| Pixies – Is She Weird Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I think this is about liking a weird girl, maybe a goth chick. She is rich in little things, has nice clothes, etc, she is also weird & kind of sad, which is something he is drawn to. And I think "her head has no room" means he likes introverted women who think a lot...people who are lost in their own heads & who have interesting thoughts & daydreams. "Ripshit" means angry, and it seems she is sad and angry (perhaps for no apparent reason), and he thinks he can "save her" ("I'm here; your big man"). |
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| 311 – Prisoner Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| I think this is about a spiritual, imaginative girl (someone who is insightful and sensitive as if psychic) who feels trapped by the material, physical nature of the world. She may feel alienated from other people, like she is alone in the universe but wants to connect with someone. The song is appreciating that sort of girl and trying to comfort her. | |
| 311 – Use Of Time Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| I think it's about a creativity block, but perhaps also staring into the void instead of avoiding it with distraction (ie "but everytime I turn the volume down" part) . There is an expressed feeling about the dullness of repetition, like spinning wheels or a void of anything new. Trying feels forced, so it's like he is trying to just accept the lull in inspiration, even if it's a "confusing use of time". | |
| The Magnetic Fields – The Flowers She Sent And The Flowers She Said She Sent Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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I think this is about someone who has been putting on an image and is struggling to keep hold of that image as a relationship ends which is pushing them to face their own unawareness of their feelings. The song has this numb quality and the chorus hints at someone who is a bit inauthentic. The first verse has all this imagery about moving towards something, in this case, something that stands for happiness (Disneyland) but they are crying. They are leaving for this illusion of happiness. The second verse is also like a show of moving on or putting the past behind you (closing the antique shop), but also with imagery of being an ostrich (sticking your head in the sand). The ostrich bit implies the obliviousness they put on is a show - it's a coat. They want to appear unaffected, but it's not real - they are affected. The boa is a bit of a pun, as it can be an accessory to seem glamorous or the idea of a boa constrictor strangling you. The person's own mask is suffocating them. |
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| Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know? Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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This is a very straightforward song. The line "crawling back to you" shows this is about someone he was once with. He has been unable to get past this person and now he's realized he wants to get back together. He wants to know if she still feels the same way, but fears she may not, which is why he is hesitating to ask. However, he's so obsessed with the idea now that he's always on the verge of drunk-dialing her or kissing her suddenly. Obviously this is someone struggling with whether to contain his feelings or risk humiliation in admitting them to his romantic interest (who is an ex, apparently). |
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| Pulp – She's A Lady Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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His girlfriend left him and now he's going out drinking and sleeping around. He's miserable but pretending to be okay. The woman in verse 2 is one of those flings that he is claiming helped him move on (sounds like some kind of adult entertainer - selling nude photos of herself, just out to make money). Clearly he has not, because he keeps insisting his ex is going to come back to him. The title of "She's a Lady" is a contrast with the other women he's sleeping with now. He sees his ex as a lady - above these other women. I'm not sure who verse 4 refers to…. but I think it's the ex. He tried to make it work, but he was "always underneath", sexual innuendo, but more about her being in control. She had the upper hand in the relationship. I'm also not sure what "wore her body back to front" means. I'm thinking the whole verse is describing someone who was a bit of a mess emotionally. I think in verse 5 he's possibly talking to himself - it actually causes him pain to go out and get drunk and screw around, but he's going to keep doing it. |
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| The Sugarcubes – Hit Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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What is she saying in the chorus? It sounds like its Icelandic...? The lyrics here don't include it. |
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| Awolnation – Sail Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I think "blame it on my ADD" is sarcastic. It's a jab at how any behavior not aligned with some narrow definition of normal (note: how well one conforms to current structures in society) is "diagnosed". Individuals don't simply think and learn differently, they must be "wrong" in some way. He's offering all these other possibilities: his sick pride, being a different breed, etc, but then just sums it up as being his ADD. There's an avoidance of personal responsibility in that conclusion also - it's not HIM, but his ADD. I think the word "sail" can have a positive & negative meaning. It gives a sense of freedom, for sure, perhaps the result of one rejecting such a diagnosis and accepting themselves as-is. Or perhaps is reflects a kind of complacency, just "sailing along", with no direction in life, because the diagnosis has stunted their idea of who they can be. |
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| The Jesus and Mary Chain – The Hardest Walk Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| I agree... I thought "to see" was a pun of sorts. | |
| U2 – Desire Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Pretty sure the "she" in the song is the personification of desire, although certainly some double entendre with sexual desire, but I think that's still more of a tool to communicate the heat & intensity of this desire in a way most will grasp. I think he speaks more of an ambitious desire, one that becomes almost like a lust. | |
