| Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Stick Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Man, this song has some great lyrics, as usual for Ted. I'll admit I'm having trouble unpacking the first verse, but let's take a stab at the rest. To some degree, this song seems to be about getting older and losing that youthful sense of rebellion – "You take the Old North Road 'cause that's where you feel free ... Play an ancient mixtape, attempt a break from the routine" The Old North Road is an ancient throughway linking London and Lincoln in the UK, built by the Roman empire. The final line connects to Rome as well: "fasces" refers to the strong bundle of wooden rods (or sticks!) that symbolized power and strength through unity. Not coincidentally, this is the root of the word "fascism." "You think the government, it wants you on your knees But I'll tell you something, and here it is: They want you driving to the supermarket, buying milk and cheese And generating taxes to fuel their corn subsidies" This is the heart of the song to me. When you're young and angry, it's easy to imagine a shadowy cabal of Big Brother-types – "The Man," if you will – who wants to control every aspect of your life. Imagining such an enemy is actually sort of comforting. It's direct, it's black-and-white, and it allows for an easy dichotomy of oppressors vs. oppressed. A lot of punk songs are about fighting right-wingers and fascists. However, Ted's interpretation in this song is both more generous and more troubling. The government isn't looking for Big Brother-esque domination. They don't really care if you listen to rock music or even organize politically – in the end, as long as society as a whole is functioning smoothly, as long as the economy chugs along and all the various interest groups get their cut, then your personal life is really of no concern. That's "the carrot" – cheap milk, cheap factory-farmed meat, cheap gasoline, etc. Unlike fascist governments that want to control everything outright, in America it's subtle and insidious social cues that box people in, often without any overt government intervention needed. "The Stick" is real, too, just harder to define or fight. |
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| The National – Sea of Love Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I don't think this song is about a romantic relationship, as many seem to assume, especially if the lyric is indeed "Joe" and not "Jo." Matt has shown himself willing to write about male friendship in other songs, such as the opening track from this album, which is about his brother. Anyway, the sense I get is that Joe is a childhood friend that Matt has now grown apart from, perhaps one who is now struggling and unable to help himself. Matt feels guilty for not helping his struggling (former?) friend, but he doesn't know how to help ("tell me how to reach you") and is afraid of being dragged down himself ("If I stay here trouble will find me"), an understandable yet selfish impulse. Reminds a lot of "Abel" from the album Alligator, though with a more grown-up sensibility. |
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| The National – Demons Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Great interpretation, and Matt did indeed go a Catholic school in suburban Cincinnati (St. Xavier). | |
| Frightened Rabbit – The Woodpile Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Great song. After a closer look at the lyrics, it seems like the narrator is at a dance club, feeling isolated and awkward. Too shy to approach someone, he's looking for someone to come be awkward in the corner with him. The "woodpile" metaphor is very apt — he has all of the "fuel" for a connection, only lacking someone to provide a "spark." |
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| Frightened Rabbit – The Woodpile Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Great song. After a closer look at the lyrics, it seems like the narrator is at a dance club, feeling isolated and awkward. Too shy to approach someone, he's looking for someone to come be awkward in the corner with him. The "woodpile" metaphor is very apt — he has all of the "fuel" for a connection, only lacking someone to provide a "spark." |
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| Arcade Fire – Speaking in Tongues Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Good catch on the Wasteland reference! As Eliot and his contemporaries like Yeats were very interested in mysticism and the occult, including automatic writing and speaking in tongues, there's certainly a connection there. Also, keep in mind Eliot was himself alluding to the classic Baudelaire poem, "Au Lecteur" ("To the Reader") http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Fleurs_du_mal |
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| Frank Ocean – Lovecrimes Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| The woman talking at the end is Nicole Kidman in the movie "Eyes Wide Shut," if anyone is wondering. | |
| LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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http://www.avclub.com/articles/james-murphy-of-lcd-soundsystem,41691/ "You could also make the argument that it sounds as much like “White Light/White Heat”–which I also wasn’t intending." |
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| The Gaslight Anthem – The Spirit of Jazz Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I really hope the title is a Mighty Boosh reference haha | |
