| Townes Van Zandt – Pancho & Lefty Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[LewBob:24774] Absolutely love this comment - it especially helps me process the first verse, which has always puzzled me. That biographical context regard shock therapy is haunting. I can't quite subscribe to the theory of Lefty being a bounty hunter who hadn't known Pancho prior. The lyrics lead me to think Lefty was an associate of Pancho who turned on him in order to buy his escape, for a few reasons: -The "...Federales say..." segment immediately after Lefty's verse uses the phrase "only let him slip away," - which I always thought was describing his act of leaving for Ohio a line or two before. It also suggests to me that Lefty was equally in trouble with the law (and that he turned Pancho in to secure his own financial reward and freedom). -The line where nobody knows "where he got the bread to go" suggests to me he was someone from the area familiar to the locals (not a random visitor from the North), otherwise they wouldn't have known enough prior context about him or his financial means to be openly pondering his leaving or his ability to do so. -The last verse suggests Lefty only did what he "had to do," and implies he feels guilt for it. I don't think those emotions would make as much since in a bounty hunter vs. target relationship, so much as they would explain a relationship of partners where one individual (Lefty) sold his associate out for his own wellbeing. -The moral tradeoff of the song seems to be how Lefty chose to sacrifice his relationship and the exciting but riskier bandit lifestyle, and in return secured the ability to now be stably "growing old" (but at the same time is saddled with guilt, and living more blandly, unglamorously, in a cheap hotel). On the flip side, Pancho met an untimely end, but has his story remembered by the ages. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Death With Dignity Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| I'm almost positive "aberration" should be "apparition" in the last verse. | |
| Barenaked Ladies – Piece of Cake Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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This song strikes me as a fairly explicit metaphorical account of the 2009 split with former-bandmate Steven Page (or really any breakup or removal of a negative situation from your life), through the metaphor of trying to messily cut out a piece from a cake. The opening verse of the song sets the stage: conflict, stress, fighting (“banging on the tabletops, screaming at the top of my lungs”), then follows with the day of the parting (“did it in a day”), and then the trauma/uncertainty of the immediate aftermath (“shaking from the aftershocks, never thought I’d steady again,” “going grey”). The chorus introduces the cake metaphor that is the crux of the song. Sometimes removing the piece that needs to be cut out can “make a mess, as we’ll see...” The second verse is the narrator’s stance on their involvement in the conflict buildup, suggesting it wasn’t his fault – that he “never wanted out” - and that the conflict/collapse came to him. I like the humorous imagery they use of him leaning on a doorway - and instead of walking through it on his own accord, the house falls toward/through him (thus making him “outside” in a sense... standing in what's left of the doorway amidst the rubble). Although the narrator didn’t feel he had a choice in their breakup/conflict, he warns future ‘cake-cutters’ about the inherent messiness of cutting out pieces without preparedness if they can help it (“...you never want to cut twice never having measured at all...”); but ultimately, he had no choice but to “leave...out” the measuring step in his specific case. The bridge is interesting. “Everybody knows, but no one knows what went wrong. So the story grows; you never let truth get in the way of a good song.” Essentially the narrator is saying that everyone [friends, family, the public] knows generally about the split, but no one really knows the intimate specifics of what went down. Given that, both parties of the breakup can “grow” their side of the story to their liking, and the perfect truth doesn’t really matter. This is a very similar sentiment to the conflict/framing/storytelling lyrics of the “Fog of Writing” bonus track from the Grinning Streak album. Great song overall; one of my favourite musically and lyrically from the new album. |
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| Barenaked Ladies – The Flag Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Amazing, amazing song. I also believe the turbulent relationship ended with someone dying at the end of the song, but I can't decide whether it's her or him. She's either escaping the abuse through death (suicide, or at his hands), or through going to prison for killing him - and whichever it is, the upbeat key change suggests that for her it finally represents some form of bittersweet freedom... The "steeple," the "cop car," and particularly the "raven" suggest the death. And per wikipedia: "...French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss proposed a structuralist theory that suggests the raven (like the coyote) obtained mythic status because it was a mediator animal between life and death.[1] As a carrion bird, ravens became associated with the dead and with lost souls..." To me it's not an accident that the raven imagery is especially repeated multiple times as the song fades out, alongside "the ribbons" -- which suggests that, after all of the warning sign flags of surrender and finality earlier in the song, the flag has finally been destroyed altogether. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Fourth of July Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| (I should clarify that I noted her name being "Carrie" to point out that she's half of the album's namesake) | |
