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Oh wake me please when this is over
Oh when the ice is melted away
And the hunger returns
I will feel the same but older
And I'll be twice the man that I thought I was
Where have you been?
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Reading prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up
And spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films
Oh is this the dream I've been saving?
Oh where the heart beats slower and slower
To almost nothing
Almost nothing
Almost nothing
I took care for longer
At least something beautiful
Out there in the spotlight
But turned around softly
Turned around squinting
It's all they heard was headlights
And then the truth
The truth was unbearable
Oh and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadowed animals
Called painting a dotted line
Called painting a dotted line
Where have you been?
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Reading prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up
And spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films
Oh when the ice is melted away
And the hunger returns
I will feel the same but older
And I'll be twice the man that I thought I was
Where have you been?
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Reading prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up
And spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films
Oh is this the dream I've been saving?
Oh where the heart beats slower and slower
To almost nothing
Almost nothing
Almost nothing
I took care for longer
At least something beautiful
Out there in the spotlight
But turned around softly
Turned around squinting
It's all they heard was headlights
And then the truth
The truth was unbearable
Oh and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadowed animals
Called painting a dotted line
Called painting a dotted line
Where have you been?
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Reading prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up
And spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films
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Oh, and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadow animals
Caught painting a dotted line
But emily - thank you for allowing me from stepping back from my own experiences and seeing this through another view point - and hybernating is a metephore you could use in emily's idea's insert so many other things. Great Band!!!!!!! thanks to the great soul for turning me onto it.
Oh when the ice is melted away
And the hunger returns
I will be the same, but older
And maybe twice the bear
That I thought I was"
- Very simple. Bears hibernate through the winter because there is less food for them to eat and as a method of coping with the colder temperatures.
"Where have you been,
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Eating prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up, and spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films"
- "Moving pictures, silent films" could simply be a metaphor for dreams.
"Or is this the dream I've been saving?
Oh where the heart beats slower and slower
To almost nothing
Almost nothing
Almost nothing"
- The hearts of animals that hibernate slow down, as does their metabolism to avoid burning excess calories through the stretch.
"I took it for love
Or at least something beautiful
Out there in the spotlight
But I turned around suddenly,
Turned around squinting
And saw
That it was headlights"
- Simple enough, the bear saw headlights and confused, thought it was something beautiful. Think of the phrase "dear in the headlights"
"And then the truth, the truth was unbearable
Oh, and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadow animals
Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line"
- Cubs, dears, whatever -- two animals, killed on the road (Dotted line) or perhaps the cars are the "two shadow animals" coming towards the bear.
It describes a bear, through the process of hibernation. By saying "bear" instead of "man" it makes it purer, more complete. Nothing is as natural as the act of hibernation for it is done out of survival. Bears get bigger before they go into hibernation, hence "twice the bear" but that can also be interpretted figuratively, if you like.
It is a cycle of life and then death for the animal. "Painting the dotted line" is the animal caught in the headlights in the middle of the road. I do not know if any of you have lived in the country and have came across wild animals in the middle of the road. By saying "painting" its almost ironic, almost mean.
And the chorus, "where have you been.....etc" is mans hibernation, like the bears. He has been hibernating, under the ground, hiding himself. Not as pure as the bears process. Man is less than the animal, more selfish.
"Oh wake me please when this is over
Oh when the ice is melted away
And the hunger returns
I will be the same, but older
And maybe twice the bear
That I thought I was"
Very simple. Bears hibernate through the winter because there is less food for them to eat and as a method of coping with the colder temperatures.
"Where have you been,
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Eating prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up, and spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films"
Moving pictures, silent films could simply be a metaphor for dreams.
"Or is this the dream I've been saving?
Oh where the heart beats slower and slower
To almost nothing
Almost nothing
Almost nothing"
The hearts of animals that hibernate slow down, as does their metabolism to avoid burning excess calories through the stretch.
"I took it for love
Or at least something beautiful
Out there in the spotlight
But I turned around suddenly,
Turned around squinting
And saw
That it was headlights"
Simple enough, the bear saw headlights and confused, thought it was something beautiful. Think of the phrase "dear in the headlights"
"And then the truth, the truth was unbearable
Oh, and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadow animals
Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line"
Cubs, dears, whatever -- two animals, killed on the road (Dotted line) or perhaps the cars are the "two shadow animals" coming towards the bear.
| |
0=0 This is the car.
- Here is the animal.
/ \ There is the two shadows made by the headlights.
The lyrics are a pretty clear reference to Plato's cave (as someone already pointed out.) Remember in Plato's allegory of the cave, he imagined a cave in which a group of people were restrained facing the cave wall. They were unable to move their heads or turn around. Behind the prisoners Plato imagined a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners, various objects (animals, people, plants, etc.) moved back and forth. These objects in turn cast a shadow on the wall of the cave in front of the prisoners. The prisoners were only able to apprehend a shadow of what was actually occurring around them. One thing Plato meant to suggest was that with our limited senses and limited abilities to comprehend the world with our minds, what we perceive and what we believe we know is actually something very different from the Truth.
The singer in "Moving Pictures" is playing with some of these ideas. First, the title of the song refers to Plato's cave. A film is, like the shadows on the wall, a mere glimmer of reality. It's an illusion.
The lyrics refer to the cave as well. He's trapped underground, but at some point he is able to turn around. He sees a set of headlights (the fire) "bearing down on shadow animals," and he realizes that he is seeing the unbearable truth. Plato imagined that some people would find the truth too difficult to tolerate, and after having seen it they would be compelled to again face the wall. So it seems with the singer. The truth of the light is unbearable for him; he'd rather perceive the shadows.
What makes the song great is not the reference to Plato's cave, but how it adds an element of desperation in the singer's realization that he has not been perceiving the truth and that he would rather remain in a fantasy. While his prayerbook might help him face the truth, he would prefer to eat its pages to satisfy his worldly hunger. For him, God and prayer are useless. He is hopelessly trapped in a world of shadow.
"I took it for love
Or at least something beautiful"
definately gave it my all...
turned out everything was bs...
"But I turned around suddenly,
Turned around squinting
And saw
That it was headlights
And then the truth, the truth was unbearable"
but turned out everything were bs....
well but now im awake :]
such a good song
"Oh wake me please when this is over
Oh when the ice is melted away
And the hunger returns"
I think that this is talking about his phase of depression and missing of this person. As in wake me up when i don't feel this way anymore, and my hunger (feeling, joy) for living returns
Where have you been,
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
is how he has missed everything during this time, he has secluded himself from his friends, and now as to catch up
Saving it up, and spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films
i think this is how he saves up all of his energy to get up and get over it, but then he wastes it morning for the memories
I took it for love
Or at least something beautiful
Out there in the spotlight
But I turned around suddenly,
Turned around squinting
And saw
That it was headlights
And then the truth, the truth was unbearable
Oh, and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadow animals
this is saying how he thought it was love and he was blinded by that idea, then suddenly it was as if he was struck by the truth, and he couldn't bear it, as if he had been cheated on. And these two shadowed animals refer to the two people that were now shadowed in their sad and regretful feelings
thats just my take on it
this song is a beautiful metaphor using hibernating bear that strikes his fate.
the reference to bear, (unbearable, bearing down)
adds to the cleverness of this song
lovevly