The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
There is this old woman, she lives down the road
You can often find her kneeling inside of her hole
And I often ask her, "Are you looking for the mother lode?"
No, no, my child, this is not my desire and then she said
"I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire (fire, for fire)
I'm diggin' for fire" (I'm diggin' for fire)
There is this old man who has spent so much of his life sleeping
That he is able to keep awake for the rest of his years
He resides, on a beach, in a town where I am going to live
And I often ask him, "Are you looking for the mother lode?"
No, no, my child, this is not my desire and then he said
"I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire (for fire)
I'm diggin' for fire (fire, for fire)
I'm diggin' for fire, I'm diggin' for fire, fire, fire
I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire, for fire, for fire
I'm diggin' for, for fire"
You can often find her kneeling inside of her hole
And I often ask her, "Are you looking for the mother lode?"
No, no, my child, this is not my desire and then she said
"I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire (fire, for fire)
I'm diggin' for fire" (I'm diggin' for fire)
There is this old man who has spent so much of his life sleeping
That he is able to keep awake for the rest of his years
He resides, on a beach, in a town where I am going to live
And I often ask him, "Are you looking for the mother lode?"
No, no, my child, this is not my desire and then he said
"I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire (for fire)
I'm diggin' for fire (fire, for fire)
I'm diggin' for fire, I'm diggin' for fire, fire, fire
I'm diggin' for fire
I'm diggin' for fire, for fire, for fire
I'm diggin' for, for fire"
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Light Up The Sky
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
I think this song is fairly easy to interpret. It is about purpose. Fire is usually associated with desire and passion. The old people in this song are realizing their end may be near and they want to have lived for something because material possesions don't mean anything in the end. Thus they are not looking for the "mother lode" as the naive singer assumes, but fire.
I think you're spot on.
Well, you are only 1/2 right. If you look at the whole song, he goes and talks to a toiling woman, and he talks to a lonely, tired man. Both are lonely and alone, and "digging for fire". The implication, perhaps, is that they are both seeking the same passion, seperately, and alone, when perhaps, they could find it in each other. We are all "digging for fire", or sleeping our lives away (telling ourselves we have no interest or time), or toiling at digging a hole (tending to our commitments/job/family).
Beautiful metaphore.
Just got to see the Pixies live last year, fantastic show. Esp from the 3rd row center.
No idea what it means. But I like to think that it means to stop worrying and when you’re broken, cold and alone on the freezing floor, you remember your worth, and start digging for fire.
I persist in this existence because I choose to. I choose to keep digging for fire.
I’ll keep digging for fire
what a great song. very hard to interpret, as are most pixies song(which is one of their traits that makes them so great to begin with). personally, i think it's just about senility, and how the characters depicted in the song have grown old but still find enjoyment in their own delusions. who knows...
My father smelled my baby daughter's head and said, "Smell that youth!"
He's digging for fire too.
Ok, pretty much both verses are the same, so I'll just quote the second verse.
"there is this old man who spent so much of his life sleeping that he is able to keep awake for the rest of his years"
So the old man wasted a good portion of his life not taking action and doing the things he wanted to do. So now he's making up for it.
"and i often ask him "are you looking for the mother lode?" huh? no. no my child, this is not my desire and then he said
i'm digging for fire [4x]"
So the young man asks him if he's digging for money and gold and riches. And the old man tells him that he's looking for passion in his life that he's never had.
another perfect example of how francis black leaves it to the listener to decide what they want the lyrics to mean... one of the best Pixies songs
i believe that this song is more or less about how most people believe that if a person is doing something the reason they are doing it is to prosper themselves, when actually they're doing it just for the hell of it or to do something people aren't expecting, something origional. Basically why do the same old thing?
I think it's like "Are you looking for treasures?" "No, I'm looking for destruction." Digging for fire...fire has always been something we've depended on, yet so dangerous. Isn't digging for it a way of saying that you desire your own destruction? And enjoy it.
I love this song.
This song is a tribute to Talking Heads... Look them up. Good stuff.