| Sufjan Stevens – Fourth of July Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Carrie is the name of his mother, who left the family when Sufjan was young, and later died of cancer in 2012. This song is a (presumably imagined) conversation between Sufjan and her. This review elaborates more: http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/03/album-review-sufjan-stevens-carrie-lowell/ |
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| Laura Marling – Gurdjieff's Daughter Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I think it's "You can't see it, might be behind you" Also, "Who'll weep for them? Sometimes I do" (not "wait") |
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| Barenaked Ladies – What A Good Boy Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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I see it as about the weight of societally-imposed expectations – and in the song, they specifically don’t jive with the narrator’s (presumably romantic) desire for another person. “This name” could mean anything – a descriptive title that carries behavioral expectations (e.g., “good boy,” “smart boy,” “strong boy,” etc.), or an imposed gender role (“boy”), or a family name (a la Montague/Capulet), or a strict religious affiliation, or racial differences, or social class. Whatever label the narrator is referring to, it amounts to a punishing “hair shirt” for him (uncomfortable garment related to penance/atonement) because he desires the girl in the song, and that label and its accompanying expectations/restrictions specifically makes it not right for them to be together. His hair shirt is metaphorically “woven from [her] brown hair” because it’s his desire for being with her that gives the label its quality of being a punishment. Among the above possibilities, he and/or the girl could even be coming to terms with a sexual orientation, or non-conforming gender identities/expression, etc. There’s really no limit to the reasons society might judge any two individuals for their behaviors/identities or wanting to be together… |
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| Barenaked Ladies – Matter of Time Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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At the beginning of the chorus, I think it's "forfeit *to* you for the moment" (instead of "tell"). The song strikes me as being about a past relationship that had been healing, but instead ended up regressing. "Time heals," but then the car goes off the road; you "release, you make peace," but then the past goodbyes catch up with you again. The chorus sounds disappointed. "Swore this wasn't going to go bent," but then "more fits" (fits, as in, throwing a fit) end up happening. Being "at war with anything and anyone that you're with" expresses that sides have again hardened against each other. Maybe I'm interpreting the song backwards and it's supposed to be more optimistic? Dunno. Any time post-February-2009 that they sing about a past conflict/damaged friendship, I have a feeling I know who they're singing about, but who knows... |
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| Conor Oberst – Zigzagging Toward the Light Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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To me this song is about someone wandering through life - reflecting on their place within it, their sense of being always being a stranger without a real 'home', and the unpredictable ups and downs of a life's twists and turns. I love the imagery of "zigzagging toward the light." To me it means having a vague sense of your values and life direction ("the light"), but taking an imperfect 'scenic route' ("zigzagging") to get wherever you're headed - riddled with mistakes, lessons, and surprises... And being content with this imperfect journey, singing your carefree "bounder's song" the entire way. The vibe is equal parts lonely, nostalgic, optimistic, and at peace. |
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| Conor Oberst – Zigzagging Toward the Light Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I thought the line was "I'm in a *queue* that stretches out..." Additionally, is "bounder" the right word? I kept hearing "boundless" throughout, but mostly because I'd never heard of the word bounder, which I guess is an informal term for a "man of objectionable social behavior; a cad." |
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| Lou Reed – Perfect Day Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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The BBC recording (and nose touching, a la Guarrandango's comment) is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2JXy1Z9ovs |
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| Band of Horses – Ode to LRC Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| Yes, this is true. Also confirmed by this live version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L09Enn3b-Ys | |
| Barenaked Ladies – Keepin' It Real Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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I interpret this song as Ed Robertson being more open about his atheist views. The title, "Keepin' it Real," is a nod to ignoring supernatural notions and focusing on a naturalistic worldview. "Everyone who sees it puts their face in the ground And when nobody's watching, they can tear it all down Friend or foe? Cause I can be either one But if they come at me, then they better all run" The first verse notes that atheists ("everyone who sees it," or, those who realize the supernatural isn't true) tend to keep it to themselves and stay quiet ("puts their face in the ground"), but in privacy reject it all and can "tear it all down." Robertson notes that he can be friend or foe to anyone regardless of belief, but will fight back if provoked on the matter. "Long-toothed time is marching on as I sing Just cut me down