| Morrissey – Something Is Squeezing My Skull Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| I think this song is a satire of the attitude that if someone is depressed or upset, then there is some problem with them, as opposed to it being a natural reaction to a messed up world. People think if you cannot cope with the lack of love, hope & friends in modern life, then you're the one who is messed up (depressed, disordered, whatever ; "by now I should have straightened myself out" - when the world is what needs to be straightened out). So the drugs numb you up to it all (can block out the present & the past), so you have no feeling to tell you when something is a violation. The idea that you should be calm & collected & happy all all the time is emphasized by the idea of being "excited" by the motion of a taxi, as if that slight raise in emotion is something which needs to be tranquilized by an injection. The begging at the end of "you swore" is indicative of someone overmedicated who is not really any happier, just unable to articulate anymore what it is that is the problem (something is squeezing my skull, something I can barely describe). | |
| Pulp – Wishful Thinking Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I think this song is about him lusting after a woman he was with once, but not being in love with her. The love he is singing about is more like sexual desire than tender feelings for her as a person. He got hooked on this woman & now he's sexually frustrated (like so many Pulp songs!). | |
| Interpol – Mammoth Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I agree that this is about his girlfriend's petty BS & being a pouty drama queen and he's saying "let's solve this". But she puts him off for so long he's beginning to lose patience in solving the issue, some of which is not about him (but her own issues). She's not communicating clearly, too subtle for him, and he admits he is clumsy & argumentative in trying to solve the problem. Spare me the suspense - Stop with the silent treatment & not clearly communicating what is wrong I got no currency, but I'm heaven-sent - He doesn't know how to fix things (no currency = ability or right way of communicating), but he has good intentions (angelic) Hey, lady wraith - An angry woman, obviously Oh, I so hope you try - He hopes she tries to solve the problem.... to communicate what is wrong. You're late, babe you know it's your time - I imagine this could be referencing PMS (ha!), but it could also mean that she's not quick to speak up when she has a problem, that it's her turn to communicate better I won't let you sit by So cold in the pitch night Alone you can't make amends - He's not going to leave her alone (as someone may request when angry "just leave me alone"), & instead he wants to talk it out & make amends We should dance like two fucking twins - This is sarcastic, mocking the idea that two people in a relationship will never have conflict or will always understand each other like twins. There are seven ancient pawnshops along the road - I think this is a reference to past grievances or grudges from previous relationships which are being dredged up in the current relationship I know seven aching daddies you may want to know - He did not "father" these grievances - he's pointing out that they came from other people, probably past romantic relationships. He's saying she may want to discover the real root of her anger, and that it's not him. I got a taste, a taste, a taste and it's time - He's got a taste for arguing sometimes It’s enough with this fucking incense - A pun of sorts.... where there is smoke, there is fire, so incense is like the smell of being incensed (angry); her bad mood is like a subtle smell filling a room When you played your heart out You made me turn around - When she finally opened up about how she was feeling, it caught his attention; he cares Wait, oh you froze in the night You're late, there's a hole in the sky - She never came around to work it out. The hole in the sky is their future, which will suffer because she didn't try to solve their conflict. No haste, no lesson, no lie - They weren't quick to solve the problem, no lesson has been learned Got a taste that I can't deny - He can't lie that now he just has a desire to argue, less desire to bend & make amends; perhaps he's entertaining just ending the relationship now You wait till you know that it's time You say that you set black fires - She waits until it's the prime opportunity to get her way...? "Where there is smoke, there is fire" reference again, she is saying she gives clear signs of when she's upset like black smoke - but to him it was like incense - subtle, hard for him to grasp. |
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| Interpol – All Fired Up Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Oh yeah, there is obviously a vengeful tone here. In regards to how it relates to romantic/sexual love, I think it's about taking revenge on women a bit. There's a bitterness there & he is sadistically getting pleasure from destroying lovers, which the part about watching sweethearts bleed & break touches on. | |
| Interpol – All Fired Up Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I definitely think this is from the perspective of Satan, which I think is being used to explore the dark side of human nature in regards to destructive desire. I dream of you draped in wires and leaning on the brakes - This is about someone heading fast towards destruction; Satan dreams of people in this situation because according to the Bible he is bitter about his own future destruction & wants to take as many down with him as he can. As I lead you with restless liars and dealers on the take - Being led with other sinners to permanent death -And I can read you like a gumshoe; watch this meeting hall sweat and shake He reads people by studying their outward behaviors because he cannot read their minds (Biblical reference again - only God can read minds), and he sees people even in a church (meeting hall) "sweating & shaking" over their own sinful nature, meaning they are able to be corrupted also I haven't struck you with desire, fault line, no crutch, no stall - The Bible says man is drawn out by his own desires, his own sin, so Satan doesn't have to strike them with that..... just play on the sinful nature that exists And I can bind you with no ties or leash and watch you fall - He doesn't have to trap anyone or force them into anything, but simply watch them fall by tempting desire they willingly follow See, I got this soul It's all fired up - He's fired up with anger to destroy people while he still has life (a soul) I teach you of Death's desires reflected in lakes - The Lake of Fire in the Bible is the 2nd death, or permanent destruction from which there is no hope of future life. This is where Satan is said to be permanently destroyed eventually, and anyone who is judged as a goat will be destroyed with him. As I lead you in a fearful file to a precipice of fate - In the Bible, when Jesus exorcised demons from a person they went into nearby sheep which them drove themselves off a cliff to death. I think this is an idea of sheep-like people (generally good people) being "possessed" by Satan and then judged by Christ, thus leading to their destruction. Again, it's about Satan corrupting "good" people. I'll take you on when your, your will is gone - The describes Satan as waiting for opportune times to tempt people, namely when they are "weak" Now that the literal interpretation is clear, with its many Biblical allusions, I believe this is also a metaphor for human nature & perhaps romantic & sexual love. I think he is comparing himself to Satan in the way that he may seduce a woman, draw out her own desires, and the destruction is through romantic/sexual love (gone wrong of course). And he does it because he's filled with his own passion & knows it will destroy him also, so he has no mercy or pity in his seductions. |
