This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Get hot
Get too close to the flame
Wild open space
Talk like an open book
Sign me up
Got no time to take a picture
I'll remember someday
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who would you rather be
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones
Oh seriously, you're gonna make mistakes,
You're young
Come on baby play me something like
Here comes the sun
Don't go
Stay with the all unknown
Stay away from the hooks
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
Get too close to the flame
Wild open space
Talk like an open book
Sign me up
Got no time to take a picture
I'll remember someday
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who would you rather be
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones
Oh seriously, you're gonna make mistakes,
You're young
Come on baby play me something like
Here comes the sun
Don't go
Stay with the all unknown
Stay away from the hooks
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
Lyrics submitted by dustybreeze
Gimme Sympathy Lyrics as written by James Shaw Emily Haines
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
"Who would you rather be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?"
my first reaction to this line was that she is asking "would you rather burn out or fade away?" i mean, the beatles were certainly not a blip or anything, but they were active for a much shorter time than the rolling stones. a common reaction to the current activity of the rolling stones is that they were great in their prime but are now dinosaurs and should probably give it a rest, whereas people regret that the beatles were around for such a short time and consider their oeuvre to be pretty sacrosanct.
the rest of the lyrics fit into this mold, too. "We're so close to something better left unknown" -- should they just quit while they're in their prime, or should they keep going to see if they reach something better? "Get hot, Get too close to the flame" -- how can you judge when you've hit your apex? is it possible to get just close enough to the flame without burning?
in the end, i'm not sure which she chooses. "Stay with all the unknown" sounds like they decide to keep moving until they fade out, but the fact that she says "stay" instead of "go" makes me unsure. "Gimme sympathy" is clearly a rolling stones reference, but the fact that the chorus ends with "Play me 'Here Comes the Sun'" makes me think she wants to go the beatles burning-out route.
i don't know what the "they" i keep referring to is, haha. possibly the band, possibly a relationship, maybe just a person's life in general. also, i've only listened to this song once so my interpretation might change, but this idea really struck me so i thought i'd share it here :]
I agree with your interpretation of this song. "Would you rather burn out or fade away?"<br /> "Stay with the all unknown...Stay away from the hooks” I think this is meaning don't sell out...stay original, a common theme to much of her writing.<br /> <br />
I agree.<br /> <br /> I think that the decision to burn out or fade away has not been chosen and the song is only about being torn between these options.
@angelofthesilence "Who would you rather be<br /> The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?"<br /> <br /> my first reaction to this line was that she is asking "would you rather burn out or fade away?"<br /> <br /> ----<br /> Your reaction to this line is way out of left field. Emily Haines met Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground, and they would later become friends. He once asked her "Would you rather be The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" and she shot back "Velvet Underground" You can read the article about their relationship here: rollingstone.com/music/news/metrics-emily-haines-pays-tribute-to-lou-reeds-integrity-and-humor-20131028<br /> <br /> Those lines in this song are just a tribute to one of her closest friends, and one of her favorite musicians, not some kind of tongue in cheek comment about the has beens of yesteryear.
with this song i think she really wants to be able to write songs that have some sort of commerciality or more mainstream likeability without compromising the integrity of her art, so she's having trouble actually writing or composing. she's very much torn all different ways about it when finally she realises that it doesn't matter if they never become the beatles or the rolling stones because it's her craft and she's got all the time in the world to master it. "here comes the sun" if you know the lyrics, relays a sense of rejuvenation, a new outlook on a seemingly bleak situation so "come on baby play me something..." is her way of saying she's gotten through all that and knows which path she's going to take...
really such a fabulous song.
I accidentally posted half of this earlier - here is the full version.
READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE SONGS MEANING - YOU WILL BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED =]
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter *This song is about how close we come in everyday life to horrible things. We must make choices - whether they are right or wrong, to continue living.
The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun *This song is about forgiving people of mistakes/bad choices made in their pasts.
Metric - Gimme Sympathy *Here's a breakdown of the lyrics and their meanings.
*The first half refers to The Rolling Stones point of view in the song Gimme Shelter, in comparison to Gimme Sympathy.
"Ooh, see the fire is sweepin Our very street today Burns like a red coal carpet" ---The Rolling Stones
"Get hot Get too close to the flame" ---Metric
This is just my opinion but I think this is about taking an optimistic approach to life and death.
When Emily says “Get hot, Get too close to the flame” I think she is talking about a person’s self destruction and how death is sometimes closer than we think. I think she is using this sentence similar to the familiar quote ‘a moth to flame’ The moth is always drawn to the flame because it’s so beautiful but it doesn’t know that it can hurt itself if it gets too close. We don’t always know how much we’re hurting ourselves.
