| Bibio – Wake Up! Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I love the parallel structure of the song, and I believe any interpretation has to be based on that structure. Though the song doesn't really have verses, per se, it can easily be decomposed into two sections. From "Fall upon my brow" to "endless butterflies within escaping" makes up the first section, then the rest of the song is the second section, which strongly parallels the first section, with some notable changes (this is not a complete list of the differences between the two sections, but the ones I feel are important to the interpretation): 1) "Descending from the canopy of poison vapor" becomes "Descending from the everlasting curdling wonder" Not sure of the exact interpretation here, but there's a definite change in mood between the two lines: the first line is distinctly negative, while the second has a notable positive tone (poison vapor // everlasting wonder) 2) "Your mind is tangled from its ever-thinking glory" becomes "Your mind untangled from its ever-thinking glory" This has probably the clearest interpretation in the song. There's a struggle in the first section; something that's causing mental turmoil. In the second section, though, the mind has become untangled, and there is presumably peace of mind. 3) "Run your fingers through your bristling beard or hair" becomes "Run your fingers through *my* bristling beard and hair" My favorite pair of lines in the song. Only two words changed, but the meaning changes entirely from first section to second. In the first, the speaker is talking to someone who is running his fingers through his own hair, which I think clearly means he's caught up in thinking about the issue that is the song's subject (as Eegabooga said, many people run their fingers through their hair while thinking intently). In the second section though (this is where I disagree with you, Eegabooga), the subject is running their fingers through the speaker's hair. When does one person run his/her fingers through another person's beard or hair? When they're in love. Overall, how I interpret the song is that the speaker is a man who is in love with another man. The other man returns the affection, but is struggling with the idea of a homosexual relationship (likely from a religious hangup, because of the references to God). After the first section elapses, the second man reconciles himself with the idea of being gay, and the two have a happy relationship. Of course, this isn't the only interpretation. At first I couldn't tell if the speaker and subject in the first and second sections are same. The subject in the first section and the speaker in the second section seem to be male (because of the references to beards). If the speaker and subject are the same in the two sections, it seems to me that it has to be one continuous story of a gay relationship. If they're different, my interpretation falls apart, and it seems that it might tell two different stories: one of a failed relationship, and the second of a successful one. The reason I think it's one continuous story, though, is the last important difference: 4) "And watch the endless butterflies within escaping" becomes "And watch the endless butterflies around returning" To me, this is important because of the word "returning". It ties the two sections together, and implies that the sections come from the same story. After all, how can butterflies return unless they first escaped, as they did in the first section? |
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| alt-J – Interlude 1 Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| yeah, i definitely think it's about someone with OCD, or at least someone *very* idiosyncratic. the meaning beyond that seems pretty wide open to interpretation, but the whole vibe of the song seems really positive. there's no pity towards this woman; it seems to me he just wants to tell the story of her idiosyncrasies and expose the beauty that exists in the differences between us as people. | |
| Das Racist – Amazing Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I'm pretty sure it's "give of the flesh like Abel do? Not able? Cain'll do". It's referencing the story of the brothers Cain and Abel in the Bible. Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. Abel "gave of the flesh" by presenting animals as a burnt offering to God, while Cain gave his fruits & vegetables as a burnt offering. Abel's offering pleased God, but Cain's didn't, so he got jealous and killed his brother Abel. I don't think that story has anything to do with the song. I was just showing off. |
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| Das Racist – Fake Patois Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| i love this song so much. | |
| Neutral Milk Hotel – A Baby for Pree (Live at Jittery Joe's) Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Having never seen Jeff Mangum live, I don't know if he always adds in the "With my little finger, I could make it all crumble..." (finger is singular, not plural; huge difference) lines, but I think that first couplet might be my favorite thing Jeff's ever written. | |
| Pedro the Lion – Start Without Me Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"take a message i'm on my way out of town, but the wording's important so make sure you write it down there's money behind every picture in the place" why is the wording of that so important? "there's money behind every picture in the place" seems like a pretty literal message. is there more to it than that? it kind of reminds me of the show Arrested Development when George Bluth is always saying "There's always money in the banana stand"... anyone have any thoughts? |
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| The Smiths – Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Wait a minute...Morrissey's not necessarily strictly gay. He has had girlfriends, probably boyfriends, and for a long time claimed to be entirely celibate and "dramatically, supernaturally, non-sexual". I would guess he has homosexual relationships, but that in no way means he couldn't be singing about a lost female love. Even if he were strictly gay, the song doesn't necessarily have to be from his point of view. So the interpretation of female lost love isn't invalidated just because of the singer/songwriter's sexual orientation. |