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| Echo and the Bunnymen – The Cutter Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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There may be allusions to circumcision, but that's not what the song is literally about. The song is about preparing yourself for some future you feel in your bones, overcoming your flaws to be who you need to be, and examining your personal meaning. Circumcision was a physical sign of being one of God's chosen people, and for Christians a "circumcision" of the heart means a cutting out of fleshly desires (which the literal circumcision symbolized). He's grappling with the idea that he may not be special or significant or worthy or possessing goodness - "not just another drop in the ocean". Perhaps he resents outward signs requires - ie. spare us the cutter could both being spared a sign like circumcision or - as someone else mentioned - a reference to money a la the film Clockwork Orange. Money of course is a symbol for outward value, worth, influence, etc. |
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| Violent Femmes – Add It Up Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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Agreed... and I thought the "broken down kitchen" part was describing a teenage party, not a brothel. I think "broken down kitchen" may even be a slight metaphor for "nothing happening" sexually for him. He gets to the top of the stairs & nothing worthwhile is there (ie. he puts effort into a relationship with a girl who won't put out). The "add it up" part is definitely about the girl weighing what she's willing to do in order to keep this guy around. He is asking she "add it up" (his time, energy, etc), and then pay what he feels she "owes" him (ie. sex). I think the loaded gun part is about a kind of sense of entitlement he has too, perhaps compounded by a mother who is caught up in her own issues (ignoring her teenage son; now he feels resentful towards all women, sexuality is like a weapon against them, etc). Definitely a veiled reference to sexual frustration & back up sperm (haha) & the kind of jerk it's turned him into. Some of the other "oh my mothers" aren't literal.... they're like "hot mama" expressions, nothing to do with a real mother, but rather an object of desire. |
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| The Smiths – Accept Yourself Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I think he wrote this song to himself... like the way you may have an inner dialogue where you tell yourself to accept yourself. The shoe part is amusing | |
| The Smiths – Is It Really So Strange? Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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The gay interpretations seem lazy to me. It always reminds me of this Moz lyrics: "Most people keep their brains between their legs". There's more to life than sex... I think his lyrics are way less specific than people think too; more about general concepts of feelings/relationship dynamics that anyone can relate to, regardless of sexual preference. I think this song is about being in love with someone you don't know well, which people find strange (as in "creepy"). The object of his interest is creeped out by his obsessive infatuation. The traveling around part is a metaphor for trying to escape a feeling instead of facing it, but you can't get away from it. Instead, you just get confused |
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| The Smiths – A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| Agree about the colonial metaphor for love....but I think the "people who are uglier" part is about those doing the colonizing, because "they take what they need & just leave", the way the colonists take natural resources, etc, then leave problems. This is about someone feeling that whoever had "occupied" them (in love) was lesser, but because they pushed for it, then got what they wanted out of the relationship. | |
| Fiona Apple – Regret Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I think "You didn't know how to yet to bein' seen" should be "You didn't know how REACT to bein' seen". | |
| Fiona Apple – Left Alone Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I think it's "orotund" mutt. I have no idea what "chauven'd" means - anyone want to explain that? I keep thinking it sounds like "a sure and orotund mutt... | |
| The Black Eyed Peas – Just Can't Get Enough Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I hope Depeche Mode is getting royalties for this song. The melody is not quite the same, but the concept is a total rip-off, right down to simply repeating "I just can't get enough" as the chorus. Black Eyed Peas are so unoriginal. | |
| Mazzy Star – Bells Ring Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I agree it is "it isn't true about your father", and it DOES make sense if you think of it to mean a heavenly father. This song is using devotion to religion as a metaphor for love. It's basically comparing love to faith, as a similar trust in the existence of non-physical things is involved. The end is saying she believes in love & doesn't care if it's "real" because it's what she wants ("Look on if you believe / Don't want to say that I'm through with it / Just want to be right by your side"). | |
| Zwan – Honestly Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Are these official lyrics? This is what I hear differently: Honestly, all the weather(ed) storms I bring Are just a picture of my needs 'cause when I think of you as mine And I allow myself with time To lean into the life we want I feel loved, honestly I make a joke so you must laugh I break your heart so you must ask Is this the way to get us back I don't know, honestly --- I'm not sure if it's "weathered", as a sort of pun (as in, his "storms" are affectations to get attention for his needs, but it's tiring to other people), or just "weather", but the rest is pretty clear to me. |
