This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
You always won every time you placed a bet
You're still damn good, no one's gotten to you yet
Every time they were sure they had you caught
You were quicker than they thought
You'd just turn your back and walk
You always said the cards would never do you wrong
The trick you said, was never play the game too long
A gambler's share, the only risk that you would take
The only loss you could forsake
The only bluff you couldn't fake
And you're still the same
I caught up with you yesterday (still the same, still the same)
Moving game to game
No one standing in your way
Turning on the charm
Long enough to get you by (still the same, still the same)
You're still the same
You still aim high
(Still the same, still the same)
(Still the same, still the same)
There you stood
Everybody watched you play
I just turned and walked away
I had nothing left to say
'Cause you're still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
You're still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Moving game to game (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Some things never change (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Oh, you're still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
You're still damn good, no one's gotten to you yet
Every time they were sure they had you caught
You were quicker than they thought
You'd just turn your back and walk
You always said the cards would never do you wrong
The trick you said, was never play the game too long
A gambler's share, the only risk that you would take
The only loss you could forsake
The only bluff you couldn't fake
And you're still the same
I caught up with you yesterday (still the same, still the same)
Moving game to game
No one standing in your way
Turning on the charm
Long enough to get you by (still the same, still the same)
You're still the same
You still aim high
(Still the same, still the same)
(Still the same, still the same)
There you stood
Everybody watched you play
I just turned and walked away
I had nothing left to say
'Cause you're still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
You're still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Moving game to game (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Some things never change (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Oh, you're still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
Still the same (still the same, baby, baby, still the same)
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I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
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/
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
personally i think it's about an ex girlfriend and she gambles her love. She's a player or she's too afraid to get close or both.
You always won everytime you placed a bet You're still damn good No one's gotten to you yet Everytime they were sure they had you caught You were quicker than they thought You'd just turn your back and walk
---Pretty much every time she wanted someone she could get them. If they wanted her she would just walk away so she didn't get attached.---
You always said The cards would never do you wrong The trick you said Was never play the game too long A gambler's share The only risk that you would take The only loss you could forsake The only bluff you couldn't fake
--- Playing the field cards was perfect bec she'd never have to settle down. The trick was to never stay with someone too long never play the game too long and she wouldnt take the risk to stay with someone or fall in love. and i think maybe she fell in love with him... and wouldn't admit it (lied to herself and him)
And you're still the same I caught up with you yesterday Moving game to game No one standing in your way Turning on the charm Long enough to get you by You're still the same You still aim high
---she's still looking for the perfect guy still aim high and she moves from man to man game to game turning on the charm. She leaves before she gets too attached and stays long enough for her to get something out of it long enough to get you by
There you stood Everybody watched you play I just turned and walked away I had nothing left to say 'Cause you're still the same You're still the same Moving game to game Some things never change You're still the same ---all her friends watched her go from man to man. He couldn't stand it anymore so he walked away and he's given up on her because she's still the same... She's still a player... and he doesn't think she'll ever change. He's given up on her
Posted from segerfile.com/stranger.html<br /> <br /> "Still the Same"<br /> <br /> Charted at #4.<br /> <br /> Seger: "It's an amalgamation of characters I met when I first went to Hollywood. All Type A personalities...It was another great reason to base out of Michigan." Gary Graff, October 1994, Detroit Free Press. "Bob Seger Tells The Stories Behind The Hits."<br /> <br /> Seger describes "Still the Same" as "a good song, but so medium." Seger says Capitol picked it as the single, Capitol says Bob and Punch picked it. Author? August 1978. Magazine?<br /> <br /> Seger: "The person that I'm singing about...they're just very charismatic, but they have tremendous faults, but part of the appeal is the charisma. You overlook everything because of the charisma. That's a gift and a curse. I was actually writing about several people that I had met throughout my lifetime..." Interview on Later with Bob Costas.