the middle and count my rings Can't keep nothing; best to leave it alone You die naked and they burn up your bones" The second verse acknowledges his aging, and notes that nothing can be kept in the end. The last line is a nod to how temporary you are and how final (and non-glorious) your ending in this life really is. "What's the point in wishing there was somewhere to go If when you get there, you can't let anyone know When my time comes, I won't be leaving this Earth And what I've done for people will determine my worth" The third verse and where he gets much less subtle. "...wishing there was somewhere to go" refers to the idea of yearning for an afterlife, and how pointless such an idea is (since you can't tell anyone about it once you're there, and since, because of that fact, we have no proof it even exists). He then notes that he has no illusion of going anywhere else when he dies, and that the value of his life lies in his deeds (not beliefs or anything else). The chorus lines are unclear to me, but I imagine the fire and the wound might just be two examples of wanting something (like an afterlife), but the facts of reality (wet wood, deep cut) preventing that from happening no matter how much it is wished. |
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| Barenaked Ladies – Give It Back to You Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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This song's verses sound remarkably like "Told You So" from the Stunt album, while the bridge section ends on a chord that reminds me of the chorus from "For You" off of Everything to Everyone. Lyrically, the song seems to be Robertson reflecting on a relationship that fell apart. In the first two verses he is lamenting not handling the situation better and instead exacerbating the conflict ("...such a hole in the ground..."). Throughout the song he is taking responsibility for his role in the relationship's failing and expressing his desire to make amends. The lyrical theme is similar to the past BNL song, "Call and Answer." And as in some other recent BNL songs, one might wonder if he's writing about his relationship with Steven Page a bit in this song. |
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| Barenaked Ladies – Fog of Writing Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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This song seems to be a reflection on the songwriting process. Robertson seems to be talking specifically about writing targeted lyrics for someone within the context of a damaged relationship, and about how the words in a song can help frame past events, clear up ambiguity, and impact the thoughts and feelings of the other party involved. It seems to me that other parts of the Grinning Streak album seem to allude to song lyrics as a way to communicate and help to repair a relationship. For example, in "Best Damn Friend": "...it's not weak to re-make amends the way I've chose to." A BNL fan might wonder if this song (like the numerous other songs on the new album about past mistakes and damaged friendships/relationships) is in any way related to the Steven Page split and the way both sides wrote raw, emotional songs in the immediate aftermath and spun their breakup stories to the media. The third verse in particular could easily be about this jostling to define the past and whether it matters in the long run. |
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| Barenaked Ladies – When I Fall Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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I think you are correct about the gravity meaning, but I just wanted to clarify to readers that 9.8 m/s is not the speed at which something falls. 9.8 refers to the *acceleration* of an object to gravity, and the value is ~9.8 m/s^2, meaning each second an object falls, its speed is increasing by about 9.8 addition meters per second. Also love BNL and this song! |
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| Bright Eyes – Shell Games Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Ohhhh, great catch. I have no doubt you have nailed it on the origin of the song title. I'd been focusing more on the absurdism reference in the "Sisyphus" stanza, but I'll have to read into the transcendentalism you're talking about. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I feel like this song could be a reflection from the perspective of a small worker who is a relatively insignificant cog within a larger industrial society that values the community over the individual. He is reflecting upon the age at hand, and its (sarcastic?) utopian promise of “eternal living” and the merits of hard work and duty, and he is also pondering his individual mortality within that society’s framework (acknowledging he will eventually rot into nothingness, but finding some sort of purpose in a mantra of giving maximum effort in life). It somewhat reminds me of the world described by the book “Brave New World,” or of any society that is more focused on productivity, stability and the “greater good” than upon the value and purpose of individual lives. The line about the world being “split in fives” reminds me of Brave New World’s storyline where the population is divided up into five distinct castes, but the line could very well represent any sort of cold, broad statistical categorizing of a population by governments, corporations, etc. — yet another way of dehumanizing individuals and lessening their value while propping up large entities and the greater community. “Victoria” may be a reference to the Victorian Era and Industrial Revolutions in Europe and North America, as they seem an appropriate setting for the narrator of the song within this interpretation. As an Adze is a woodworking tool, it is possible that the “Age of Adz” could refer to an age that values hard work and industry above all else (serving as a symbol not unlike the sickle and hammer are to communism), though the spelling difference makes me question this. I’m also wondering if “Adz” could mean, “odds,” “ads” (as in “advertisements,” consumerism), or “adds” (as in adding small value at different stages along an assembly line). I still don't have a firm grasp on this song (or album), and I'd like to look into the Royal Robertson connection people are referencing. | |