| Broken Social Scene – World Sick Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Doesn't mean they don't care! | |
| Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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According to Wikipedia, it is an intentional reference to the Dark Knight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monitor_%28album%29 |
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| Regina Spektor – Bon Idée Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Maybe this is part of her commentary on words and ideas? As in, your "good idea" (bonne idée) can get messed up when you try to verbalize it — in this case, "bon" being grammatically incorrect. | |
| Regina Spektor – Oedipus Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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"Rex" means "king," actually. And he didn't die immediately after scraping his eyes out, he wandered around for a bit and eventually died in Athens. Wikipedia! |
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| White Rabbits – Midnight And I Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Great post, I have to agree with the drug interpretation myself. Also, instead of "any way surrounded," is it "in a way surrounded"? That makes more sense to me, but I can't tell for sure. |
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| Drive-By Truckers – The Buford Stick (The Legend of Sheriff Buford Pusser) Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buford_Pusser That should explain most of the references in this song... |
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| Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros – Ramshackle Day Parade Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| It's my understanding that this is about 9/11. Probably the most beautiful ones of all the songs written about that day... | |
| Green Day – Peacemaker Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I think it also applies to religious extremists/terrorists, e.g. the "infidel" line. | |
| The Decemberists – An Interlude Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Nice, that really puts this beautiful instrumental in perspective. Good catch! | |
| The National – Cardinal Song Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| Shouldn't it be YOU'RE paper instead of "your paper"? Grammar aside, it does slightly change the meaning of the line. | |
| Radiohead – Lozenge of Love Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| "My restless body cracks some more" should be "my restless body cracks and moans" | |
| Spoon – Rhthm & Soul Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Hard to tell, but it seems to me like it's about living in an authoritarian regime, one like Russia (where Kazan is) under Putin that stifles dissent and opposition. | |
| MGMT – Of Moons, Birds & Monsters Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Anyone else think the last verse sounds like "Where the White Boys Dance" by the Killers? | |
| Fleet Foxes – Mykonos Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I think the song is about drug addiction and a friendship gone sour: The first verse describes an argument ending with the friend angrily storming out. The second verse suggests that the "snow-tipped pines" (i.e. arguments/rationalizations) of the friend are weak; they are hatched from the "seed" of a "thin mind," meaning one addled by drugs. The third verse says that it doesn't have to be this way. I don't know what the "ancient gate" refers to, but I'm guessing it's some sort of metaphor for forgiveness, possibly a call to go back to the old times when there no problems between them. Fourth verse, not sure, but I think the "took you down" line means the friend had to be forced into treatment. The meadow is probably a metaphor for their friendship, while also noting the time of year all this took place. Fifth verse is pretty self-explanatory, basically saying the singer's friendship shouldn't be rejected just because of whatever happened. I think the lyrics are supposed to be "out walking" or "a-walking", though. "I walking" doesn't really make sense. The first chorus is saying that after all the arguments, interventions, etc., the friend will now go to "Mykonos" - a metaphor for a rehab center, which are often located in quiet, secluded places. The singer is hoping that the "gentle coast" and the "sun" will help get rid of the "shadows." Great imagery, don't think I need to comment too much on the meaning. The second chorus is brilliantly simple - the singer is telling his friend he should accept what is happening and not fight it. In other words, he is going where he needs to be going. The "you go today" is reminiscent of something said during an intervention, where a trip to rehab can be sprung on the addict out of the blue. I think the singer is also saying that he is done with this now; the friend will go "wherever," and the singer can't be bothered cleaning up his messes anymore. Also, Wikipedia reveals some interesting allusions: Mykonos is a Greek island where the Gigantes rose up against the Olympian gods (Zeus, etc.) and were all slaughtered. In particular, the god Dionysus killed the Giant Eurytos with a weapon topped with a pine cone, referred to in the second verse. Perhaps pine can be a reference to another type of needle as well? ...Shit, didn't expect to write that much when I first started this comment :P Anyway, hope it was helpful! |
