| Colin Hay – Overkill Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Ever get laid off from work and not be able to sleep because of it? For a long time, the mind keeps running and running trying to puzzle out what happened, how to move forward, etc. I remember a friend fo mine being unable to sleep for weeks after he got laid off- from wondering why him to how he's going to feed his family and such. So- no matter if it's about divorce or losing a job, or for that matter, worrying about asking someone out on a date, the focus on the song is anxiety and the kind of obsessive anxiety that keeps one up, won't let the mind slow down enough to sleep. "Overkill" indeed. |
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| Colin Hay – Overkill Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I think you're spot on. It's about anxiety. I'd perhaps add in a touch of the rumination that anxiety can trigger as well. That is, obsessive anxiety. That's the nature of anxiety attacks- they tend to trigger the same thoughts over and over again. When the mind is busy like that, no, it can't sleep. |
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| U2 – Mysterious Ways Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Let's take it again line-by-line, but this time in the Christian context of U2: Johnny take a walk with your sister the moon Let her pale light in to fill up your room You've been living underground Eating from a can You've been running away From what you don't understand... Love My belief is that this is a take on "Fratello Sole Sorella Luna" ("Brother Sun, Sister Moon") - a biopic on St. Francis of Assisi that was in movie theaters in 1972. St Francis was an ascetic, so the humility of "eating from a can" fits. U2, I'm sure, is well familiar with the 1972 film "Fratello Sole Sorella Luna". I'm certain the Bono and company were well exposed to this religious this movie in the early 70s. And they're well exposed to St Francis of Assisi's theology. You're sliding down She'll be there when you hit the ground It's alright, it's alright, it's alright She moves in mysterious ways It's alright, it's alright, it's alright She moves in mysterious ways A reference to someone who will be there when you've hit bottom. More on that in a moment. Note the feminine reference. Johnny take a dive with your sister in the rain Let her talk about the things you can't explain To touch is to heal To hurt is to steal If you want to kiss the sky Better learn how to kneel (on your knees boy) I can't speak to who "Johnny" is. He could, I suppose, be John the Baptist- "a dive in the rain" could be a reference to baptism. Or he can simply be the general "everyday man". While there isn't enough information in the song to really know, it appears that "Johnny" represents you and me. "To touch is to heal, to hurt is to steal", the reference to kissing the sky by kneeling- well of course these are references to learning humility before God if you wish to ascend to God's Grace. Well said by U2, actually! She's the wave She turns the tide She sees the man inside the child Now we get to some solid clues about who "She" is. "She's the wave, she turns the tide." Whomever this is, she's making a difference, a CHANGE for the better. She's the harbinger of change as she "turns the tide"! "She sees the man inside the child" Come on everyone- we know who "saw the man inside the child" in a Christian context! Mary, of course! It was Mary who looked upon the infant Jesus and saw the man inside the child. MARY turned the tide in accepting Christ...in her words, by being the Lord's handmaiden. Now we know who "she" is. It's Mary. And she does indeed move in "mysterious ways". It's Mary who personifies much of the Holy Spirit: One day you will look...back And you'll see...where You were held...how By this love...while You could stand...there You could move on this moment Follow this feeling A reference to God's Love. And if I may say so, Mary's love for Jesus. We move through miracle days Spirit moves in mysterious ways She moves with it She moves with it Lift my days, light up my nights Mary is not the Holy Spirit, of course. She does, though, move through the Holy Spirit - "She moves with it". Note that she moves "with" it, but isn't "it". And through the Spirit, she moves in Mysterious Ways. Note the context of Bono and his sincere respect for John Paul II, who simply adored Mary. Mary moves with "it", where "it" is the Holy Spirit. |
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