“Wild open space Talk like an open book Sign me up Got no time to take a picture I'll remember someday All the chances we took” This portion of the song I’m not too sure, but maybe she means that our life is already mapped out. We don’t do anything different or anything to add substance. “All the chances we took” can mean that we wasted time- passed up all the chances we had to do something good or add substance to our lives.
When she says, “We're so close to something better left unknown” Again I think she means we’re so close to death. “I can feel it in my bones” Emphasizes on this point. “Gimme sympathy After all this is gone” does too.
“Who would you rather be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” This speaks for itself. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones both influential artists and very important. I think she shows that there are two types of people in this world. :p The Beatles Fans and The Rolling Stones. These bands make people happy. So this displays the optimistic approach to death.
“Oh seriously You're gonna make mistakes you're young Come on baby play me something, Like here comes the sun” Here is where she takes the other optimistic approach in the song. We are going to make mistakes- we’re human. So no matter how much life sucks we just have to learn to move on and look at the bright side- the happier side. “Come on baby play me something like here comes the sun”
I think it just means take risks when your young<br /> like the beatles did<br /> the rolling stones didn't take as many risks as a young band, and the beatles are way more credited<br /> and here comes the sun is written by the beatles, and she's saying play here comes the sun<br /> :S <br /> <br /> i have no clue
i really like your theory, I like the whole negative and optimistic ideas<br /> your very insightful
Going along with what you said, I think for the whole,<br /> <br /> “Wild open space<br /> Talk like an open book"<br /> <br /> The world is open for them to see, to be a part of, they are writing the story of their life about all of this they can see and be a part of. Not literally writing it down, but by telling people though singing it.<br /> <br /> "Sign me up" <br /> <br /> Affirming the past statement.<br /> <br /> "Got no time to take a picture <br /> I'll remember someday<br /> All the chances we took”<br /> <br /> They'll remember all these things they've done, they don't need to take pictures to remind them. They'll remember the entirety of the things they have taken part in.<br /> <br /> As for “Who would you rather be, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” I think it's because the way they were. The Beatles were about love and life, being open, almost like a child. The Rolling Stones were more take life as it is, as it goes, like the wise man. They both have such strong standings and are both very influential because they're so basic to what life is, it's so easy to understand how to know what it's like to feel like both of them write, to live it out.<br /> <br /> I could go on and on, but on the other points on analyzing, I agree with you, I just wanted to add onto the idea.
also the "Gimmie shelter" and "Sympathy for the devil" bit? little splice up
ya this song is solid
I really love the connections that Metric ties into this song, like the fact that <br /> "Gimme Shelter" and "Sympathy for the Devil" are both Rolling Stones Songs,<br /> and "Here comes the Sun" is a Beatles.<br /> <br /> It's just genuis and crazy creative.
Agreed; I came here just to see if anyone picked up on that. What a cool concept for a song... that bands have influences and perhaps two of the most influential bands in rock are The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Both from the 60's and both defined a different variation of the style. I think the idea is that if you were to narrow down music influence to just two bands... it would be The Beatles and The Stones.
"we're so close to something better left unknown"
it's about taking risks and chances even if they might not be the right ones. i definitely get the sense it's about a relationship, like a moth to a flame, two people that it's not gonna work out between but there's something there so she wants to go for it, no matter how bad it might end up being.
hey guys,
i don't have anything to add to the discussion of the meaning, but i figured that some of you might like to see this video of emily and jimmy playing the song acousic and live. : ]
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the song is about finding your place so they ask who would you rather be the beatles or the rolling stones the video is of them trading places in the band...trying to find their place.... the band members of metric said it themself actually... game set match hayley
I haven't sifted through every single post, so this may have been posted.
The first time I heard this song was outside on a street corner, and it was loud. The only clear part I could hear was the chorus.
*After all this is gone Who'd you rather be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
Stars either become too large and bright and implode on themselves at their brightest point. Or they simply run their course, eventually fading and dying.
So, after The Stones finally retire and die, and the two remaining Beatles are no longer with us - which band would you have rather been? The one who put it all out there, and collapsed into itself? Or the one that just kept going (and going, and going)?
This song is like many of Emily's ways to balance her up and down extreme equation. Every regular line from the chorus is a hint to do then to say do what you like. She feels the inexplicable feelings of feeling young while simultaneously exposing how our 'never grow old' attitude emphasizes what you'd rather be in a decisive matter while hinting song titles throughout the song. She, through hinting loves both bands, and if anyone cared to learn Emily Haines history you would know she'd totally paint it black all over. The tune of this song, especially in its acoustic and early years, pleads sympathy literally. It calls to a calming voice and ear that she is sad and pleading for an absolution of some sort. She needs just a good night of sleep but all she can do is hope. It is this element that makes most greats such striving yet unfulfilled artists who they are. Thank God she hasn't fallen too far from feeling her own music.