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| Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I thought the "lying about how much coal you have" line meant that the girl in the song was exaggerating her family's assets to appear more wealthy - e.g. her father is in the energy/mining business and she wants to make him seem really important for her socialite friends. Obviously, it could be a metaphor for a lot of things, though. | |
| LCD Soundsystem – Time to Get Away Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Sounds to me like it's about a manager/producer, possibly a bandmate... | |
| Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Ballad Of The Sin Eater Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Going on the earlier observation that "Sin Eater" refers to someone who takes the sins of other onto himself, I have to disagree with the "anti-American" interpretation and instead say this song is about Ted Leo's struggle with religion, specifically Christianity, and how supposedly religious people do such terrible things. For one thing, "Sin Eater" seems to me a reference to Jesus, who claimed to sacrifice himself for the sins of mankind. Pretty straightforward. So, the song traces Ted's spiritual journey. He starts feeling "uncertain," so he leaves home and travels the world, and sees places marred by religious or ethnic strife: Ireland (the Troubles), Serbia/Yugoslavia (ethnic cleansing), the Basque Country (terrorism), Rwanda (genocide), Sierra Leone (blood diamonds). He can't understand how the atrocities could have happened in self-professed Christian places. The French Foreign Legion's tenets include brotherhood among its members regardless of religion or background, but Ted can't believe that this is possible. Finally, Ted drinks a bunch of whiskey to try and forget what he's seen and also to try and remove the doubt and uncertainty he's feeling. I think the chorus is saying that Jesus never expected people to hate him, but now people do because of the things done in his name. When the scales fell from Paul's eyes in Damascus, they revealed to him Jesus as savior; when the same happened to Ted, he only saw that "everybody lies." |
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| Bad Religion – Sorrow Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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That would be true, but unfortunately almost every religion, and certainly the major montheistic ones (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) claims to be the true, final, and unalterable word of god. Admitting that any part of their holy book of choice is incorrect is a small tear which would eventually bring down the whole curtain. Trying to find some sort of middle ground where you pick and choose the parts of the Torah, Bible, or Koran you agree with just makes you someone who appreciates good philosophy, not necessarily a theist. |
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| Bright Eyes – Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed) Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Sorry triple, but it's definitely "Corporate or Colonial." I have the lyrics booklet to Cassadaga, pre-ordered the LP and it came early :). I tried to copy the lyrics exactly as they appear there, down to punctuation (or lack thereof), capitalization, stanza breaks, etc. | |
| Bright Eyes – Four Winds Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I just got my pre-ordered LP yesterday, so I can definitively clarify some lyrics... line 3 = "THERE ARE bodies decomposing..." line 15= "Cast ON A school of meditation" (as in the shadows from the sun are being cast) line 19 is indeed "Sum of Man," thought I would point that out since there's been some debate over it. in the last chorus, it's "HEARD Four Winds leveling the pines" All in all, pretty damn accurate. Awesome song, amazing album. |
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| Bright Eyes – If the Brakeman Turns My Way Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I don't think it's leaked. I pre-ordered the vinyl version and got it in the mail yesterday; that's how I have the lyrics early. | |
| Bright Eyes – Four Winds Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Spent some time researching and came up with this analysis. I also changed the lyrics to what I think they should be. Summary: The fall of America/Western Civilization is imminent, but this isn't the good thing that some would have you believe. The resulting power vacuum will plunge the world into chaos ("she breaks, she caves"), where traditional methods (religion, secular knowledge) will be useless. However, Conor has "made his peace" with this and is ready for whatever's next. See below for more details. "Your class, your caste, your country, sect, your name or your tribe There's people always dying trying to keep them alive There's bodies decomposing in containers tonight In an abandoned building where" -The first two lines are pretty self-explanatory; everyone's always fighting each other. Not sure what the next two mean, though. "A squatter's made a mural of a Mexican girl With fifteen cans of spray paint in a chemical swirl She's standing in the ashes at the end of the world Four winds blowing through her hair" -To me, this is where the meaning of the song really picks up. I believe that the Mexican girl represents our current civilization. Notice that the squatter used 15 cans of spray paint– 15 is the age of the "Quinceañera," a special celebration for Hispanic girls that marks their coming of age. Conor is saying that our civilization, as well, has reached maturity. -Meanwhile, the "girl" is standing in the ashes at the end of the world. Our civilization is either dead or even already destroyed, waiting for something