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| Ben Folds – Landed Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Wow, when I really listened to this song it took me aback. It really reminds me of a relationship I was in a few years ago. He wasn't a bad person, but we just didn't work out as a couple- he was too controlling and insecure to be with me. The part about daily dramas out of nothing... and feeling crazy from it all... Ben Folds really captures that kind of experience so well. There aren't words for how well he observes and describes so many human experiences. |
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| Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – 40 Day Dream Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Notice in the middle it sounds like the Beatles... reminiscent of "Magical Mystery Tour" (obvious connection) and similar songs. Can I add that this song is like a religious experience for me the more I listen to it? |
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| Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – 40 Day Dream Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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This is such a great song. Dreamy poetic lyrics with just an edge of darkness, uplifting melody, and as meaganelizabeth pointed out, a Bowiesque moment. I heard it on "Chuck" and immediately looked it up. I'm gonna check out this band. |
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| The Big Pink – Dominos Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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zoetoff, I definitely think he says that. I went back and checked after I read your comment.
Great song- such a full, rich, lush sound. The lyrics are just like you said- "deliciously egotistical." |
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| Bob Dylan – Tangled Up in Blue Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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What is really cool about this song is that almost all of the interpretations here make sense. Usually I can find holes in interpretations people post on this site, but this song can be interpreted so many ways, and all of them reveal things about life and the human experience.
The alternate lyrics posted by CoryGreenwell made me think of another interpretation to throw into the mix:
"We always did love the very same one
We just saw her from a different point of view"
Perhaps he is writing as different men loving the same woman? |
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| Kanye West – Flashing Lights (feat. Dwele) Lyrics
| 15 years ago
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One thing I like about Kanye's lyrics (and some of his videos) is how he ties so many images and concepts together. One phrase can have multiple meanings. Although "Flashing Lights" primarily refers to the paparazzi cameras, when I watched the video, I thought of the twinkling city lights in the background as she walks away from the fire. In the very beginning, too, the red headlights of the car seem to be glowing (although not flashing.)
I actually liked the Nazis line... I just thought it was clever. I can see why some would be offended, though. |
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| Ben Folds – Carrying Cathy Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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So many good comments here! I see the suicide aspect of the song, and clearly Ben Folds has said it's about suicide, but I think it could also describe someone who has had a mental breakdown of sorts- they've climbed out the window and fallen into the darkness of mental illness/insanity. Either way, it's a poetic song that tells a sad story in a beautiful way. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – The Boxer Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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keytothehighway, I totally agree:
"I think it's a testament to how beautiful this song is that it can be about to hope and endurance, or about fragility and inertia."
There are so many moods and messages to this song, and I love it for it. |
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| Kanye West – Big Brother Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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If you admire somebody, you should go head and tell em',
People never get the flowers, while they can still smell em'.
Those are wise words. |
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| KT Tunstall – Saving My Face Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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I've heard it's about plastic surgery too- the pressure for older stars to get it or their careers will go down the tubes. The video seems to have plastic surgery tools in it, too- the silver things that float around. I feel like it's also about broader themes of going one's own way and feeling burnt out and empty. |
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| Sheryl Crow – Shine Over Babylon Lyrics
| 16 years ago
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This song gives me chills when I hear it- it's got such soul, so many stories behind it, you can just tell. In a broad sense, it's about the journeys we take in life, about the things we see, about the struggles and attempts we make.