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| Robyn – We Dance To The Beat Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Corrections: "of your brain not evolving fast enough" "of bad kissers clicking teeth" "of an eviction next door" "of another crowd losing it" "of communication gone mad" "of source code and conjury" "of a billion charges of endorphin" anybody know what she says where it reads "of suburbia cracking" above? i can tell it's not "cracking", but i can't make out what it is. |
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| Robyn – None Of Dem Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Agreed. It sounds so awesomely jungly...or jungular...jungle-ish. Whichever word is coolest. | |
| Robyn – Konichiwa Bitches Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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actually, up to this point she hadn't yet really gotten such great reviews from the critics. this was her first independent album, and her last three albums were, frankly, kind of shitty pop. this was the first true song on the international version of the album, which re-introduces her to the world as a hip-hop influenced electro-indie-pop artist. and i definitely agree with you on the hyperbole. it's more shit-talking and exaggeration than actual content, but i love that about it. |
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| Titus Andronicus – Richard III Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| ...and the song's called Richard II, dickhead. and before you start throwing around the insults, I realize Richard II is also a Shakespeare play. also, the album The Monitor contains many references to Billy Bragg's music, and this is clearly one of them. thanks for the reference, grnbean. | |
| Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| yeah, i live in harrisburg, but i was out of town that day (actually i got to see the xx play in baltimore, so it wasn't a total loss). wish i was able to get to that show. a few of my friends went; they said it was amazing. | |
| Aphex Twin – Avril 14th Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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One of the best pieces of music written in recent history. It hurts my soul. Also, referenced in Kanye's "Blame Game" on the album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". |
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| Antony and the Johnsons – I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan cover) Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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This was actually performed by Antony Hegarty (of Antony & the Johnsons) and Bryce Dessner (of The National); billing it as an "Antony & the Johnsons" song isn't really correct, as the Johnsons had nothing to do with it. Appeared on the Dark Was the Night compilation put together by Bryce and Aaron Dessner. Also, beautiful song. His voice is so perfectly attuned to this beautiful song of regret, loneliness, and homesickness. |
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| Imogen Heap – Blanket Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Just some background on the song: It was originally an Urban Species song featuring Imogen Heap, released on an album of the same name in 1998. This was, of course, before she'd done any solo work, before Frou Frou, and before The O.C., etc. At the time, she was pretty much unknown. It was only included as a B-side to iMegaphone on the international re-issue. Though it was co-written by Imogen, it was not written exclusively by her. |
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| Gayngs – The Gaudy Side of Town Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Does this song sound like Blanket by Urban Species to anyone else? I can almost hear Mintos about to come in with "Music is my sanctuary; music is my blanket..." | |
| Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Amazing live! When he donned some awesome bejeweled (and befeathered?) glasses and busted out with the auto-tune verse, I nearly died, which would have been one of the best deaths one could hope for. Plus, awesome dance party ending. I think he alone had three or four costume changes in this one song. Silver jumpsuit to florescent-taped t-shirt to orange camo to tribal headdress. Well done, Sufjan. |
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| Wavves – Green Eyes Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"My own friends hate me but I don't give a shit." The perfect line for Wavves. Especially after the whole Barcelona thing. Love it. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Is that St. Vincent on guest vocals? | |
| Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| It's a great sounding song, but i'm a little upset about their blatantly ripping off The Knife. Speed up "Heartbeats" a bit and throw in a little of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" (I know this comparison is nothing new) and you'd be damn close to creating this song. | |
| Surfer Blood – Twin Peaks Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Anyone else think this guy sounds an awful lot like Tim Kasher at times? Especially around the 'why is everything a chore...' section? | |
| Hot Chip – I Feel Better Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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goddammit, why do hot chip need to fall in with the auto-tune fad? that's not to say that this is a bad song (i actually like it quite a lot), i'm just sick to death of auto-tune. damn you, cher! |
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| Hot Chip – Thieves In the Night Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Anyone else hear some influence by The Knife on this track? | |
| Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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mind waves pouring through carry me forward to the tide where all my thoughts are found colored haze slowly looms piercing through like some perfumes while i'm just contemplating times distant looks from your face take me to another place in time where we were never found night dreams just awake in the end it's always fake and all your thoughts were meant to drown |
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