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| Cat Power – He War Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This is a breakup song about resisting being won back by the ex. The relationship ended, but the guy is trying to win her back, to fight for her, but it's an ego/territorial/power issue, not because he really loves her. She knows this because she's the same person she has always been, not some "hot new chick" he might be infatuated with, but the girl he wouldn't "let run with it" or the girl whose flaws he could not overlook. She knows if the get back together, the same problems will occur, as she already is onto his "same old tricks". I never meant to be the needle that broke your back - she never meant to be a negative aspect in his life; this is a line establishing the relationship between them went bad & that he saw her as the problem You were here, you were here, and you were here - she's remembering when he was there, when they were together (I imagine this like a "you are here" sign, but instead a "you were here" sign, representing a memory of where they once were, the time when they were in love) Don't look back - she's telling herself not to look back, maybe telling him also He war, he war - I think this symbolizes the territorial nature of men, how they fight for things out of pride & ego He will kill for you - he will fight to get her back now that they are apart, but it's not out of love, but the need for a power over her or to feed his ego, just as men often war to gain power so they can feel superior Hide From who you can - she is talking to herself here, saying to hide from these attempts of his, basically to ignore him so as not to be won over by him again You know you can - she is telling herself she can hide from his attempts; the female nature here is not to war, but to avoid confrontation, to hide, so her resistance to him is passive avoidance I'm not that hot new chick - she knows she's not a new love interest, so his attempt to win her back is not the way one pursues a new girl; he knows her flaws & she isn't buying an idealizing of her now And if you won't let me run with it - he won't let her "get away" with the stuff the way you do in the beginning of the relationship; he knows her flaws & he didn't accept her as is, so she knows can't be herself with him & he never will let her "run with it" or accept her flaws. We're on to your same old trick - she's familiar with his tricks too, so she won't fall for this attempt of his to win her over Get up and run away with it - she's telling herself to get up & run from him because he won't let her be free & be herself, and she's telling him to leave also; she wants to move on |
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| Cat Power – The Greatest Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I think this song is about giving up on your dreams/hopes/goals because you've lost confidence in yourself due to obstacles in life. The funeral/burial images symbolize giving up on life; it's a resignation to "death" of hope. Death is painted as an inevitable end, but also peaceful (sleeping) and protective (armor) because it's the opposite of life with its hopes & disappointments. She's tired & giving up, when once she felt strong & capable. ------- Once I wanted to be the greatest - she had great hopes & dreams for herself No wind or waterfall could stall me - she felt confidence in herself, able to take on any obstacle to her goals And then came the rush of the flood - reality hits Stars of night turned deep to dust - her dreams dissolved in the face of reality Melt me down Into big black armor - this is possibly referring to a coffin; it's an armor against life & its disappointments. If you're dead, you cannot feel. This is about a death of hope though; if you cannot hope, then you cannot be disappointed. It's a kind of protection from bad feelings, to go numb. Leave no trace of grace suggesting your honor - resignation that she will not be the greatest, that she will not leave any significant mark Lower me down To culprit south Make 'em wash a space in town For the lead And the dregs of my bed I've been sleepin' - the idea of sleeping is peaceful; death is painted as a relief from the disappointments of failing to meet her dreams Lower me down Pin me in Secure the grounds For the later parade - funeral & burial imagery for the theme of giving up on life Once I wanted to be the greatest Two fists of solid rock - she used to feel strong, determined & capable With brains that could explain Any feeling - she used to feel smart & able to articulate herself The rest of the song repeats the funeral/burial imagery. |
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| Interpol – Take You on a Cruise Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This is my interpretation of the song: It's about a relationSHIP (har har!). This is about someone who idealizes women & creates these fantasy futures with them. He tries & possible succeeds in winning this woman over through flattery & aggressive pursuit because he is so sure they have something special. However, he cannot open up to her, and he resists her "finding" him, or seeing his true self. As a result, the song suggests there is no real connection between them (scavenger between the sheets of union), just a fantasy of sailing off into the sunset happily ever. He's put her on a pedestal (white goddess, etc) & has over-idealized their future, which is unlikely to ever turn out in reality. I'm timeless like a broken watch - He's mocking himself. A broken watch is useless; he feels deficient in some way, but is still trying to seem impressive I make money like Fred Astaire - Fred Astaire dances for his career; this is a metaphor for kissing up to get something you need, not money in this case, but admiration/love. He "does a dance for" or flatters women to get them to like them. He puts on an act, and he does what they want/expect to win them over. I see that you've come to resist me I'm a pitbull in time - She's not responding to his flattery, so he becomes like a pitbull, stubborn & aggressive in his approach now instead of charming The pretense is not what restricts me It's the circles inside - His act is not the problem, it's the fact that he doesn't quite know his true self behind it, so he's restricted by it because he can never drop it & open up to someone The anatomy of kisses and a teacher who tries - You can't dissect love; anyone who is trying to make it into a science is trying too hard Who knows how we'll disappear? - Who knows how this "relationship" will end, it's not predictable Would you like to be my Misses and in future with child? - He sees a future with her, a dream of an ideal life You know we can't get back from here - They can't have that future dream in their current situation But we can get away - He dreams of getting away from his current life, and sees her in this future. It's a fantasy of running away with a person he's idealizing in the moment. Baby don't you try to find me - He feels he cannot be