| Stars – Dead Hearts Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Wow - this is a really good interpretation. It hadn't occurred to me that she could also be talking about her young selves. That's arguably an even more sad meaning for the song. | |
| Stars – The Passenger Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| The chorus is okay, but the sound of the verses is outstanding. They could have done more with this song. | |
| Stars – Dead Hearts Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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In a literal sense, the words of this song portray the female singer being consoled by the male singer after she has apparently had an encounter with ghosts. (Fittingly, as the opening track to a CD called “Five Ghosts” that often invokes imagery of the dead) Personally I imagine it being a foggy dusk, in a small rural town. The male character is eagerly trying to piece together what it is that she saw in her encounter, but she is seemingly shaken — if you’ll notice, she is not actually answering his questions, but speaking out to seemingly no one, as if still in shocked daze. She describes the ghosts as being visions of children she once knew, with “light” in their eyes, and she details the feelings of death and despair that came over her. The chorus talks about “they” (ghosts, or “dead hearts”) being out there, but insists most people fail to recognize it or believe in them. A few of the lines make it clear that this ‘supernatural experience’ is actually a metaphor. “It’s hard to know that you still care,” “Now they’re all dead hearts to you,” etc. The dead hearts represent the narrator having a stirring reflection about the meaningful people and things from her past that she has realized are now “dead” to her. Various people in whose eyes she once saw “light,” the people who once had vibrant, meaningful presences in her life — they have faded over years into distant memories. The song’s meaning is effectively that there are many people you lose and places you leave over a lifetime — sometimes purposefully, sometimes drifting away slowly or unintentionally — and that those dead hearts and forever lost feelings haunt everyone should they choose to realize and reflect upon them. |
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| Barenaked Ladies – What A Good Boy Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| It's funny that everyone jumped all over dag88's earlier comment like it was undoubtedly incorrect. (He said it was about being labeled as a virgin and pleading a girl to have sex with him.) Personally, I always interpreted this song as being about societal pressures and gender roles, but years later I'm still not convinced there isn't an element of what dag88 was talking about. Some lines just don't click for me. I can't explain why his "hairshirt" (which, by definition, sounds like a scarlet letter of sorts) is metaphorically "woven" from the girl's hair, why their being together that night isn't right, or what the bridge is about (not wanting to hell her she's right). I get that he's feeling pressure from the world around him, but it sounds very intertwined with her and their being together specifically. It would be pretty interesting if dag88 ended up being somewhat correct after the 7 years of comments making fun of him; though honestly, any good song leaves room for varying personal interpretations. But it's not like BNL never made any songs with strong sexual meanings... (See: It's Only Me). | |
| Barenaked Ladies – You Run Away Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Steven Page made a joke on his Twitter about his new song "I Run Away." Both sides have made it obvious what this song is about. | |
| Barenaked Ladies – Golden Boy Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| Alternate song title, "We're really really really bitter toward Steven Page" | |
| Panic! at the Disco – New Perspective Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I'm really not a big fan of this song so far. It seems to me that the lyrics were written to be so vague and abstract that there is no one clear meaning to decipher... and this seems to be so they could load the song with sexual innuendo disguised as something more meaningful. The words pretend to be about some desire to "change" and find something "new." Many of their fans will, as would be expected, try to find some way these lyrics mean something to their particular lives. But it's pretty apparent that a lot of the lines really are about oral sex. "Can we fast-forward to go down on me?" ** This is the most explicit reference. "And I'll admire your expensive taste." ** Her expensive taste being, quite literally, him. "I wanna be praised from a new perspective." ** As someone said above jokingly, she really would be looking at up at him from a "new perspective," and kneeling too. ("...praised") There are more you might interpret (e.g., "...How much I can come and go...", "...put a heavy load on you...," etc.), but I think people can figure them out for themselves when they look at the song this way. Like I said, not a fan of it. |
