Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
They say in chess, you gotta kill the queen
And then you mate it
Oh I, do you?
A funny thing, the king who gets himself assassinated
Hey now, every time i lose
Altitude
You took a town by storm
The mess you made was nominated
Oh I, do you?
Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've overstayed it
Hey now, every time I lose
Altitude
[Chorus]
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
My fortune faded
The medicated state of mind you find is overrated
Oh I, do you?
You saw it all come down and now it's time to imitate it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude
[Chorus]
Come on God, do I seem bulletproof?
Ooooooooooh
[Chorus: x2]
And then you mate it
Oh I, do you?
A funny thing, the king who gets himself assassinated
Hey now, every time i lose
Altitude
You took a town by storm
The mess you made was nominated
Oh I, do you?
Now put away your welcome, soon you'll find you've overstayed it
Hey now, every time I lose
Altitude
[Chorus]
So divine, hell of an elevator
All the while my fortune faded
Nevermind the consequences of the crime this time
My fortune faded
The medicated state of mind you find is overrated
Oh I, do you?
You saw it all come down and now it's time to imitate it
Hey now, every time I lose altitude
[Chorus]
Come on God, do I seem bulletproof?
Ooooooooooh
[Chorus: x2]
Lyrics submitted by JinxmeCrazy, edited by GwiberWyrdd
Fortune Faded Lyrics as written by John Frusciante Michael Balzary
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
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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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
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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/
Agreeing with hyphen15 about the meaning of the song. Someone who gets a thrill from petty crime/life of drugs and getting away with it. I have just read 'Scar Tissue' and I feel I can relate it to Anthony's younger years. He and his mates were always involved in petty crime - theft, mostly, as well as trespassing, and doing drugs, mostly pot but sometimes coke.
The "hell of an elevator" makes me think about Sonny Bono, who is Anthony's godfather. In 'Scar Tissue' Anthony talks about going to Sonny's house when he was 12, and in Sonny's mansion there was this 'carved-wood' elevator. Bored out of his mind, Anthony decided to 'play' on the elevator, going up and down, and then suddenly it got stuck and he had to be rescued. From the book: "Sonny never screamed at me or demeaned me in front of all the adults who were watching this rescue. He just calmly taught me a lesson to respect other people's property and not play in things that weren't meant to be played in. I never liked that there might be some expectation of how I should behave in order to be in that world. I was a twelve-year-old kid, destined to be misbehaving and out of line".
"Come on God, do I seem bulletproof?" is a great line. Could be referring to his drug use and the sneaky things he used to do to get syringes or obtain the drugs, and after reading his book there are SO many situations he could have actually died, not necessarily from an overdose, but from where he had to go to get drugs :/ And being high whilst driving etc.
"The medicated state of mind you find is overrated Oh I, do you? You saw it all come down and now it's time to imitate it Hey now, every time I lose altitude" Pretty self-explanatory I think. Every time he comes down from 'altitude' (being high) he needs to replicate that feeling somehow. He repeatedly says in 'Scar Tissue' that the first 'high' always feels the best, and the ones that come straight after never feel as good. You are always trying to replicate that first shot but are never able.