@saabio That was my interpretation, too. In fact, I heard this song on the radio several months back, and immediately I thought of a woman who had broken my heart a few years back. She once gave a testimony at a "Christ-centered" recovery program about how she "used to" be conceited and judgmental and look down on others. I thought of the way she had treated me, and thought, "What do you mean, 'used to be'?" She's definitely "still the same."<br />
@saabio Some would say she's a borderline.
This song has such a soulful, wistful potency that it is hard to believe that it can be about anything less than an ex-lover, whom the singer is addressing. Maybe she was someone that he loved from the safe distance of "friendship," as he watched her play the field. That's always sure to get you singing the blues. LOL!
Great songs can rarely be understood by looking at the lyrics in isolation from the music. This piece is a great example - the music creates the tone for the lyrics. The lyrics on their own might be said by someone who is resentful, or just laughing at someone who is a fool. But the music is so very sad that the lyrics take on a sense of wistfulness, and unresolved feelings of what must be love.
@PaulSouth Excellent point about the music's role in enhancing the lyrics. I agree it's about love forsaken and an ex-lover observing her after a long time.<br /> <br /> I also can't help but think it's about an Annie Dukes (No offense meant Annie) type woman who is a professional gambler. It's kinda fun to look at it that way some times.
This is a very underrated and beautiful song from Bob Seger.
I think this is a little story about the narrator catching up with an old friend of his. He's using poker as a metaphor for his friends' life. Back in the day, he was pretty cool and a lucky dude. I somewhat take this as his friend's luck with the ladies. 'The trick you said is to never play the game too long' maybe means he goes from girl to girl. He had his own way of doing things, and the narrator could've quite possibly idolized him. Now several years later, he ends up catching up to this old friend of his. The narrator has grown up and matured quite a bit. he's changed his ways and he sees his friend, who has still remained the same. This also somewhat makes the narrator sad, because the friend of his is still living his so-called charmed life. And all that the narrator could do was walk away, cuz nothing was left to say to him.
The tone of the song seems to be a sad tone, like feeling sorry for the guy....
But that's what I get out of it
This song is about me!! My friend who has moved on and played the "game" of life, comes home to see that I still gamble on love, never settling down with one woman, just playing my own game, refusing to get to attached. He is not put off, but just knows that I am still the same..he walks off..after watching from a distance, content..but knowing I'm still the same.
You are 100% right...i always thought that. He says "Moving game to game." That probably means "girl to girl"...or one night stands,
Understanding, not appreciation, was my goal.
On a superficial level, yes, this song is about the "casino-style" gambling of a friend. Just as on a superficial level, "Against the Wind" is about running.
After some mild digging, we realize this song is about the friend himself. The singer sounds like he's praising the friend.
But if we dig further into the words chosen, if we look harder at the tonal changes in context, it's all but clear that the singer's praise is satirical and pitying.
Bob Seger doesn't deliver a single wasted word in this song. "Still The Same" is ambiguous only to the extent that it is too rich for -everyone- to take the time to break it apart. People are free to enjoy "Still The Same" at whatever level they choose. When I was younger, I just enjoyed the simple combination of piano & drums.
The purpose of this site, however, is to analyze each song and to develop its -full- meaning. A visitor to this site implicitly accepts that his song interpretation may be only part of that full meaning.
If you want to add to that full meaning by imparting how the song affects you, I'm not stopping you. Part of any song's meaning is the subjective reaction of each listener. Your subjective meaning is not wrong.
Nevertheless, A song's inherent meaning is only that which can be derived from the music itself. The inherent meaning will explain every single word and tone of the song. The "song is about gambling" interpretation doesn't explain the character exposition. The "comfort" interpretation doesn't explain the odd "still aim high" tonal change, or why the friend walked away.
The song's -inherent- meaning extends to a certain point and then stops. The point at which that inherent meaning stops may be short of a visitor's subjective meaning, or may go beyond the visitor's subjective meaning.
Here, the song's inherent extends past gambling. It extends past praise or comfort. It extends past those areas into the realm of satire, pity, and resignation--and then stops.
Nowadays, when I hear this song, I think of an old girlfriend of mine. But that's my subjective meaning that I -add- to the song. It's not what the song really means, it's just what it means to me.