new to arise. The "Four Winds" are a reference to the Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 37, in which God breathes the four winds into dead bones, making them live again and symbolically restoring the broken nation of Israel. What will the four winds bring to the ashes of our world? "But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon She just can't sustain the pressure where it's placed She caves" -Many people call for "death to America" or what have you, but what happens when this so-called "Great Satan" is gone? I imagine something like a giant hole being ripped in a vacuum, and all of a sudden air rushes out. Think also of a flood of water bursting a dam. When America is gone, "she" (the Mexican girl, aka civilization) can't take the huge power vacuum that is left. -"Whore of Babylon" is another Biblical reference, one that refers to a great immoral nation which infects the rest of the world with its evil. Originally directed at Ancient Babylon, it has also been used to describe major civilizations such as the Roman Empire, British Empire, and more recently America. "The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran is mute If you burn them all together you get close to the truth still They are poring over Sanskrit on the Ivy League moons While shadows lengthen in the sun" -Traditional means of dealing with the upcoming death of civilization will be useless. Both religion (the Bible, etc.) and secular learning institutions ("Ivy League moons"). "Cast off the school and meditation built to soften the times And hold us at the center while the spiral unwinds It's knocking over fences, crossing property lines Four winds, cry until it comes" -Going along with the previous verse, there is no way to stop the upcoming unraveling of civilization. As others have mentioned, this song relates to Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" very well. Yeats was saying that the "gyre" which held together the universe was unwinding, and that a cataclysmic change was coming. See Wikipedia for more info, it's pretty interesting. -"Crossing property lines" refers to national borders being meaningless when the world comes apart. "And it's the psalm of man Slouching towards Bethlehem A heart just can't contain all of that empty space It breaks, it breaks, it breaks" -Another reference to "The Second Coming," specifically the last lines, where Yeats wonders: "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" -Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus. Yeats was convinced that a major event, on par with Jesus arriving on Earth, was imminent. "The Second Coming" basically describes the symptoms of this change and darkly wonders what it will be. Bright Eyes is embarking on a similar theme with this song. -I think the lyric is "psalm of man," and here's why: when a devout Jew dies, psalms are constantly recited over his body until the body is buried. Due to the religious imagery in the song, I think this meaning is appropriate. The "psalm of man" (i.e. mankind's death lament) is "slouching towards Bethlehem" to usher in the new age, whatever it may be. "Well, I went back, in a rented Cadillac, a company jet Like a newly orphaned refugee, retracing my steps All the way to Cassadega to commune with the dead They said, "You'd better look alive" -Conor is like a newly orphaned refugee because he realizes that nothing can stop the great changes that are happening? Not too sure about this part. -He went to Cassadaga, Florida to talk with some psychics, who also feel the great changes coming. They tell him to "look alive," or in other words "be ready." "And I was off to old Dakota where a genocide sleeps In the Black Hills, the Badlands, the calloused east I buried my ballast, I made my peace With four winds, levelling the pines" -Refers to the massacre of Lakota Indians the U.S. 7th Cavalry, which was ordered to take a group of Lakota to Omaha, Nebraska. -Some Native Americans claim that the Black Hills are the "axis mundi," or spiritual center of the world, which would be where things start unravel first. -Ballast was used by sailboat operators to weigh the ship down (to prevent capsizing) when there was no cargo. By burying his ballast, Conor is signifying that he is ready for something with real meaning (cargo) as opposed to the meaninglessness he feels now (ballast). He has made his peace with the upcoming cataclysm. -The "four winds levelling the pines" means that already the changes are happening, and the four winds of change are destroying what was there before. "But when great Satan's gone, the whore of Babylon She just can't remain with all that outer space She caves, she caves, she caves, she caves" -Basically sums up the song. "She" (referring back to the Mexican girl, which represents civilization) "just can't remain" once Great Satan is gone. Conor repeats the message for effect: She will cave. Read "The Second Coming" and Ezekiel Chapter 37 (both fairly short) and the meaning becomes somewhat clear, although the details leave plenty of room for more interpretation. |
