| Gregory Alan Isakov – Master and a Hound Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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@[think0fme:31670] The snow globe seems to be a gift the father gave his son a long time ago. And the wing-nut turned The song that we both know Sent us flying round the carnival I'm pretty sure the wing-nut would be the little nob you would turn to make music, lots of snow globes have them, so it seems the father gave the son a snow globe that played carnival music where they used to go a long time ago. So it's all about the father regretfully reminiscing and wishing he could go back to those times but knowing that he can't. |
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| Gregory Alan Isakov – That Moon Song Lyrics | 4 years ago |
| @[leeum:31668] Very nice, I was thinking along the same lines. Additionally, "that silver screen' could also be referring to the moon. The moon reminds him of the girl so everytime he sees it he feels his shame as if on display. | |
| Gregory Alan Isakov – Dandelion Wine Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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I agree, he's clearly referencing Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine." In that story, dandelion wine is a metaphor for capturing all the joys of summer to take with you throughout the winter. Summer days were just a magazine, a magazine A magazine It seems here the author is talking wistfully of summer days in the past, (as in he can picture them but they're not what's happening in front of you, sort of like a magazine?) Cutting grass for gasoline, for gasoline So I can see ya soon Dandelions grow in the grass and you would cut them to make the wine, so I think this is saying he's trying to make this dandelion wine so he can re-experience those great summer days. (a metaphor for 'the good old days," or anytime in your life that was great) (gasoline refers to the wine, which gives him the the ability to 'travel' back to those days) Fall swooned Left me drunk in a field Dandelion wine for a year Fall comes after summer, so I believe here he's saying those great 'summer days' ended and he was left drunk, ie: lost and disoriented. He got 'drunk' on the dandelion wine, that he drank to re-experience those great summer days but it didn't really do him any good. I think here he's also tapping into the theme of the "happiness machine" from the Bradbury's novel. In the novel, a character builds a machine that can show you amazing wonderful things, a sort of ideal, dream-world, that's designed to make you happy, but in reality, everyone who uses it becomes sad beacuse it's not real and despite all the amazing things they see they realize right away they will have to leave the machine and go back to their life. So here, the author's saying that using this 'dandelion wine' to travel back and re-experience the good old days is ultimately self-defeating, you're living i a dream world and not moving forward with your life. And I packed up the dust Of all that I owned Handkerchief hung from a pole I think this could be another reference to the novel. The character that makes the happiness machine ends up burning it and his whole garage down. Or, it oculd be a reference to him "packing up" all the stuff that's holding him back from the past, which can be refered to metaphorically as 'dust' because it's not actually real. Either way, these lines are saying the author has resolved to move on from the past. The handkerchief hung from a pole could be referencing a truce or surrender flag. He's saying he's given up on trying to re-live the good old days. I rolled out the day that the apples fell I understand this as referencing back to him being 'drunk' on the 'dandelion wine for a year,' so in the song, a whole year has past and fall has come again, (when the apples fall) but this time around, instead of wasting away his life trying to re-live the past, he's ready to "roll out," to move on and ahead with his life. |
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| Gregory Alan Isakov – She Always Takes It Black Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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My understanding is that it's about someone feeling selfless love for a significant other, but that love is not reciprocated and he (the author) finally realizes this. Dreaming up this golden grain But I'm falling from this shack Talking sweet to the queen Wishing I was riding with the jacks Each pair of lines is set up as sort of opposites, I think it's illustrating the radical difference between the illusory aspect of "blind" love and reality, where you can think you're "talking sweet to the queen" but really you're just not that important (to her) and you're "riding with the jacks". He's realizing this about this relatinoship. Walking proud and lonesome now Oh I'm yearning for the pack I think this refers to the relationship ending and now he's thinking over the whole thing. He puts on a act of being proud and totally fine, but he's really lonely inside and still loves this significant other. But I'd never say "I love you," dear Just to hear you say it back He's illustrating the selfless love he had for this person, it wasn't dependent on getting anything back from them. (To me, the "but" at the beginning hints to perhaps that this significant other would be the type of person to do this, but not him.) I've heard the road to every truth It's just a cul-de-sac In reflecting over this past relationship, he's questioning what he used to believe in and now isn't so sure. (A cul-de-sac is a circle, so he's saying truth is a matter of perspective, and it always leads back to who you are. Perhaps, he's saying he was so sure of the "truth" of this past relationship, but now he realizes it was just his perspective and hers was radically different) There's ladies and the lions there But you know it's just an act Ladies and Lions could refer to the classic archetype of the hero (lion/strong/savior type) and the damsel in distress. Along similar lines to the previous lines, he could be saying he doesn't believe in those "fairy tale" type of relationships anymore. It's "just an act" You search the world for the milk of the pearl She always takes it black But you'll love her till it all goes dark You'll love her even after that What an absolutely beautiful line. It's a metaphor for how he gave so much to her, he 'searched the world' for something beautiful for her, but she "always takes it black," (the metaphor continued--she doesn't take milk, very clever wordplay.) Meaning, she's not interested in what he gave to her, how much he sacrificed. Then he ends by reiterating the selfless love he still feels for this person, even after she didn't reciprocate any of his love and the relatinoship ended. So powerful. I think he ends with the last stanza in second person because he's saying that this is a very universal thing, he's recognizing this happens to many people. |
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