkey & Bear Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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It never actually states that the bear is shedding her skin or fur or transcending her body in any way. I think the last few verses simply mean that she is shedding her costume, which metaphorically is like shedding her skin I suppose, but not necessarily by literal interpretation. She simply swims until the costume (that has burdened her for so long) literally falls off her body, allowing her stomach and shoulders to stretch and breathe with unbridled, new-found freedom. Then she uses the discarded threadbare coat to catch minnows in the sea to finally eat bountifully like the monkey always promised she would. The final verse, when Bear left Bear, seems to imply that she is leaving her old role (and the costume that represented it) behind to become a new bear, a free bear, no longer oppressed or controlled. The song sees to be a fable depicting the nature of freedom, the illusion of control, and the futility of trying to make someone (or some animal) be someone they are not, or act in ways against their nature. The very last line about burying your teeth, almost seem to imply that she might eventually seek revenge on that damned monkey. Or it could just mean that she is finally free to act like a real bear rather than a hay-fed circus act. |
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