Some parts are a bit more specific, like the "madman oiler drillers"- could be Bush, could be people who don't care about the environment, could be a reference to Iraq... but to me, this song is about so many things, about an attitude towards life from someone who's seen a lot. |
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| Laura Nyro – Sweet Blindness Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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I've heard the 5th Dimension's version of this song, and I absolutely love it. It's so fun and beautiful! Plus, it seems like a lot of songs about drinking are about getting drunk and then doing shady stuff, but this one is so innocent! It's great. |
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| Bob Seger – Fire Lake Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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AGM 88, I love your explanation. I listened carefully to the lyrics of this song earlier and was trying to figure it all out. I did think of the Fire Island gay resort connection, but the rest of it didn't really match with that, so I figured it wasn't about that. Very good song, and clearly a tribute to "Uncle Joe." |
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| ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – A Classic Arts Showcase Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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If this is about a show on college TV, could the lyrics refer to a time during college? It isn't really important to the meaning of the song; I'm just curious. Kirkwood Ave. is the name of a street right off of the Indiana University campus, which is what made me wonder, although there are plenty of streets named Kirkwood. I don't know what the Stone and the NME (enemy?) are, though. |
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| Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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The Weathermen took their name from this song. This song came out in 1965 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subterranean_Homesick_Blues ] but the Weathermen did not form until later in the decade, gaining attention in 1969 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weatherman_(organization) ].
Oh and spanishpriest, I think you are onto something; I really liked it when the card at the end just said WHAT? However I do think there is a lot in this song- it's not just random phrases- there's an underlying meaning, or at least an attempt to capture a feeling or zeitgeist. Well, that's my take, anyway... I'd be glad to hear other opinions. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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From visiting Sault St. Marie, I know that it is a big port for Great Lakes shipping boats, and that is where the famous doomed ship, the Edmund Fitzgerald, was docked (I believe). There is a museum of shipwrecks there, too. Thousands of boats have sunk in the nearby lakes over the centuries. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Decatur, or Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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Don't worry, Sweet_Amity, America is full of towns like the ones in the song- there are so many, it would take forever to learn all of them. I'm a pretty well-informed person, well-traveled person from the next state over, Indiana, and I'd never heard of a lot of the towns mentioned in this album. Half of the fun is learning about these new towns. |
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| John Legend – Number One Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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This song amuses me. I think he knows she has every reason to leave him and wouldn't really blame her, but he does like her and wants her to stay in his life as a constant. I'd leave him, but I just couldn't hate the guy... he's too funny and likeable, the way he comes off in this song. |
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| David Bowie – Cracked Actor Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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Oh yeah, this is a great dirty rock-n-roll song. One of my favorite David Bowie ones. It reminds me of the dirty urban sound of "All the Young Girls Love Alice" by Elton John.
I like the different perspectives "davidbeauy" offered up- I definitely agree, it seems to be from a former star.
Amusingly, at first I thought he was singing, "Crack baby crack, show me your rear." |
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| David Bowie – I'm Afraid of Americans Lyrics
| 18 years ago
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I agree with the general consensus that this song is about the fear the world has of America, and the mindless following of popular, true-blue American culture by its people. (Not to say, of course, that other countries don't have mindless followers of their own culture, but that's another story.) In addition, when I heard the "God is an American" part, I saw it as David Bowie mocking the American assumption that God is just a typical American. Perhaps he is stating it over and over to impress the listener with how absurd a statement it really is. I could see it being other ways, but that's what it meant to me. |
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| Dave Matthews – Stay Or Leave Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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I see this as BeYourOwnGirl does. I like EndlessReverie's interpretation too, but for me, this is a poetic summation of breakups. My favorite line:
"Remember we used to dance
And everyone wanted to be
You and me
I want to be too"
This gives me such a visual image of a happy, perfect couple, and the later heartbreak of remembering such a moment.
"Well isn't it strange how we change
Everything we did"
That line is so poignant too- indeed, after someone is gone, their absence is felt in everything.
Next time I have a breakup, I won't listen to this song for a while, because it's so good I don't want to associate with anyone in particular. |
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| Gavin DeGraw – Chemical Party Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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I agree with pretty much everyone. He's into a girl, but turned off by her partying. She's caught up in the atmosphere and doesn't even care about him; she's not interested in anything but herself and chasing after a "good time." |
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| The Beatles – In My Life Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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Ever since I was a child, growing up hearing my dad play the Beatles in the house, this song has moved me. I'm still young- just 18- but especially since I've gone off to college, this song rings even more true. It can give me goosebumps or make me cry. I really liked reading what other people think of it too, and some of the history behind it.
