| Jens Lekman – The Opposite of Hallelujah Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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definitely one of my favourite jens songs (although it's so hard to choose). it's just gorgeous. i agree with anyone who says this song is about depression. i think that's quite obvious. but i think it's even more specific than that. i think jens is attempting to tell his sister about love (and, of course, the depression that a recent break-up has caused him). this may just be a personal association, but anytime i hear the word "hallelujah," i think immediately of the leonard cohen song. for those not acquainted with it, it's a gorgeous bitter-sweet song about love - about its power, about its pain. so, for me, this song is about jens teaching his sister about life, especially the pain that love has recently caused him. i think at this point in his life, love has left him completely disillusioned, and he is trying to tell her that it's not all it's cracked up to be. |
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| Belle & Sebastian – Seeing Other People Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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i agree with everyone who says this song is about two boy. the first time i heard it, without even hearing all the lyrics, i just got that feeling. it seemed so obvious, and yet at the same time it was difficult to pinpoint what exactly made me feel that way. being better acquainted with the lyrics now, there are so many little clues that in combination spell out the obvious fact that it's about two young men. "just for practice," seems to indicate that at least one of the boys isn't comfortable with the situation and is trying to assure himself that he's not gay - they're just fooling around for practice. as other people have said, "all the other boys," pretty much spells out that the two parties involved are male. "a hand over my mouth" and "a hand over the window" both denote feelings of secrecy and of shame. as others have said, "kissing your elbow" refers to the old folktale about how touching your elbow with your lips will change your sex. the part about "going off with girls" spells out that whoever he's fooling around with now is clearly not female. "at least they know where to put it" showcases some of the awkwardness in early experimentation - not knowing how it works, etc. there's only a few of the clues. many other people have dissected the others. i don't think there's anyway this song isn't about two boys, but at the same time it doesn't matter who it is about. it's a great song. and judging from the amount of responses here, listeners like it and can relate to regardless of the sex of the characters. |
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| Aesop Rock – Coffee (feat. John Darnielle) Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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i totally agree with the others who said its about consumerism. the idea of coffee and what it represents in north america (and probably all of western society) is all about mass-consumerism. i think the use of zombies in the music video also supports that idea. at the same time, i can see where "coow" is coming from. who's to say it can't be a combination of the two? first time i saw the video, i literally got chills when john darnielle came on screen. the lines about the 1967 colt - can't even explain what that did to me. not sure how many people here are fans of jd and his work, but in one of his most famous songs, the breathtaking "going to georgia," he speaks about a 1967 colt. that song is about desperation and about coming home to the one person who can save you from yourself. it also seems to be a song about war (as colt 67s were a standard issue for vietnam), so maybe there is some of that influence in this song. he ending part made me really sad, as it seems to maybe hint at what happens if you don't have someone to come home to. |
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