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Can you make it real
Make it more than will
More than just feel
We are on a ride
We're on it all the time
It's at the front of your mind
My stepfather looks just like David Bowie
But he hates David Bowie
I think Bowie's cool
I think Lodger rules
I think my step dad's a fool
Without me there's nothing
I'm the only thing that dies
If it came down to your life or mine
I would do the stupid thing
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
"I'm alright," said the man to his wife
Waking up to a head full of bed
Full of what she said
She hadn't thought of it for a while
And when she did she thought of it differently
Than she thought she should be thinking
Just the thought of it's enough
To penetrate my comfort zone
Without me there's nothing
I'm the only thing that dies
If it came down to your life or mine
I would do the stupid thing
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
Make it more than will
More than just feel
We are on a ride
We're on it all the time
It's at the front of your mind
My stepfather looks just like David Bowie
But he hates David Bowie
I think Bowie's cool
I think Lodger rules
I think my step dad's a fool
Without me there's nothing
I'm the only thing that dies
If it came down to your life or mine
I would do the stupid thing
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
"I'm alright," said the man to his wife
Waking up to a head full of bed
Full of what she said
She hadn't thought of it for a while
And when she did she thought of it differently
Than she thought she should be thinking
Just the thought of it's enough
To penetrate my comfort zone
Without me there's nothing
I'm the only thing that dies
If it came down to your life or mine
I would do the stupid thing
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
And let you keep on living
Lyrics submitted by prod
Track duration: 04:24
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Theme: I read this as being about the process of realizing that you care about someone else more than you care about yourself. That, I don't think, is not so controversial. But try this on for size:
We start out with a vignette of a selfish kid; someone who dismisses people because of superficial disagreements ("my stepdad's a fool because he doesn't like David Bowie"). A more empathetic person might understand why someone with an uncanny resemblance to Bowie might get a little irked at having this pointed out repeatedly, and cut the guy some slack on matters of taste.
In the next verse we get another vignette of a couple in bed, feeling unsettled, unable to control their reactions to the situation they find themselves in. My guess? Resist the temptation to interpet this song romantically and take another approach: she's pregnant. At least that's a major reason a married couple might be waking up and feeling a bit out of their comfort zone.
Having children is the inflection point in the solipsist's life. It's the juncture where he realizes that his interests no longer come first, and he can no longer act in accordance with the philosophy he had adopted as a convient way to justify his selfish disposition.
The Bowie verse is my favorite. Lodger is a freakin' great & overlooked album. There's a strong sense of teenage rebellion going on here in the lyrics, and he sings it perfectly.
The third verse about the man and the wife hints at some unspoken tension between the two ('hadn't thought of it for awhile', with 'it' being undefined, and 'penetrate my comfort zone'... may be sexual, who knows)
The chorus is probably the most part of the song lyrically for me. There's a really great set of contrasting thoughts arranged side-by-side: selfish ('Without me there's nothing, I'm the only thing that dies') and unselfish ('If it came down to your life or mine, I would do the stupid thing and let you keep on living'). I'd wager that he's saying, despite all the BS that goes into dealing with so many people, he's willing to overlook it and focus on the good things rather than the bad.
"soforth" and "jesus kong" are spot on with their interpretations.
when i first heard this song what jumped out was "david bowie" + "and let you keep on living". he says the latter with such a haunting reluctance/inevitability. damn. once if figured out the context it only became better. love the emphasis on "stupid". what a goddamn stupid thing it is to love. but we still do the stupid thing.
But he hates David Bowie
the best verse ever!?
A more romantic interpretation: envision a society that's gone to shit, and she's the only deliverance from the suffering and pain that characterizes everyone's daily lives. She's Julia in 1984.
Or something.
second, to anyone who days modest mouse is untalented (less advanced, was it?) or thinks that isaac brock is a "retarded kid" has not heard sad sappy sucker, long drive, or lonesome crowded west. if those albums do not cement in you love for isaac, jeremiah, and eric then nothing can mend your stone heart.
"without me there's nothing" is a great lyric, doug is a god
after all doug marsch did come from Tree People, pretty much a grunge band.