Funny question: Does anyone else remember this song being in the movie "Lassie," the one that came out about 10 years ago? I loved that movie back then, and I always cried when this song is played and the boy gets upset because it reminded him of his mom. |
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| Counting Crows – A Long December Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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This is such a great song. I love singing with it... it has such raw emotion. I loved "The Lovely Bones", slinkstersars, by the way! |
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| Ben Folds Five – Brick Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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Oh, and my mom is fine now, thanks to a miracle... I just wanted to add that! If I mention her illness, I sometimes forget to tell how she was cured, and people usually ask me. |
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| Ben Folds Five – Brick Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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I never saw the abortion meaning, but now it makes even more sense. Also, I hope people stop talking about politics on this lyrics site- it's their right, certainly, but I must say I felt good not seeing much political discussion (until the end). Especially since the song, and the singer, are trying to stay away from the political side of it all. The discussion on here, all in all, has been very interesting.
ANYWAY, enough about that. I find it very interesting to know Ben wrote it about abortion. It's such an eloquent, moving song. I was only 11 when it came out, but it came at a very rough point in my life, when my mother had cancer. That is probably why I associate it more with cancer. Although I didn't think my interpretation made perfect sense, I kind of saw it as the girl having cancer, or some such disease, and how their relationship was strained and changed by it. I continued to think of it like that all these years, and I still probably will to an extent. |
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| Phantom Planet – California Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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I love The O.C. too... and no, that is not where I first heard the song. But now I can't help but to associate the two somewhat. I really enjoy this song and many others, especially "Lonely Day." Phantom Planet is a very versatile group, and I love the different styles they do.
FOOTNOTE: I wish people wouldn't be so rude to other users. It is unnecessary. |
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| The Beatles – Revolution 9 Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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I agree with Turtle_Soup, this is a weird song to hear alone at night. It gives you the creeps. I have no interpretation of this song... I have no opinion really... the only reason I'd listen to it is if I was in a weird mood and wanted to laugh at it. I love the Beatles, though. |
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| Phantom Planet – Lonely Day Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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I agree with veroism, this is a song about loneliness that is sung happily. I appreciate it for not being a depressing, wallowing song. It's one of my favorites. |
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| Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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OH I totally forgot the BEST PART about this song for me.
Two years ago, when I was a junior in high school, my concert choir sang this. And we "did it proud." There was no way we were gonna mess up a song this awesome. We did it in a fun way. Usually we wore long purple robes and stood still, but right from the beginning, we did funny "interpretive" choreography. We interpreted it as having a trial in the middle. One guy played the "poor boy" and others dragged him off during the trial scene. Later he returned, at the end. The best part was during the guitar solo (one guy played electric guitar really well) when we all tore off our robes! We all had on black pants and different-colored T-shirts. At the very end, one guy hit a gong. We were the hit of the show. It truly was my best memory of high school choir. |
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| Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody Lyrics
| 19 years ago
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I think this is one of the finest songs ever. I know most Queen songs, too, and this is one of their best.
I'm very sorry to see people ridiculing each other's interpretations. It is one thing to correct someone's facts, or discuss what they said politely, but remember that a song can mean something different to every individual. That doesn't make the song any better or worse.
It's been interesting to read people's interpretations. The thing is, there isn't one "right" interpretation. Sure, the group or writer may have had one meaning, so that's obviously interesting, but as I'm learning in my English classes, any work can have infinite interpretations, and that is how it is supposed to be. Of course, some are incorrect when they say "Freddy meant it to be this..." But anyway, it's fascinating to see what some people have suggested.
the Vietnam War
death penalty
suicide
"The Stranger"
trial
bisexuality
sheer silliness
Mary Austin
These are probably the most interesting elements to me. The AIDS explanation is interesting. It is indeed true that it wasn't researched until 1980 and all that, and it is indeed true that in the late 70s, gay communities were realizing a terrible disease was spreading amongst them. The odds are very low that in 1974 or 75 Freddy Mercury knew about all this and was so affected by it that he wrote a song. Still, it isn't 100% impossible.
It's always fascinating to know what an artist meant by a song, but look at what the question is right above the comment box. It says it all.
"What does this song mean to you?" |
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