It's inherent meaning is, pardon the pun, still the same.
@Krugkopf i have read all the comments and I am very surprised almost everybody thinks about a woman "love gambler" as for myself I think he he is talking about a friend, or brother, or father who is a lucky gambler , and he his proud of him, happy for him, also if you have imagination you can see the scene, this man turning back and go, like in so many movies .... I am sure he talks about a poker gambler !<br />
Just heard this song on my way home, and realized why I must've always thought he was speaking of a woman. The chorus (not shown above) has the line, "Baby, babe you're sill the same". I doubt he would be saying that to a buddy =)
I never associated this song literally with gambling. The narrator is both impressed by the friends ability to "deal" people, never allowing anyone to get "in" or too close, but saddened that after the years have passed, the friend never moved into being more substantial. We all know people like that. A great song.
For me definitely about a woman, although carefully worded to avoid gender, and not about literal gambling and cards but about the deck life gives you and the gambles we have to take in life. It's about someone who keeps everyone at a distance. He can see the sadness of this and has tried to make this person see it but has said it all before and has nothing else to say. It's sad and he doesn't want to watch what this person is doing.
@Had2comment I like your interpretation that this person is sadly keeping everyone in life at a distance.
This songs seems to be about a man who runs into an old girlfriend, someone he loved very much. But she wasn't ready to settle down and it seems will never be. He talks about catching up with her and realizing she'll never change. He still has feelings for her, but she hurt him and he keeps telling himself she'll always play the field.
@sowaltongrrl Great interpretation! I think you're right that it's probably about someone who was not ready to settle down and continually wants to play the field. No one wants to be with someone like that.
If "Still the Same" is a song about gambling, then "Against the Wind" is a song about jogging.
(First verse) The friend had all the appearance of success. After all, no one can say he'd lost anything, because he'd depart before any loss could be associated with him.
(Second verse) The friend always harped about his secret to success. His "trick" was that he couldn't possibly lose what he doesn't invest. But the friend's belief was a "bluff" that never convinced the singer--nor possibly himself.
(Chorus) Time passed, but the friend didn't change. He never threw himself fully into anything, and he's not affected by anyone. Instead, he just used his charm to "get by" through life despite his "high aim."
And the friend kept doing what he's always done. In the end, he's surrounded by strangers who don't interact with him, just as the singer couldn't interact with him. The singer decided his friend can't change, and cut his own losses.
Crawlspace, while I can imagine Seger "taking comfort" from a friend who never changed his playboy attitude, I don't agree with that idea for two reasons.
The first big clue is the line, "The only bluff you couldn't fake." Seger says this in regard to what his friend "always said" about a "gambler's share."
But follow me back back to the first verse. Note that Seger isn't saying that his friend wins. He says his friend wins only "when he places a bet." Seger has simply framed the friend's loss avoidance in the positive. The rest of the song talks about how the friend doesn't stick around to play. His friend isn't a winner--he just doesn't lose. (Is that something we can take comfort in?)
The second clue is the risen tone of "You still aim high." Seger had just mentioned a) how he "caught up with" the friend, b) no one blocks the friend's path, and c) charm is used "long enough to get [the friend] by". These all say that the friend isn't moving up; in fact, he's not going anywhere. So why does Seger raise his voice on "You still aim high"? Its message and tone are off from the rest of the song--which tells us it's probably meant to be ironic. (Is it a rebuke? If ever heard by the friend, it would be.)
I read a pleading, melancholy tone into the song, but Seger is skilled enough to keep the song ambiguous enough that we have room to disagree. However, what we can all agree on, I think, is that this song's main theme is resignation. (Be it of the satisfied or chagrined varieties.)
Okay, since I first heard this song, I thought it was about a woman. Yes, it could be about a gambler friend(please no Kenny Rogers), but come on, a song with this much feeling, I doubt he is talking about a dude. It sounds like a woman he had feelings for in the past and come across her again and she hasn't changed(duh). But he has moved on and see she is no different than she was in the past. I love this song. His best song, hands down.