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| Death Cab for Cutie – Crooked Teeth Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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OK, bear with me but this song makes me think of a bad LSD trip. Evidence, you say? "It was 100 degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree" Acid can make people feel unbearably hot. Also the thing about a weeping willow literally having tears sounds like a hallucination. "i knew i'd made a horrible call and now the state line felt like the Berlin wall and there was no doubt about which side I was on" Feeling the ill effects of the LSD, and regretting ever trying it. After being convicted for certain offenses you're not allowed to cross state lines. "I braved treacherous streets and kids strung out on homemade speed" Reference to other people around him doing drugs as well. The streets were "treacherous" because, well, a place where a bunch of kids are doing speed probably isn't a very nice neighborhood. "at night, the sun in the trees made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring, us both" First, I think it should be "sun in retreat." Anyway, the image described here of the skyline appearing to devour the singer and his companion definitely sounds like the effects of a hallucinogenic drug. "I'm a war, of head versus heart, And it's always this way. My head is weak, my heart always speaks, Before I know what it will say." Trying to fight off the effects of being high, which dull your mind. "no you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along there were churches, themeparks and malls there was nothing there all along" Saying that all the things he imagined while under the influence were never really there. That's one interpretation, anyway, although it's almost certainly NOT what Ben Gibbard intended. But, my friend got me started on this theory and now it's all I can think of when I hear the song. |
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| The Shins – Caring Is Creepy Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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There's an interview with James Mercer of The Shins that was up a little bit ago at The Onion AV Club which definitely sheds some light on this song... "When I came up with that idea for the title, I was talking about how in my circle of friends—this was my circle of friends, especially in Albuquerque—you drink and you hang out and you talk and you make jokes and you do all that stuff, but as soon as you start talking about anything real, something that actually moves you or anything like that, it's just fucking awkward. You know, there's a lot of ways to kill a party—talking about politics and that shit—but I'm talking about anything that's heartfelt. That used to grump me out, so "Caring Is Creepy" is where that came from. The song itself is about a love of mine at the time that went south—it's fitting in that way." With this quote in mind, the song takes a clearer shape. The singer was in relationship that "went south," but when he wants to talk about it with his friends, they find his heartfelt emotions uncomfortable. "Hold your glass up, hold it in," indeed. You can see the whole interview at http://www.avclub.com/content/node/58319 |
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| Arcade Fire – Windowsill Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I agree with CaitlinLikeWhoa. This song is about every little pressure adding up to create a constant stream of stress. The narrator is tired of television and the zeitgeist in general, with its neverending noises and sales pitches and mindless blather. The "tide" of this TV culture is rising until eventually it becomes too much to bear. What then? | |
| Stars – Petit Mort Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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"Le Petit Mort" is a French euphemism for an orgasm. (Literally, "Little Death") http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_petit_mort Murderous, maybe it just isn't said in Quebec? Because I definitely have heard of it in my French classes, not to mention elsewhere in pop culture. |
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| Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Criminal Piece Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| To me this is about all of the Baby Boomer hippies who were virulently against the war in Vietnam but became more conservative or "moderate" as they grew older, had kids, and settled down. The song is a call to arms, telling them to remember how they used to fight against the establishment that they are now a part of. It could also be directed at Congressional Democrats who didn't stand up to Bush and the Republicans on the march to war in Iraq. | |
| Bright Eyes – First Day of My Life Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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The blankets/beach part: Patchwork lozenge asked whether "blankets" means "towels" – some people refer to those giant towels that people take to the beach to lay on as "beach blankets." I'm not sure if this is a US/UK difference or what. As for the meaning, I think Conor uses "spreading blankets on the beach" to mean people are out enjoying warm, sunny weather, i.e. basking in the glow of a happy relationship. The paychecks/lottery part: Other people have already said "working for a paycheck" means Conor would rather be working at a mundane but meaningful relationship as opposed to a fleeting burst of emotion (the "lottery".) This explanation makes total sense, but I have an alternate theory. It could also mean that Conor would rather be out in the world meeting people and trying to find love as opposed to sitting at home waiting to win the lottery. Waiting for a winning lottery ticket instead of working for a living to me conjures the image of an unemployed person who wastes away on the couch and never makes anything of himself. |
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| Bright Eyes – Another Travelin' Song Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Does this song remind anyone else of Johnny Cash? | |