truly understand Baby don't you try to fight - He's telling her not to resist his love Baby don't you try to find me Lady it will be alright - He's reassuring her of their future together Along the way Tears drown in the wake of delight - He imagines they'll find true happiness together, drowning out past sadness There's nothing like this built today You'll never see a finer ship in your life - Their relationSHIP (hehe!) is special, not typical, it has a lot of promise to keep going for a long time, it's a unique & quality connection We sail today - this image also reminds me of "sailing off into the sunset", the ultimate happy ending Tears drown in the wake of delight There's nothing like this built today You'll never see a finer ship or receive a better tip in your life - the tip part is referring to the suggestion she go along with him on this journey in life, that it's got a lot of potential I am the scavenger between the sheets of union - He's having trouble finding a real connection between them; the intimacy he imagined may not exist, as his feelings may have been based entirely on fantasy Lately I can't tell for sure whether machines turn anyone - not sure what this means??? Are you the scavenger Between the sheets of union? - now he's wondering if she's idealized him also & doesn't really know him, so that she too is trying to find what actually unites them Lately I can't tell for sure whether machines turn anyone White goddess, red goddess, black temptress of the sea - he's putting her on a pedestal You treat me right - he's happy with her Oh my love, we are sailing to Norway - he imagines their relationSHIP sailing into some faraway place; it's expressing a desire for a new life, making this girl a part of a running away fantasy to something better |
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| Dum Dum Girls – Coming Down Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| I think this is about falling out of love with someone. It's a breakup song; the person hurt her, and now that she sees the person more clearly she is "coming down" from that high of being in love with them. But it's a hopeful coming down, even if sad; she is moving on, getting back to normal, so that it's just like a faint taste in her mouth now (faint bitter taste maybe?). If that person wants to plead their case (maybe to win her back), they'd better "make it strong". | |
| The Strokes – You Only Live Once Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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some people think they're always right others are quiet and uptight others they seem so very nice nice nice nice nice inside they might feel sad and wrong --- The differences in people's personalities, obviously. Also noting how people can appear one way & feel another way. 29 different attributes only 7 that you like 20 ways to see the world 20 ways to start a fight ---Someone has 29 traits, but you only like 7, making it hard to get along with them. The differences in people's perspectives can cause problems. Hence "20 ways to start a fight". Basically, it's easy to focus on people's flaws & allow differences to cause conflict. don't don't don't get up I can't see the sunshine I'll be waiting for you baby cause I'm through ---He's telling the girl he's with to not make a big effort to change or please him (don't get up), basically. He can't see the positives right now (the sun shining), but he's willing to wait it out, because he's done with being overly critical of someone & throwing out a relationship with potential. sit me down shut me up I'll calm down and I'll get along with you --- He's telling her he'll get over his frustrations & make it work with her. oh men don't notice what they got women think of that a lot 1,000 ways to please your man not even 1 requires a plan ---He's telling her not to get frustrated either, and that it's true men take women for granted, but that it's not difficult to please them still. He's telling her she doesn't need to fuss a lot over the relationship, but to just enjoy it & go with the flow. countless odd religions too it does't matter which you choose one stubborn way to turn your back this I've tried and I refuse --- He again mentions the differences people have (religion, used as an illustration), & how they get stuck on their one viewpoint even if several may lead to the same good outcome. He sees this as a stubbornness which makes you blind to possible good things. He's been stubborn & blind before & it didn't work for him, so now he refuses to give into the tendency. In short, the song is about not being overly critical of someone you're in a relationship with, not focusing on their flaws, not stubbornly insisting on your way, not being impatient with them, not being overly demanding or accomodating, and basically getting over these negative perspectives, calming down, & appreciating the person for those qualities that drew you to them to begin with. |
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| Twin Shadow – Castles in the Snow Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Wanted to add: If the "Your checkered room and your velvet bow" is not an allusion to Alice and Wonderland as suggested (but I think it is also), then it's still alluding to some symbols that getting the girl he wants is just a fantasy. Her velvet bow may be a symbol that she is too good for him (or thinks she is), and the checkered room may be a reference to her playing games, or being hard to win, like a game of chess. | |
| Twin Shadow – Castles in the Snow Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Poster above explained the chorus well, IMO, and the main theme of the song, which is about unrequited infatuation. It's about focusing on a daydream of someone, knowing you cannot have their reality. My take on the verses... Here's all I know - he doesn't know much about her in reality Your checkered room and your velvet bow - He's like alice chasing after the rabbit down the rabbit hole to a distorted world; he's pursuing a girl he cannot have, but only in his imagination/dreams Your Elvis song in my ear - he became infatuated with her like you would a catchy pop song, she is stuck in his head That moonlit voice that I hear - this either means that when he is alone with his thoughts at night, he hears her voice, as in, she is all he thinks of; OR it refers to the voice of doubt he hears at night, reminding him that he'll never have her Now we are bold as brass - this is an expression which means overconfident, acting like you're gold when you're just brass We walk along our golden crest - people feel they are above others in their overconfidence, as a crest is the top of a hill We hide away for a week - people are afraid of reality, so they hide from it & become passive We only look and don't speak - this mixture of pride & fear keeps people from connecting, from pursuing a romantic interest, so they just look from a distance & don't actually talk; this & the above line also allude to games people play when they are infatuated |
