| Janis Ian – At Seventeen Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I think this verse is the hardest to interpret... So remember those who win the game Lose the love they sought to gain In debentures of quality and dubious integrity Their small-town eyes will gape at you In dull surprise when payment due Exceeds accounts received at seventeen In my opinion, this doesn't refer to the beauty queen later in life regretting the choices she made during high school. It's more of an instant karma. She flirts and gets the handsome football star, intending to ride off into the sunset with him and live happily every after. But Prince charming doesn't want to love her, he wants to have sex with her. The relationship is shallow, lacking quality and of dubious integrity. She's taken aback when she realizes that she's putting out (payments due) but not receiving the love she sought (accounts received). This realization occurs not in the far off future - but at seventeen. Hence the last two words. |
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| Band of Horses – Infinite Arms Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I just heard this song for the first time recently. I am blown away by the beauty of this song. As other have already posted, I too believe it tells of the events that transpire as the man dies. In my mind, "you" is a romantic love. In the first verse, he awakens from a dream to find that his whole body hurts, as if he's been in some kind of of bad accident. He realizes how lonely he was as his life is flashing before his eyes - like living in a movie - thinking about those closest to him and even the little things in his life. And his thoughts drift to "you". The second verse starts with him thinking about one of those little things, the morning, and even what about the morning he likes. Then suddenly there's a figure before him - the grim reaper? He now realizes that he's about to die, a shocking revelation. Shouldn't he have been warned? My god. Again his thoughts drift to "you". In the third verse, he no longer feels the physical pain in his body. Time seems to to stand still (storms approaching slowly) as his consciousnesses is in some limbo state (out on the sea). He sees his empty body (animal) below, which he no longer can control. He's not the first to die and he won't be the last. Finally, his thoughts drift to "you". His love has transcended the boundary between life and death. It is infinite. |
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