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| Jason Mraz – The Remedy (I Won't Worry) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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The people who interpreted this song in a political light have definitely hit it spot on. That's not to say it can't be applied to a more general meaning of not living in fear and worrying about things that can hurt you. The first verse, starting with "I saw fireworks from the freeway and behind closed eyes I cannot make them go away" is very much a metaphor for 9/11 and the attacks on the United States. The disease isn't literal, but rather a feeling of paranoia and fear. The second verse makes this meaning even more obvious as he refers to talk show hosts "Uncovering the ways to plan the next big attack." Just like one of the above posters, I also like how he ironically portrayed the gum commercial interrupting the seriousness of the news coverage. The chorus of the song clearly talks about paranoia (such as airport searches, homeland security, racism, etc.) with the parts about spending "night with the light on" and shining "a light on all of your friends." Mraz condemns this fearful behavior as amounting "to nothing in the end." I'm not buying the cancer or relationship meanings, because they really aren't supported by the lyrics. This song is based on politics and is a social commentary on current-day fear, and that meaning really isn't very hidden, especially considering the timing of the album (2002). |
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| Panic! at the Disco – Mad As Rabbits Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Yeah, the "making the best of the world, even though it's bad" idea does make sense. "He took the days for pageant Became as mad as rabbits With bushels of bad habits Who could ask for anymore? Yea who could have more." The first three lines are negative things, but then are followed by the ironic "who could have more?" -- as if making the best of what you're given. |
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| Panic! at the Disco – From A Mountain In The Middle Of The Cabins Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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"Lying there With a halo in her hair she cried There are feathers everywhere But it's fine You do this all the time" I thought initially there there was a double-meaning here, whereas the halo represent innocence, and more literally it represents a condom. The night before was presumably sex and drugs, and "feathers everywhere" symbolize what an emotional mess it feels like the morning after. "Crying now Through a rusted smile she knows This isn't how he paid the bills before Drug farm entrepreneur" --In this line it seems she's not happy with their relationship, with what he's become, and she's broken-hearted. I agree that the chorus is him telling her to just leave if she's not happy, slightly taunting her. "Watch love Get strangled by a kite's cold strings Fall comes early and summer leaves As a storm with the car keys" -This line is about their love dying, whereas Summer represent the innocent relationship, and Fall is when reality sets in. The storm with the car keys is her taking off, and their Summer love disappearing simultaneously. Spark your heels Up against the picket fence I built All your wishes they will sink like stones Slowly down a lonely well --Pretty self-explanatory, she's disillusioned. I interpret this song as harsh reality setting in for the couple. This album feels like a long story for me, about to people in love in the summer trying to cope (and ultimately failing) with how different they are. This ending is foreshadowed in earlier songs (such as when he says he won't cut his hair and the "Piano knows something I don't know") |
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| Panic! at the Disco – Mad As Rabbits Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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"Don't you remember when I was a bird and you were a map?" --This line struck me in a slightly different way, I think it's talking about when they first realized they went well together. He was a bird (wild, free, ability to go anywhere), and she was a map (more grounded, could show him the way, etc.). I interpreted this as them falling in love in each other's differences. "Now he drags down miles in America briefcase in hand. The stove is creeping up his spine again, can't get enough trash." --I really like the Death of a Salesman-esque interpretation here, something like him changing and getting jaded and worn down by the world. "His arms were the branches of a Christmas tree preached the devil in the belfry." --A Christmas tree powerlessly has things placed on it. This could represent him being helpless to things/labels being "hung" on him by people and society. "He checked in to learn his clothes had been thieved at the train station." --"He checked in" makes me think of being committed to a lifestyle or something, such as getting pulled into the business world (in reference to the earlier D.o.a.S. idea), and getting your clothes stolen is being helpless and naked in this new place, having nothing comfortable left from where you came. "Rope hung his other branch and at the end was a dog called bambi Who was chewing on his parliaments when he tried to save the calendar business." --It's very possible the bambi reference listed above is correct. If so, "bambi the dog" in this case represents the person he neglected in his life (his girlfriend presumably) by being "tied to a branch." Parliaments are a type of cigarette, and the calendar business is once again the work-world which is consuming him and ruining their relationship. This entire album strikes me as a long story, and I feel like this is sort of the tragic ending. The song before it (the Mountain/Cabins one) seems to depict the ending of the relationship between a guy and a girl, and this song is kind of an overview of their ill-fated romance. The first two lines (windowsill and bird+map) show that he's regretful that it ended. The rest of the song is the story of how it all went downhill, how he was changed by the world and went crazy. That's my take on it anyway. |
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