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| The Kills – Damned If She Do Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| It should be "There's been a perception" | |
| The English Beat – Save It For Later Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Two possilbites: He is prone to dating women who are a bit wild. His current girl has cheated, and he feels bad, but he's an adult & will make a mature decision (he doesn't need his mother). He now has to decide whether he stays or leaves the girl. He needs some emotional support while he works out his decision (hold my hand). The chorus contemplates the destiny of most relationships, which is to end at some point. "Your legs give way, you hit the ground" refers to the inevitable end, where you give up trying to make it work. "You hit the deck, you get found out" means the relationship inevitably hits bottom & you are found out, possibly your cheating is discovered or just your true nature, which destroys the relationship. He says "save it for later", as in, maybe it will end sooner or later, but let's make it last as long as possible. He's telling her to not run away or give any reason to let him down. But it's too late - she let him down by cheating (You let me down). The second verse is a play on the phrase "deck" in the chorus, about the roughness of being at sea, which can be likened to a rocky relationship. He doesn't know how to be in such situations, with these crazy women...so he just goes with the moment (now, now, now). The last verse would refer to the reasons his girlfriend is giving him to stay together (why they should "suffer" for this). He's saying don't bother, but just to be here for him while he makes a decision about what he wants to do now. ------ As for the possible second explanation, it could be about wanting to prolong teenage dreams, the mindset & life of a youth without the restraints of adulthood. "Save it for later" means putting off growing up & the negatives that come with it. People tire out & give up sooner or later on their dreams, which prove unrealistic. Life inevitably lets you down. The first verse would refer to his growing up, no longer needing his mom, getting over naive fantasies (dozens of dirty lovers), and making big decisions on his own that will affect his adult life. But he's not fully ready for it, so he needs someone to "hold his hand" still. The middle verse refers to how life is rocky, like sailing on a pirate ship. He doesn't know how to act around this crazy assortment of people he is meeting as he leaves his teen years behind, so he's just going with the moment & not over-thinking it (now, now, now). The last verse is contemplating the dumb reasons people give for "suffering" through adult responsibilities. He doesn't want to hear the reasons, he just wants someone to support him while makes a decision about what to do with his life. |
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| The English Beat – I Confess Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| To summarize the above.....a guy has an affair because he's unhappy in his current relationship, partly because he has too high expectations & is prone to complaining. He does not care about the feelings of anyone involved or the consequences of the affair. His confession is an inevitable culmination of everything, and everything ends in a big, dramatic fight. Now he cares because he's realized he was a victim of his own actions, but he's trying to stay indifferent to it all because it won't solve anything to care now. | |
| The English Beat – I Confess Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Just out of spite I confess I've ruined three lives Now don't sleep so tight Because I didn't care till I found out that one of them was mine -He was having an affair, and he did not care about who got hurt. He confessed out of spite in an argument, but now he's also suffering because he is all alone. Night after night time, time after time Done too much of both types of w(h)ining Still wasn't right fight after fight 'Til "Get out of my life get away from me get away from that gun" -He was unhappy, whined a lot, did not deal constructively with his feelings, & there was a lot of drama in his relationship. No it's not a joke it's cards on the table time Yes I could have phoned I could have spoke But how to break the news without breaking your heart -He could have come clean in a less spiteful manner. Being dead don't hurt No only dying Cards on the table time Sometimes it's right to say goodnight -He's in the middle of a mess & feels like death would be better than this. He wants to put it all to rest now & move on (say goodnight). Always searching for paradise I'll admit that I'm good as blind, darling I confess yes I've ruined three lives Did not care til I found out that one of them was mine -He's never happy with what he has & sabotages it in the search for a non-existant perfection. He ruined his relationship & the happiness of all involved by having an affair. I confess Our love seems like a punishment And I confess If it's all the same to you I'll stay indifferent -He was unhappy in his relationship, it seemed more of a punishment at times than anything positive. He's trying to stay indifferent in the aftermath of his affair coming to light, and it's not that hard when he thinks about his unhappiness in the relationship. No-one wins and there's no denying Don't pretend like you don't know why Just a little word here a little push there Darling I confess, look I confess that I don't really care -Everyone loses in an affair & it always comes to light at some point (there's no denying). He's also saying his ex should know why he cheated & why he was unhappy; it wasn't like she was perfect either. He's also confessing that he is rather heartless - he did not care about the results of his actions or hurting anyone. Out like a light Another boy who's given up trying Blinded by fright He scream my life's not open Please get out I know I'm shouting I like to shout -He's done with trying to save the relationship. It seems to describe the final argument, complete with screaming & telling the other person to get out. It's not a joke it's cards on the table time It's not a joke it's cards on the table time -I had to look up the phrase "table time" - apparently its the time a pool or poker table is rented for. "The cards on the table time" then seems to mean the inevitable end to an affair that has its run its course, that has been like a game, and maybe even a bad gamble. His confession is not a joke, he is telling the truth now, and realizing it was inevitably going to come out. No, only dying Cards on the table time -The outcome of the card game is "dying" or the end to the relationship. He has lost this game. Always searching for paradise I'll admit that I'm good as blind Darling I confess yes I've ruined three lives And I didn't care till I found out that one of them was mine -Again, he was unrealistic in his expectations for his relationship, which led to his affair, which was a short-sighted "solution" (he was blind). He did not care about the people involved until he realized it led to his own unhappiness also. He has regret now, basically. I confess Our love seems like a of punishment I confess If it's all the same to you, I'll stay indifferent - Again, he's trying to maintain indifference, since caring won't solve anything now. |