| Bright Eyes – Waste of Paint Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| If I'm not mistaken, a wreath of laurel was given to victorious athletes in Ancient Greece, which adds another layer of symbolism on top of the excellent explanation by octavius above. As in, maybe Conor is saying that he keeps losing at the game of love... | |
| Bright Eyes – Oh, You Are the Roots That Sleep Beneath My Feet and Hold the Earth in Place Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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As others have pointed out, "You Will" is a song with similar themes; it also mentions meeting/kissing someone in the attic of his parents' house. If you read the lyrics to that song, you can see that the "book" is a metaphor for the girl whom he is writing the song about. Whether he is using the same metaphor here or whether he is literally referring to a book is anyone's guess, but in my opinion it's the former. So to whoever wants to give the "book" as a present to her brother, I guess you'd have to find the woman he loves :P To LaughAtTheEnding, I think "among them" refers to "all the people worrying about me." He doesn't want to come out and say it, but Conor wants to know if the girl he's writing the song about still has the same feelings for him. |
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| Bloc Party – On Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Yeah, the singer definitely intended it to be about cocaine, as he has stated in several interviews like the one quoted above. That doesn't make other interpretations invalid, though; if another meaning makes sense to you, then in my opinion it's worth just as much as the "official" meaning. To each his own. Although, I do think people automatically look for songs to be about love. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and of course most songs are on that subject, but it helps to keep an open mind when trying to decipher lyrics. |
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| Arcade Fire – Black Wave/Bad Vibrations Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Quick French translation for anyone wondering... Je nage, mais les sons me suivent = I swim, but the sounds follow me Ce sera un long voyage = This will be a long voyage Sur les vagues de l'oubli = On the waves of oblivion "Oubli" can also mean "forgetting," but I think "oblivion" fits in well with the song. As for the actual song, it seems to be (on a literal level) about someone fleeing the political and social instability of Haiti, taking their chances on the open sea. I think it could also be about moving away from anything that is painful or hard to forget. |
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| Bright Eyes – Light Pollution Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I think this song is about someone who is driven insane by the constant demands and pressures of everyday life, the pressure to make money, to conform, to get as many material goods as possible in order to be "successful." The subject of the song at first fights against society, subscribing to a socialist ideology and listening to old folk records, probably 60s anti-war songs (in contrast to people who listen to commercial radio). Eventually he loses some of his radicalism and gets a day job, but can't keep up with it and ends up drinking and partying all the time. Despite being somewhat part of the system, he still gets pleasure out of "sticking it to the man" by collecting unemployment checks. But one day, standing out a commercial area outside of a baseball stadium, everything just becomes too overwhelming ("he saw the dust and heard every tiny sound"). He suddenly gets an insatiable urge to get in his truck and drive away as fast as he can. An interesting thing to me is that Conor says "drove THROUGH the crowd and the cops" before saying "drove out PAST that center mall." To me this implies that John just hit the gas pedal without caring about whether he ran over anyone. Finally, he loses control of the car and dies in the ensuing crash. An accident, a suicide, who knows? But Conor suspects that John finally got what he always wanted, freedom. This fits in with many other Bright Eyes songs, in which Conor refers to death as an escape from the pain of life and the only place where we are truly free. Whew, that's my interpretation. Of course there are still a million metaphorical levels to look at, but I'm just talking about the basic story here. |
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| Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Parallel or Together? Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| In addition to many other things, this song to me refers to people who say they are "together," i.e. in a relationship, but in reality they are just living parallel lives. Sure, parallel lines can be very close, but by definition they will never actually touch or intersect. This can be applied to pretty much any human relationship, really. | |
| Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Counting Down The Hours Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| I doubt this is what Ted Leo meant, but the line about Japan makes me think of people missing the days when wars (i.e. WWII) were fought against a clear-cut enemy, a specific nation, rather than the faceless shadow known as Terror. Also, in those days Americans were united in the war effort instead of being harshly divided as in Vietnam or Iraq. | |
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