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| Pulp – Pink Glove Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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True..."pink glove" is a sort of double entendre. "He doesn't care what it looks like Just as long as it's pink and it's tight" He's a bad lover....a "wham bam, thank you ma'am" kind of guy. Sex is just about getting off & his pleasure, so she just amounts to a vagina or a "pink glove", also symbolized by the pink lingerie he wants her to wear. Again, it kind of relates to "Do You Remember the First Time?" line: "Still you bought a toy that can reach the places he never goes". Again, Jarvis mocks his ex's new lover's bedroom skills.... |
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| New Order – Regret Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Maybe I've forgotten the name and the address Of everyone I've ever known It's nothing I regret -He has not kept in touch with those in his past....and he does not regret that aspect because he wants to block his past out. Save it for another day It's the school exam and the kids have run away -He avoids thinking about his past regrets, keeps putting it off to another day, like kids do when they have to study for a school exam...he's running away from his past problems. I would like a place I could call my own Have a conversation on the telephone Wake up every day that would be a start I would not complain of my wounded heart -He's idealizing a simple life as a solution to his angry & depressed feelings, and as a way to heal his wounds from past regrets. I was upset you see Almost all the time You used to be a stranger Now you are mine -This part almost seems like he realized his goal of a simple life with someone he loves, where he is emotionally calm & freed from his past mistakes. However, I think this part is something like a fantasy of being able to look back & not feel regret because you're happy with your current life. It's not something that has actually happened. I wouldn't even trust you I've not got much to give We're dealing in the limits And we don't know who with -He realizes that his fantasy is unrealistic. In reality, he would not even trust this "stranger" to be emotionally open with, and due to his depressed feelings, he doesn't have much to give to a relationship anyway. Plus, it's a huge risk ("in the limits"), and you never quite know who you're dealing with in a new relationship. In short, he knows that in reality, a new love would not solve his bad feelings & ease his regret. You may think that I'm out of hand That I'm naive, I'll understand On this occasion, it's not true Look at me, I'm not you -He's justifying his feelings. He may appear naive & out of hand emotionally at times, but he's saying its valid. No one else can really know how you feel & judge if it's justified or not. repeat chorus I was a short [out] fuse Burning all the time You were a complete stranger Now you are mine -Pretty much the same as above, only here he compares himself to a fuse that's shorted out to describe his emotional state. He continues to fantasize that a new love & simple life would solve his bad feelings. repeat chorus Just wait till tomorrow I guess that's what they all say Just before they fall apart -People often tell you that things will work out, get better in the future ("tomorrow"), etc, but he's mocking them here, saying that they say such things right before their own life crumbles. It's cliche advice and little comfort. -The song has a pessimistic view: the fantasy that life will improve is just that, a fantasy. In reality, life is a series of regrets. |
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| Tame Impala – Solitude Is Bliss Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| This song is such an Introvert Anthem! Love it! Obviously, I think it's about being introverted & finding your inner world more fascinating than interacting with other people. No one can compare to how the imaginative world in his mind makes him feel. | |
| Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Thanks for the instructions. bwahaha! >;-D> |
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| Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The song is partly about the hypocrisy of religion with its involvement in war & discreetly promoting non-peaceful attitudes, but it's also about the hypocrisy of the Law (or basically, human instituted forms of protecting morality). "Killing in the name of" refers to the concept of acting as some representative for God or the Law (or really Morality) and abusing that power. I hear the disputed lines as: "Some of those that worked forces are the same that bore crosses" "Those who die are justified by wearing your badge and your clothes in white". White clothes here may mean "purity" which is the facade of acting in the name of God or the Law to commit murderous crimes. These facades are used to justify killing people who get in the way of their real agenda. These people are hypocrites because their badge or cross or "white clothes" say they are one thing (a person for peace & protecting others), but they act in another way (using their power to persecute, hurt & even kill others). Blindly following these institutions is doing "what they told ya" & being "under control". These people only have power if you follow them & give them power. |
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| Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I agree that the song is partly about the hypocrisy of religion with its involvement in war & discreetly promoting non-peaceful attitudes, but I also think it's about the hypocrisy of the Law also (or human instituted forms of protecting morality). "Killing in the name of" refers to the concept of acting as some representative for God or the Law (or really Morality) when you have no authority outside of what other humans have given you. However the line is "those who died are justified by wearing their badge & their clothes in white". White clothes here may mean "purity" which is the facade of acting in the name of God or the Law to commit murderous crimes. These facades are used to justify killing people who get in the way of their real agenda. These people are hypocrites because their badge or cross or "white clothes" say they are one thing (a person for peace & protecting others), but they act in another way (using their power to persecute, hurt & even kill others). Blindly following these institutions is doing "what they told ya" & being "under control". |
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| Crystal Castles – Not in Love Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Loving the version featuring Robert Smith! | |
| Interpol – PDA Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Oh yeah, and the number "200" in relation to couches means there are have been a ton of offenses in the relationship. You could say "couches" are symbolic for arguments or problems, and the number is meant to show how many there have been, which is why the relationship is over. I think "sleep tight" is either sarcastic, meaning she is responsible for many of the problems & now she gets to "sleep" with that knowledge, or it's a reassurance to self that ending the relationship is best considering all of the problems. | |
| Metric – The Police and the Private Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Drugs & prostitution in this song are METAPHORS. On the surface, it is about not being able to trust people because you don't know if they are on your side or not. The song, however, is about trust in a larger sense, the trust it takes to get what you need, which is basically LOVE. Love is a risk, one which requires vulnerability, and you may never really know how the other person is going to deal with your heart. Will they hurt you or are they on your side? "We're all missing mama" means that as adults, we all search for that similar, unconditional love a mother gives, & the kind of comfort & safety a young child feels with its mother. Anyway, you can dissect it line for line, but I'm pretty sure that is the main theme. | |
| The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Come Saturday Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| It's "drummer" according to the official lyrics. It's referring to the band not having a drummer, so the summer is "wasted" as far as the band goes, but it's okay because they're "staying in" anyway. | |
| Pulp – Pink Glove Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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"Pink glove" is referring to lingerie - hence "baby-doll nighties with synthetic fluff" and it "fits you okay". The speaker's (Jarvis') ex girlfriend is basically dressing up in cheesey lingerie to please her current Significant Other (who has some pink lingerie fetish), and the speaker is mocking it as a way to mock their relationship. Of course, like most Pulp songs, the speaker is bitter about the fact that the girl is now with some lame, cheesey guy instead of him ("he's got your heart, you've got his soul"). He knows she will never leave her SO, but he wants her to have an affair with him & to admit she was happier with him. The speaker is saying she got it right first time, meaning she got it right when she was dating him & implying she is getting it wrong with her current SO. He's basically making a pass at her by saying she could "get it right" again with him, and to come "visit" him & lie to her SO about where she is going (to have an affair with him). "I know you think I've got to be joking, but if you touch him again, then I'm going" - I think this line is about his repulsion over her being with her SO, and possibly he has seen them engage in PDA and it stung him. OR, it's a threat that if she keeps sleeping with her SO, then he'll end the affair. In any case, he is expressing jealousy. I always thought this song tied in with "Do You Remember the First Time?". It has pretty much the same theme of bitterness over an ex & her new relationship. He mocks the new relationship, but still vies for an affair with his ex, claiming he doesn't really care & just wants sex. |
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| Pulp – I Want You Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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He was in love with a fantasy; he put this woman on a pedestal as his ideal ("You're all that I ever desired"). He is inevitably disappointed, because he cannot fit her in the "space that I provide you" (the fantasy). He even begins to disdain her a bit ("I could laugh in your face if I wanted to"). He also is scared of being vulnerable & losing his identity with her ("Oh yes I'll keep you and I'll throw myself away"), so he chooses to push her away when things get too close, to protect himself ("Still I'll kill you in the end / when it seems that it's getting too soft"). He's too coward to end the relationship himself or to express his feelings ("I couldn't make a sentence"), so instead the relationship dies slowly ("see it squirming, almost dead"). Then as the relationship finally ends, he of course realizes he still needs/wants her, but is too proud to admit it now ("and I'll curse my pride"). The conflict of feeling is interesting. He wants/needs her, but is scared of the real relationship & has a fear of losing his independence/identity as well as giving up on the fantasy. He chooses the fantasy, and rejects the reality, but has bitterness with himself over his own fickleness, because deep down he still wants/needs her, & he blew it. |
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| Pulp – Babies Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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xdvr summed it up.... He sleeps with the older sister as some sort of revenge, as he's bitter he cannot be with the younger sister he really cares for (as she's dating & sleeping with some other guy). The younger sister is the one he really wants for a gf, to have babies with & all that romantic future fantasizing you do when infatuated with someone. Of course, the older sister resembles the younger one, which also plays into his hooking up with her. She's the next best thing, & he's a horny, curious teenage boy who takes the surprise opportunity. He sings the whole song as some sort of confession to the younger sister, suggesting he still cares & hopes for some chance with her. The voyeuristic aspect of this song & many Pulp songs is, well, interesting to say the least :D. I also notice reoccurring themes of bitterness over a woman choosing another guy over the song's narrator. |
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| Pulp – Do You Remember The First Time? Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Oh yeah, and I want to add that I love these lyrics (and Jarvis' lyrics in general) because the song tells a story, but is much more than just the story. There are so many themes on love, emotions, human behavior & relationships running through the lyrics that make it more than just an interesting/witty narrative. | |
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